Written by Director of Hands to Heart Women’s Cooperative Debbie Tingley
The next time you pour yourself a glass of water, think about how it got there. Do you have to travel far to get it? Is it clean? Who is working to get you that effortless access to water? Unfortunately, not everyone has access to clean water or sometimes even a source of water.
Over decades, statistically it has been proven that sustainable sources of clean, safe drinking water and basic sanitation are key to breaking the cycle of poverty and disease. When families no longer need to spend hours each week traveling to and from clean water sources, their time is freed up to devote to their children attending school, significant improvement of family economics, and prevention of still borne water diseases.
Integrated Tribal Development Foundation and their Water Project Team understand the significance in this factor and are tirelessly committed to bringing clean water and sanitation to the Hill Tribe villages in Thailand and beyond. A whole lot of planning and preparations goes on by I.T.D.F. Water Project Manager, Noppadon Wanakhita and his staff, before a team even arrives. To start there is exploration for the nearest water source, surveying the land, water negotiation meetings with village elders and that is before any physical labor begins! Then the real physical part starts with team arrival working alongside villagers, from digging trenches to laying the pvc piping to village and finally the building of the water and filtration tower. Come rain or shine, with the help of visiting teams such as the First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco, who completed a water project in the village of Mae Saw (see photos).
The water project they completed is impacting 36 families/huts = 132 people with clean water, sanitation and beyond. Thank you First Chinese Baptist S.F. for your commitment and enthusiasm to empower lives in the Mae Saw village.
Without generous financial partners who are also committed to breaking this cycle of poverty, all of this would not be possible. Lanna Foundation strives to come alongside I.T.D.F. through generous partnerships such as yourselves. When you become a Water Project partner, you empower lives through clean water and beyond. You are providing latrines, training on sustainability of clean water and sanitation, family gardens, training on creating organic soaps/detergents to ease family budget. Most importantly, a three year follow up and training as needed to make sure that the village continues to be successfully sustainable.
Below is a breakdown of how your generous partnership would impact, empower, and bless a village through a Water Resource and Sanitation project:
- Construct village water supply system $6,000
- Construct latrines for each hut/family $4,000
- Gardens for each family and/or fish pond $1,000
- Training: hygiene, sanitation, watershed management, and gardens $1,000
- Total approximate cost $12,000
I.T.D.F. follows up with each village for 3 years after water project to ensure sustainability.
We need partners to help make more water projects happen.
