Written by Debbie Tingley: Director of Hands To Heart Women’s Cooperative (post once new website is up for ITDF)

Myself and Pree-Yoh

Meet Pree-Yoh who is married to husband Pom. They have 2 children, one who takes care of Pree Yoh’s Mother, Mon and the other helps tend to the cattle.

In sitting down with them, they told of this story of their journey for clean water and staying the course in patience, perseverance in faith, hope and a whole lot of prayer…  Some time ago, they decided to move outside of Huay Mei due to not enough water inside Huay Mei proper. The area had become heavily poplulated with families.  There were a few others whom made that same move outside of the area.

After moving, Pom then contacted Integrated Tribal Development Foundation (ITDF) regarding doing a water project in this area. Shortly after, ITDF came out and surveyed the land and closest water source (as that is the first step in providing for a water project).

Then, Pom, his family and neighbors waited and waited and waited for ITDF to return. Two years passed and all had given up hope with the exception of Pree-Yoh and her husband Pom. They never gave up on their faith in the Lord and that He heard their prayers for water.

Pom continued to keep communicating this message to his neighbors, but they were very pessimistic of both God and ITDF.  He told us that he kept praying and praying to the Lord for a water source. He said, “without clean water you cannot survive.”

It took two years, before ITDF returned. They had a long list of water projects throughout the region and it takes a process to get to each one which takes time.

ITDF completed the water project that year and the neighboring villagers had renewed hope in the Lord and learned through this process and the perseverance and continued faith of Pom and Pree Yoh that God is faithful and good. Today they have plenty of clean water with the help of ITDF and the training and follow-up they received for the next three years on how to maintain that water system. 


For more information on how you can sponsor a complete water project through ITDF click on this link. 

It is now $12,000 dollars to complete full water project from top to bottom.