Turn on the tap for safe accessible water
Turn on the Tap is a global campaign launched by Samaritan’s Purse to provide access to safe water for communities in Asia and Africa. The following story shows how Samaritans Purse water projects are transforming lives in Cambodia.
Mey Sen is a weary grandmother with deep wrinkles etched into her dark skin after years of gruelling work as a subsistence rice farmer. She provides for three grandchildren while their parents work in Phnom Penh and return only once a month to visit.
The harvest in December is often not enough to sustain Mey Sen and her grandchildren throughout the year. So when the rice is gone they forage for anything that will fill their bellies.
But the most difficult challenge of all is the lack of clean water in Mey Sen’s village.
“For decades we have relied on catching rain water,” explained Mey Sen. “But when there was no rain, we would use pond water.”
‘Pond water’ is a loose term which can mean anything from a small hole dug into the ground to collect rain water, to a larger body of water containing parasites, germs and diseases.
Through the help of our supporters, last year Samaritan’s Purse began distributing BioSand water filters in Mey Sen’s village and drilled a well in the preschool’s playground for the whole community to use. The well services about a dozen households in the area.
Six months later, we started an agricultural program in the village to train local farmers..
Mey Sen received a water filter and education in health and hygiene through Samaritan’s Purse projects, and she is now being trained in agriculture as well.
“The water we drink now is very different,” said Mey Sen. “Before we started using the filter, the children and I would often get diarreah and fevers. Now we don’t get sick.
“The water filter has helped us a lot,” Mey Sen continued. “The children can drink as much as they want and it keeps them healthy!
“The children and I are very happy. We appreciate God’s grace very much.”
Mey Sen represents just one family that has benefited from Turn on the Tap water projects. And hers is just one of the many lives that are impacted when you give to Samaritan’s Purse. So thank you for your generosity!
