KHT’s Water and Sanitation Systems not only provide life changing infrastructure for communities, they also bring a level of everyday ease, comfort and improve quality of life for people living in remote Karen villages.
Ban Huay Mai Dam is a village of 183 people and they villagers have informed KHT of ongoing instances of typhoid, ulcers and malaria. The villagers have also struggled to access any water during the dry season for drinking, cleaning and farming. They have had to use a very old government water system or the river in dry season, which can be unsanitary and scarce.
Our team spoke with Mr Prasong who is a 53 year old farmer and one of 12 siblings that grew up in the village.
“In the past my life was so hard, I had to use bamboo for carry water home for drinking and I didn’t get a chance to study due to poverty and the school being so far away. Growing up we also had no electricity in the village and getting to the bigger town meant walking for many hours on dangerous unpaved roads. I live with my wife and my son now and I make my living from farming. I am also the village headman and try to help my village as much as I can.
Our water supply is not enough as the water source we use is drying up. Even in the wet season we struggle and we need tanks to store water. This is why KHT’s help us so important for us.
“I like our village, I like our weather and we all live with unity but not having water makes everyday life difficult for many of our households. We also live very far from the nearest hospital and the roads are terrible. We use solar energy as we are not connected to any power lines, but this can be difficult during the rainy season. We also need it at night, so storing and keeping enough is not simple.
I am hoping that we can connect our village to others. Maybe we can find markets to sell our produce and some agencies that work with farmers.”
Supporting villages like Huay Mai Dam is often an important step in providing a foundation of development and improving basic needs. This allows villages to think beyond the everyday struggles and focus on improving their lives in other ways, either related to livelihoods, education or other improvements.
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