Every month for years I have donated money to the charity Wateraid - it was originally an option my water company gave me when setting up an account with them, the feel-good factor.
I support Water Aid for several reasons; as an expedition medic I have carried a days supply of water on my back all day trekking, I had carried 25 litre jerry cans of water from the hand pump to our camp, I had experienced having no water when the village pump broke - no water for construction of floors in schools (our main purpose for being in the remote bushman village), no water for washing, limited water for drinking & cooking. I had learnt very quickly two universal truths 1) Water is fecking heavy 2) No water - no life.
When I did my diploma of tropical medicine & hygiene at Liverpool some years after being an expedition medic I learnt about wells, water pumps, sewers & long drops. It is staggering the numbers of people that die each day just for the want of some clean running water. During this time of study I switched my banking to Co-operative bank, set up a direct debit to Water Aid & became an insufferable bleeding heart champagne socialist.
Cambodia is referred to as VSO-lite by many in the know because has relatively advanced infrastructure compared to the other countries VSO works in & a well established ex-pat community & NGO network. In my house I have running water & electricity with a gas bottle for cooking. Battambang has a public swimming pool, you can buy western food & there is AC in some buildings. I have never claimed to be slumming it.
When I say my house 'has running water' what I mean is it used to have running water. Because of the generally reliable supply it was built without a reservoir water tank in the bathroom. A sort of mini swimming pool that can be used to flush toilets & take bucket shower in the absence of running water but can be filled up when there is water. My fellow VSO volunteers in the villages & smaller town have these. I went to do some training at Anlong Veng last year & will never forget the scream of my fellow VSO-er as she bucket showered a frog (previously living quite happily in her tank) over her head.
3 weeks ago the water supply from the tap became intermittent. Last weekend I had no water all day but as I could see a big hole in the road in front of my house & new pipes being placed, I felt reassured it was only a temporary glitch. Last week I went away to SLN & on returning I found out that I still have no water, neither does it seem does the rest of Battambang town.
Now Cambodians have been through quite a lot in recent years so no running water doesn't even register on their radar as a problem, most of them do not have mains water anyway. My VA & good friend pump water from river/well. Despite lacking tap water they both always look immaculately turned out whilst I persistently look as if I have been dragged through a hedge backwards despite litres of piped water at the turn of my hand. My khmer teacher laughed at my concern about how I would manage with out water - as a 61 year old woman, she has lived with a lot worse.
My landlady filled my one small bucket with rain water from the big jars found outside every Cambodian home. The thing is that last rain season wasn't so rainy, the river is almost dry & talk is that the reason there is no tap water is because water reserves are so low. I prefer the post office man's theory that the pump at the water plant is broken. Hope for the best, fear he worst!
After one bucket of water had bucket washed me, cleaned my dishes & flushed the toilet, I decided that no water in the hot season (42˚C & 90% humidity) wasn't very pleasant. I then developed a fever & started vomiting. Being sick in the hot season with out any water is even less pleasant.
At the weekend I went to meet my friend who was visiting at her hotel & the manager - a friend - who seeing me immediately offered me a room. It is not very VSO but them as I have a week left who cares? Tomorrow there is a planned electricity cut for the whole day. The Bambu has a generator & its own water tank - I may never leave! I once gave the manager some dressings for a moto accident injury so I figure this is more than a fair exchange.
I wait patiently for normal service to be resumed. When I started volunteering with VSO I stopped my Wateraid & CAF direct debits. Today I am restarting my Wateraid donation & I would implore you all to do the same.
I support Water Aid for several reasons; as an expedition medic I have carried a days supply of water on my back all day trekking, I had carried 25 litre jerry cans of water from the hand pump to our camp, I had experienced having no water when the village pump broke - no water for construction of floors in schools (our main purpose for being in the remote bushman village), no water for washing, limited water for drinking & cooking. I had learnt very quickly two universal truths 1) Water is fecking heavy 2) No water - no life.
When I did my diploma of tropical medicine & hygiene at Liverpool some years after being an expedition medic I learnt about wells, water pumps, sewers & long drops. It is staggering the numbers of people that die each day just for the want of some clean running water. During this time of study I switched my banking to Co-operative bank, set up a direct debit to Water Aid & became an insufferable bleeding heart champagne socialist.
Cambodia is referred to as VSO-lite by many in the know because has relatively advanced infrastructure compared to the other countries VSO works in & a well established ex-pat community & NGO network. In my house I have running water & electricity with a gas bottle for cooking. Battambang has a public swimming pool, you can buy western food & there is AC in some buildings. I have never claimed to be slumming it.
When I say my house 'has running water' what I mean is it used to have running water. Because of the generally reliable supply it was built without a reservoir water tank in the bathroom. A sort of mini swimming pool that can be used to flush toilets & take bucket shower in the absence of running water but can be filled up when there is water. My fellow VSO volunteers in the villages & smaller town have these. I went to do some training at Anlong Veng last year & will never forget the scream of my fellow VSO-er as she bucket showered a frog (previously living quite happily in her tank) over her head.
3 weeks ago the water supply from the tap became intermittent. Last weekend I had no water all day but as I could see a big hole in the road in front of my house & new pipes being placed, I felt reassured it was only a temporary glitch. Last week I went away to SLN & on returning I found out that I still have no water, neither does it seem does the rest of Battambang town.
Now Cambodians have been through quite a lot in recent years so no running water doesn't even register on their radar as a problem, most of them do not have mains water anyway. My VA & good friend pump water from river/well. Despite lacking tap water they both always look immaculately turned out whilst I persistently look as if I have been dragged through a hedge backwards despite litres of piped water at the turn of my hand. My khmer teacher laughed at my concern about how I would manage with out water - as a 61 year old woman, she has lived with a lot worse.
My landlady filled my one small bucket with rain water from the big jars found outside every Cambodian home. The thing is that last rain season wasn't so rainy, the river is almost dry & talk is that the reason there is no tap water is because water reserves are so low. I prefer the post office man's theory that the pump at the water plant is broken. Hope for the best, fear he worst!
After one bucket of water had bucket washed me, cleaned my dishes & flushed the toilet, I decided that no water in the hot season (42˚C & 90% humidity) wasn't very pleasant. I then developed a fever & started vomiting. Being sick in the hot season with out any water is even less pleasant.
At the weekend I went to meet my friend who was visiting at her hotel & the manager - a friend - who seeing me immediately offered me a room. It is not very VSO but them as I have a week left who cares? Tomorrow there is a planned electricity cut for the whole day. The Bambu has a generator & its own water tank - I may never leave! I once gave the manager some dressings for a moto accident injury so I figure this is more than a fair exchange.
I wait patiently for normal service to be resumed. When I started volunteering with VSO I stopped my Wateraid & CAF direct debits. Today I am restarting my Wateraid donation & I would implore you all to do the same.
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