Retired plumber Keith Durward kindly volunteered his time and skills to help out with the project. He spent over a month onsite with Chumrarn imparting his specialist plumbing skills and knowledge. His mentoring not only ensures the work is done to Australian Standards, but also gives Chumrarn an insight into best-practice techniques to achieve quality outcomes that are rarely seen in Cambodia.
Sunshine House was built over a number of years and often with very poor quality materials (as these were the only ones available at the time) – as a result, we had pipes going all over the place. When we fitted the water filtration system and started to monitor its use we found we had some big leaks underground. The only way to fix the problem was to simply start again and make it all one system. A big job, but had to be done.
With just a few taps in need of replacing, Stage 2 is now all but complete. This stage saw all of the old water piping replaced and fed into one full system, which now allows us to purify all of the water from across the property at one central location.
Stage 3 will see all of the sewerage linking into one place. This stage is the largest part of the project and involves trenches being dug right through the whole property. The digging works are currently under way and the workers are digging under the paths so the children have no problem with safe access and also so that we don’t damage the electrical cables that were laid along the sides of the paths. Despite a couple of weeks of unseasonal rain and some very hard digging through clay we’ve made great progress – the trenches have all been dug and we are only a week or so away from filling them in and levelling the site. I don’t think the kids will be happy when it is all filled in… they have loved the adventure playground with tunnels and pipes! Chumrarn will be pleased though, because
he has to ensure the site is safe and this means rechecking the pipes each morning to make sure the little adventurers haven’t moved anything… well, boys will be boys and we have a lot of them!
After all the sewerage is collected in one place, it needs to be made safe and this is Stage 4. We have put in a series of settling tanks and will be turning the old duck pond near the road into a reed bed. This will then create an environment where nature does its thing, with the final result being clean water that can be safely disposed of.
We’ve dug the old duck pond out and it isn’t in good condition, so it will need to he remade but at least the hole is there.
Our heartfelt thanks to our donors – you made it possible for A Case for Change to distribute 600 backpacks this year. Australian donors Crown Money Management Lake Joondalup Baptist College Wesley College Outback Splash Hamilton Hill Primary School Jess & Simon Hull […]
For every $15 donated we are able to purchase a school backpack, fill it with school supplies and place your school or business logo on the front in recognition of your support of our important program. At Awareness Cambodia we are passionate about education and the life-changing opportunities that learning affords to children everywhere. We believe education is a powerful and basic human right that enables children to break the cycle of poverty and inequity which can lead to trafficking, gender-based violence and other human rights abuses. We invite your school, church or business to join us by becoming […]
Skorin comes from Kampong Chhnang (a small province 91km from Phnom Penh) and has two sisters and three brothers. In high school, Skorin studied hard and was rewarded with good grades. Passionate about planting trees, while studying biology at school she decided she wanted to continue to learn more about plants and their uses in agriculture. Unfortunately her parents couldn’t afford to send her to university to follow her dream of studying agronomy. But she heard about Awareness Cambodia’s scholarships and knew this was her opportunity. Skorin’s parents were overjoyed when she was awarded her scholarship and she has been […]
Become a agricultural scholarship sponsor today – $350.00 per month The Agricultural Scholarship purpose is to support poverty alleviation in Cambodia by enabling students from underprivileged backgrounds to complete agriculture-related studies; in doing this, these students can develop the capacity to effectively contribute to programmes, projects and services that can enhance agricultural productivity and rural development and welfare in the country. Scholarships are offered to disadvantaged (poor, rural and marginalised) young people who show academic excellence, aptitude and a passion for social justice.
Become a medical scholarship sponsor today – $450.00 per month Cambodia needs well-trained and passionate medics to help build a better nation. With a belief that a person’s desire and ability to heal should not be determined by how much money they have, Awareness Cambodia is opening up opportunities for talented and driven Cambodians to pursue medical careers. Taking a holistic approach to care, education and health, Awareness Cambodia has developed a medical scholarship program to help train the medics of the future. The scholarship is designed to help alleviate poverty in Cambodia by enabling students from underprivileged backgrounds, who […]
In response to seeing vulnerable young children being exploited, we established the first of our child development projects – Sunshine House – in 2000. By 2006, House of Progress was up and running. Here students completed their upper high school education, developed life skills and prepared for a tertiary education. And in 2009 the first group of children to come into our care took the final step in their education journey – moving to Graduation House in Phnom Penh to commence university studies. Today, the children in our child development programs are joining a growing number of healthy young adults […]
Sadly the incidence of breast and cervical cancer in Cambodia is a major issue; with these cancers being the leading two causes of death for Cambodian women. Around 1400 new cases of breast cancer and 1500 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed each year in Cambodia – the highest incidence per capita in South East Asia. Despite these cancers often being treatable, provincial women have limited access to medical services, health education and suffer a disproportionate financial burden when it comes to medical care. As a result, almost half of the women diagnosed have presented too late for treatment and […]
News arrived at Sunshine House that funding had been sourced and a much needed kitchen renovation was about to begin – there was a tangible air of anticipation. Plans where sought and the revamp began in early 2014. I’m sure many readers have experienced a home renovation and understand the challenges of trying to function in your home whilst the chaos ensues around you. Sunshine House kitchen reno was no different; we built a basic temporary outside kitchen area for our cook. It was tough during the ‘hot season’ as humidity soared. A fun fact we discovered was that tradesmen […]
I had travelled to Cambodia four times prior to this trip, but this one was very different, as we had chosen a trip to Cambodia to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary.I love the “life” that we saw on the streets. It is as if you can observe life happening out in the open. You see people cooking, eating their meals, squatting and chatting, checking hair for lice, sleeping on the sidewalk, bringing their livestock into town, children playing and all on the streets. Traffic is hilarious. If your lane of traffic is not moving, you just create another one, […]
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