Installation of Sanitary Facilities and Water Pumps for Five Primary Schools in Cambodia

In Cambodia, there is a shortage of drinking water due to the lime-rich soil and the severe pollution of the soil. Also, most schools are suffering financial challenges. One particular problem is that many schools are lacking in toilets; this poor sanitary conditions causes students to be infected with diseases. So, the Cambodia branch of the WeLoveU Foundation decided to install water supply facilities or sanitary facilities for the health of students and the hygiene of schools, and visited the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Cambodia to discuss the support plan with the minister. Hang Chuon Naron, Minister for Education, Youth and Sport, said, “On behalf of the Ministry of Education, I’d like to thank the WeLoveU Foundation for supporting schools with facilities. I hope all the members of the Foundation will be healthy and happy.”

After the field research on each primary school that the local ministry of education introduced to the Foundation, it was founded out that the restroom problem was a serious factor threatening the health of young students. In one primary school with 300 students, there were only two restroom stalls—one for boys and one for girls, and some primary schools had toilets left broken because they had no funds to fix them. As the situation was like that, many students sometimes had to go home to use the restroom in the middle of the class, and some had to hold it until they went home after school.

The construction started in September and ended in November. Four restroom buildings were built, and one water pump was installed in five primary schools. Starting with the building dedication ceremony held in Hunsen Kongmohar Primary School in Kampong Cham Province on November 3, clean restroom buildings with four to five stalls each were completed in Thmorsar Primary School in Svay Rieng Province on the 10th; in Rumlich Primary School in Pursat Province on the 21st; and in Thmorkre Primary School in Kratie Province on the 24th. Sinks were installed in Rumlich Primary School and in Thmorkre Primary School where they didn’t have any, so that the students of those schools can wash their hands. On the 7th, a water pump was installed in Chunlong Primary School in Siem Reap the capital city, and a dedication ceremony was held. A total number of 1,870 students of those five schools are now able to receive education in the clean environment.

The children who looked around the new school facilities burst into happy laughter. The joy of the parents and teachers was great, too. On the day the facilities were built, the Ministry of Education from each region presented the WeLoveU Foundation with certificates of appreciation and plaques of appreciation for improving the environment of education. The WeLoveU Foundation also gave school supplies to all the students of those five primary schools, hoping that those children would foster their dreams for the future in the clean and healthy environment.