Water. It is life sustaining. The most valued of all the elements to build healthy bodies and healthy lives. Without it, we endure more illnesses, and in general feel sluggish. This is a simple issue for westerners. 

In the developing world, water can mean the difference between life and death. The purity, quality and accessibility is at times in question and can bring severe sickness, virulent diarrhea, intestinal distress and to the young, elderly and the infirm...even death. In the village where Red Dirt Road artisans live, water is in short supply with seasonal droughts taking their toll throughout many of Cambodia's provinces. The cisterns are low with high levels of salt which can't be filtered out successfully without desalination systems.

So we do what we can at the moment. Teaching proper hygiene has been at the top of the list, from simple teeth brushing to sharing and educating the women on the basics of cleanliness. Culturally, like the image above, water is collected from heavy downpours that fill these large ceramic jars. They soon become home to waterborne parasites such as mosquito larva which presents yet another problem.

Water purity is imperative to good health and the Red Dirt Road team are assessing challenges and seeking solutions for the RDR seamstresses. We've initially provided a low volume water filtering system to provide clean drinking water. Special thanks to Lin, for providing the women the education needed on just how important it is for them to keep hydrated while they work during the heat of the day.

If you would like to help us help others, please consider dropping us a note in the CONTACT US section of this website. Your thoughts are appreciated.