The village of Ban Sob Mae Lau was supported by KHT last summer. It is located high in the mountains bordering Mae Ngao National Park. Our team returned to complete our Endline surveys and we spoke with the assistant headman, Loikhua and his family.
Loikhua lives with his wife Bamue, and their two children, Thanida and Sangsit. For years, water in the village was scarce and meant compromise and difficulty. The old supply ran straight from the source with no real filtration — thick with sediment, and only partially cleaned by villagers themselves using cloth filters at home.
“Before the project arrived, we were still using the old water supply, but it was water that hadn’t gone through any filtration process at all — there was still a lot of sediment in it,” Loikhua explains. “Villagers were still using dirty water the whole time, even for bathing and other things. During the rainy season, it was even more difficult than that.”
Bamue also told us:
“With the old water line, when the water was cloudy, we could not do anything because mud came through with the water. We could not use the washing machine to wash clothes.”
It wasn’t just a matter of inconvenience, but also of people getting sick and struggling to access the right amount of water.
In 2025, KHT worked with the village to install a new water supply system — one that villagers themselves helped build.
“Since the project, the water has gotten better,” says Loikhua. “The water improved — we use more of it now, it’s increased, and drinking water has improved too.”
The old line hasn’t been abandoned entirely — it’s kept as a backup — but daily life now runs on clean, reliable water.
For Bamue, the change has been just as significant:
“Now there is enough water, and things have improved a lot… After the water project and this new water line were installed, we have been able to use the washing machine.”
Health has followed. “Now that we use the water system installed by the foundation, there are not many health problems,” Bamue says.
Even 11-year-old Thanida has noticed the difference — no more frequent water collection, and fewer stomach aches in the village. “It has improved,” she says simply, when asked about her family’s health since the filter arrived.
More Than Just Water
What comes through again and again in this family’s story is gratitude — and a real sense of partnership. KHT welcomed a groups of students from Gordonstoun School in the UK who helped with the construction. Bamue’s words about KHT’s volunteers are hard to read without feeling moved:
“I am very happy that our brothers and sisters from overseas came to help with the project. I am very grateful. I hope they will be free from suffering and illness, because they worked very hard. They were bitten by mosquitoes and insects, and I felt sorry for them… I wish them success and good health.”
Loikhua, who now manages the system’s day-to-day upkeep alongside a ten-person village water committee, also spoke about the project’s deeper impact on the community itself. The community and KHT worked together to construct the water system, so there is a feeling of ownership, partnership and empowerment for the residents. He also appreciated how well people worked together and noted he had not seen the village so united before.
“It’s genuinely improved the quality of life of the people in our community — better quality, better health, and cleaner water to use. It’s raised our quality of life up another level.”
Looking Ahead
Families like Bamue’s now spend less on collecting or buying drinking water and more time on daily life. Thanida dreams of becoming a nurse one day — proof that clean water today is an investment in the next generation’s future too. Her ability to study is linked to her health- she will miss less school and concentrate better without water borne diseases to contend with.
KHT has noted that the village may need a second filter to support the residents in the most efficient way, and we need your help to do this! Please donate today to help us ensure clean water is achieved for all Karen people.
Thanks to KHT’s supporters, families in Ban Sob Mae Lau no longer have to choose between clean water and their time, health, or income. There’s still work ahead — but for Loikhua, Bamue, and their children, life has already changed for the better.