Village Clean Water, Laos
Rural Laotian village. Photo: CWS |
CWS-Laos
Some 1,200 students and 30 teachers are benefiting from Church World Service-supported water system projects at two schools in the Sampan district of Phongsaly Province and the La district of Oudomxay Province. Another 12,000 rural villagers are benefiting indirectly from the project.
It is estimated that less than 40% of the population of Laos--one of the poorest countries in Asia--has access to clean water. In rural mountainous areas, less than 15% have access to clean water. This results in serious health problems. It is estimated that in some areas of rural Laos, 90% of the population suffers from intestinal infections and parasites. In addition to contributing to a high mortality rate, the people's poor health of diminishes their ability to grow food, get an education, and improve their quality of life.
In response, Church World Service is helping to provide rural communities and primary school students and teachers access to clean water, and mobilizing local communities and local governmental agencies by involving them in the construction of water systems.
The water systems provided by the CWS Village Clean Water Program are usually located in boarding schools, and are meant to complement the CWS Primary Education Program. The systems consist of a clean spring-fed water source with plastic pipes carrying the water to a cement tank holds the water.
Participation in the project is giving villagers skills in water system construction and maintenance, trouble-shooting, and repair--skills that will help them in the future as additional wells are needed in their village and in other parts of Northern Laos.
Having immediate access to drinking water also means fewer student dropouts at the two schools, especially in the case of girls since they carry the main responsibility for fetching water for the household.
Support for Church World Service helps make this program possible.
Updated 1/16/2008
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