Water and Healthcare Foundation, Cambodia (WAH)
WAH Foundation has Cambodian NGO/Foundation status, and registered in Singapore as a not-for-profit organisation.
Our mission is to improve the lives and conditions of rural communities in Cambodia, through dedication to sustainable clean water, health and education projects.
Our priority is the well-being of women and children.
WAH started working in 2009 in Kampong Chhnang, which has a population of 600,000, to address lack of access to clean drinking water. In some areas of Cambodia, 8% of children die before their fifth birthday, mainly through drinking contaminated water and poor hygiene.
WAH focuses on three areas:
Clean Water and Hygiene
WAH has developed a clean water bicycle pump system which can produce up to 400 litres of clean water per hour. Children enjoy using our bicycle systems, which are being installed in school playgrounds, with no need for electricity or generators. The children use pedal power to bring water from the well. The water is then cleaned through a high performance ultra filtration membrane. Integrated into the clean water system is a hand washing and hygiene program. 288 clean water systems in schools have now been installed, with systems in all 49 provincial health clinics, and all 3 hospitals.
Healthcare and Train-the-Trainer Program
WAH has been working in collaboration with KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital and Mount Alvernia hospital in Singapore for the last eight years, training over 400 midwives and paediatric nurses and doctors covering Kampong Chhnang province and some medical staff from neighbouring provinces. Every medical center and hospital in the province has now been trained and impact numbers show a 90% drop in mortality rate of mothers in birth.
Educating the Future
WAH have managed a scholarship program for young women, at tertiary level, so they can attain a degree which will help them to get a strong start in their careers. They study a number of topics from agriculture to accounting to English language. We have also helped young women achieve degree qualifications from the government orphanage. Our education work also encompasses medical training with KKH and Mount Alvernia hospitals.
Mission:
To improve the lives and conditions of rural communities in Cambodia, through dedication to sustainable clean water, health and education projects. Our priority is the well-being of women and children.
Vision:
to use our expertise and experience to scale our work throughout Cambodia and beyond, together with partners who wish to use the WAH model in their own region or country.
