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In March 2003, Amherst, MA residents Sokha and Ny Mao traveled back to their home country of Cambodia – a home that they left as young children during the “Cambodian Holocaust” of the late 1970s. During their visit, they were struck by how poor health and sanitation conditions have remained since the war. Many villages, including Ny’s home village, still had no source of clean, potable water or even sanitary facilities, and as a result, villagers were chronically ill.
 Sokha and Ny arrived back to their adopted home, the US, with a vision for improving these conditions and reached out to friends and neighbors to assist them. These friends and neighbors eventually become the nucleus of a new project by serving on the Board of Directors and volunteering for the Cambodian Water Project of Massachusetts.
The goal of this project, as it began, was to create clean sources of water as well as adequate sanitation facilities to prevent the contamination of new water supplies. Depending upon the size of the village and the soil type in the region, these facilities included a combination of wells and/or small reservoirs, along with low water use toilet systems. The Cambodian Water Project has focused its efforts on the small villages of Omani, Onk, Pursat, Kaodak, Prey Totand, and Troh Pan Chann. Local villagers carry out much of the work using locally available technology and all donations have gone directly to supporting these efforts.
With time, the Cambodian Water Project has also begun to broaden the types of projects in each village to reach beyond water and sanitation. New projects and focuses have been proposed by the villagers and endorsed by the project’s Board. These have included projects relating to education, irrigation and food production and economic development.
By working to improve the basic infrastructure of villages in Cambodia, the Cambodian Water Project of Massachusetts is moving forward a movement for peace and social justice.
If you would like to make a gift to support this important work, click on the "Give Now" button and indicate that your gift is for this project.
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