A floundering Cambodian job market forced Keo Sophean to spend many difficult years away from his family. He sought employment opportunities in Thailand and South Korea, and while he appreciated the chance to experience other cultures, Keo never earned enough to justify the sacrifice of living away from his loved ones.

In 2018, Keo decided to return home and settle his family in the Tropiang Pliang community of Kampot province. He was hopeful for a simple life in the countryside. But Keo and his family soon found that accessing safe water was a challenge in their rural community. The natural water sources were not suitable for household use and posed health challenges for the family, including their seven-month-old baby.

In 2022, World Renew’s local partner, OREDA, launched a program focused on improving health and livelihoods in Keo’s community. Keo became a program participant in January 2023 and received training in kitchen hygiene, household water purification, financial literacy, and food processing and packaging. Keo says the trainings in family-scale water purification and kitchen hygiene were especially beneficial.

“After attending the [health] training, my family’s health has noticeably improved. Our household environment is cleaner, as we are now more aware of the importance of kitchen and household hygiene. Due to the water purification practices we adopted, we have been free from diseases,” shares Keo.

With these health improvements, Keo is looking to the future with hope. Through the program, he is also a member of an agriculture producer group, which offers him both opportunities to learn and to share his knowledge.

Keo thanks OREDA, World Renew, and supporters like you for the program.