Hang Kosuan Village, Stung Treng _ For most people, the 80-liter plastic container and a clay water filter are probably the last things they consider as quality household items. But for many poor women, these simple, no-nonsense things give them a freedom they have never experienced before.
The items, distributed by Oxfam as part of its Typhoon Ketsana emergency response, save them a lot of time and energy from gathering firewood and boiling water with the container’s size twice as much as the clay jar commonly used in the rural area and the filter’s proven effectiveness.
For mother of eight like Khay Chan Thon, 48, whose children take turn suffering from diseases such as dengue fever, malaria, and typhoid, seeing her kids make a speedy recovery without complications like diarrhea was also a huge relief.
Khay and her daughters were responsible for carrying and boiling the water as the men needed to sleep after fishing all night. “It used to take us almost two hours or four trips or more to get enough water because we’re a big family. The filter also saved our time from collecting firewood.”
An Oxfam assessment has found that the villagers usually gathered firewood twice a week spending 1-4 hours for each trip as the location was about 1-3 kilometers away from the village.
As for water collection, the village is 500 meters from the river. The women usually spent between 1-2 hours doing the task a day depending on the distance and needs. The water was only for consumption and household use as bathing and washing is done in the river.
With more time and stronger body _ two invaluable things when you are poor with many children _ Khay and her husband has found that they has lower medical expenses and could go fishing longer to offset the lost income from declining fish stock.
In the old days when the family used to get as much as 10kg of fish, they simply sold the catch as it was for 4,000 – 5,000 Riel ($1 – $1.25) per kilo. “But now we have to wash and cut the heads and tails to get better price which is two times higher for only 3-4 kg because the fish stock has declined recently,” Khay said.

Her daughter Malay Chan Thon, 19, said she used her free time to do the cutting while her mother was repairing the net. “I like it that we don’t have to bring water everyday. It’s also good to not be sick or tired all the time,” the smiley teenage girl said while preparing the fish.
Thoeng Pan, 38, agreed. Although she has not used the filter since the distribution in April for fear the children would break it, Thoeng said the container has already allowed her to take better care of her 12 children and helped her husband go fishing.
“I used to carry the water four times everyday to get enough water for everyone. Now we don’t have to go everyday and the water has longer time to settle,” she noted. In order to cater to everyone’s needs, Thoeng spent about two hours altogether each day for this.
The two families were among those affected by the typhoon which had flooded the areas for over a month. Along with the damages to farmlands, basic infrastructure, and houses, the typhoon also worsened the common problem in rural Cambodia _ lack of access to sanitation facilities and drinkable water.
During the Ketsana-induced flood, Thoeng’s family had to stay at Khay’s house as her hut was only 50cm above the ground while the water level was 60 -70cm high. “It was a very difficult time. The water was everywhere. Since we got water from the river, we didn’t go far and just took it under our house. Luckily, the forest wasn’t flooded so at least we could boil the water.”
During the period, villagers used the boats to go around and defecated in the river while women and children used the backyards at night for security concern. Such a behavior is not uncommon in this area where rivers and ponds are the only source of water.
Asked if she would use the filter soon, Thoeng said she wanted to but was afraid of losing it as she couldn’t afford to buy a new one.
With income of a mere 5,000 – 6,000 Riel ($1.25 – $1.5) for each time, the family could not buy anything more than rice and seasonings, leave alone fishing net. Instead they use harpoons and do labor work to make ends meet, she said.
Oxfam has so far distributed 470 water filters to 470 families to curb the spread of diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases. With almost half of the 3,000 people having benefited from this being women, the distribution has become not only a symbol of good health, but also freedom.
The women said they appreciated the items as they have eased their daily grind and given them more freedom. “Honestly, we’d like to get one more container so we will have one more day free,” Malay told us.
Uamdao Noikorn, Regional Media Coordinator, and Im Solinda, Logistics Officer.

Flooded crops and multiplying mosquitoes create health challenges for Cambodia’s rural people.
by Tul Pinkaew

    Sen Sles shivers with a high fever as he sits on the wooden floor of his house. Pushing himself nearer to the front of his makeshift porch, Sen tells a Cambodian Oxfam staff member that he has malaria.
“I feel bad; I have a very high temperature but I have no money to buy more medicine,” he says.
Sen contracted malaria from mosquitoes, after entering the forest to collect firewood to sell because he lost all of his assets after floods leveled his rice paddy.
“I own a very small plot of land, which normally is not enough for my family’s consumption, but this year the irregular flooding destroyed almost everything and I had no choice but to enter the forest,” he says.
Since last year, there has been an increase of malaria patients in Cambodia’s Kratie province, where Sen’s village, Lovethom, is located. According to statistics from the Kratie Provincial Health Department, malaria cases increased dramatically last year and again this year after the numbers went down in 2005.
“There were more than 709 registered cases with 24 deaths last year, compared to less than 200 cases in 2005. Dengue fever cases have also increased from 65 cases in 2006 to 145 cases so far this year,” says Dr. Cheam Saem, Director of the Provincial Health Department, Kratie Province.
A recent survey conducted by Cambodia’s Climate Change Office found that the recent increase of malaria and dengue fever cases is connected to the change in climate conditions, explains Tin Ponlok, National Project Manager for the formulation of Cambodia’s National Adaptation Program of Action to Climate Change (NAPA).
“This year especially, there has been a significant rise in dengue fever, and specialists in the country believe that climate change is the cause,” he says.
Vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever are most sensitive to    long-term climate change. The incubation period of mosquitoes shortens at higher temperatures, while off-season rainfall enhances mosquito breeding and survival.
“The highland areas are becoming perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes because of the humidity in the forest,” Tin says.
Tin added that the geographical structure of the forest is also changing because of excessive logging and mosquitoes are also now moving to the villages.
Lovethom village, where Sen’s family of five lives, borders the Mekong River and has been experiencing irregular rainfall patterns for the past three years, causing recurring floods up to four times in one year. Apart from destroying rice crops and forcing people to invade the forest, the flood is also leaving behind pools of stagnant water, a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.
El Hop Sos, a mother of eight, says all of her children either have malaria or dengue, while her husband has also contracted malaria from working in the forest.
“There has been a lot more rain and a lot more mosquitoes in the past two years, and we just don’t have the money to take the children to the district hospital,” she says.
Dr. Cheam Saem agrees. “This year it has been difficult because there are more loggers, and there has been more rain, and, as a consequence, more mosquitoes,” he said. He added that the department has a limited budget and Lovethom village is not categorized as a malaria risk zone, and therefore does not qualify for free medication.
Dr. Cheam Saem explains that his department has been distributing mosquito nets and providing education to those living in remote areas on how to keep themselves safe from vector-borne diseases.
Showing her torn mosquito nets, El Hop says she is very worried about her children. She is trying to find extra income to pay for the medication by working on a cassava plantation, while her husband catches fish to sell in the local market because they do not own a rice field, but it is still far from enough. With global warming forecast to disrupt weather patterns to a much greater extent over coming decades, the health crisis faced by the people of Lovethom is just a foretaste of what is to come.