Location
Daunkeo District, Takeo Province, Cambodia
Community Description
Daunkeo Town is the provincial capital of Takeo Province, which is one of the more densely populated provinces in Cambodia. The town is about 2 hours south of Phnom Penh.
The town is smaller and more easy-going than some of the bigger provincial towns in Cambodia. It is situated next to a lake so there is a constant supply of water which the town treats and distributes though pipes to the developed areas of the town.
There are various NGOs based in the town, many of which conduct their work in the more rural areas of the province.
The Provincial Teacher Training Center is where teacher trainees from all of Takeo province must study in order to become a primary school teacher. Entry is very competitive and determined by an exam. Trainees live at the training center and study methodology and the subjects for two years. The trainees live at the school free of cost.
There are two two-story dorms on campus, one for the men and one for the women. In the women’s dorm, about two hundred trainees live together among eight medium-sized rooms. Generally, the women sleep three people to a full-sized bed. Obviously, space is limited. With so many women living densely together, water is also limited.
There are two bathrooms in the building, one on the bottom floor and one on the top floor. They serve not only the residents, but also the staff and guests, as there are no bathroom facilities attached to the office or the classrooms.
Each bathroom has a large concrete container to hold water. There are five toilet stalls in each bathroom. The water in the concrete container is used for flushing the toilets, cleaning the bathrooms, taking showers, doing laundry, and for cooking.
There is a faucet connected to the town’s water supply in the lower bathroom. Unfortunately, the water supply is not reliable. Sometimes the water comes out, but at other times there is no water. Despite this irregular service, the school currently spends about $250 per month for water.
The upper bathroom is not connected. So the women must carry water from the lower bathroom to the upper bathroom.
Project Description
This project is to install a rainwater catchment system at the school. Water will be collected from the roof of the women’s dormitory, and directed to the large concrete water containers in the two bathrooms.
Project funds will be used to purchase materials, including the zinc gutters, piping, and hardware, and to pay for skilled labor to do the construction.
Project Impact
About 200 female students currently living in the dormitory, plus 30 teachers and office staff, will benefit from the project. In addition, guests who visit the training center for workshops and meetings will also be affected by the project.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Julie Kierski
Comments
This project will provide water to alleviate the critical sanitation problem at the school. The addition of the rain water supply system will assure that the trainees have access to enough water.
In addition to having a more reliable supply of water, the school will be able to substantially reduce the amount it pays for the public water. This will free up funds to be used for other crucial needs of the training center.
Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00
Donations Collected to Date
$500.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has now been fully funded, through the generosity of The Soneva SLOW LIFE Trust as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Peace Corps Volunteer Julie Kierski of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Julie and/or those of her counterpart PCVs in Cambodia.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.