BUNGE and HFH Cambodia: Providing 10,000 Liters of Clean Water to 1,200 Rural Children and Families
BUNGE and Habitat for Humanity Cambodia inaugurated a new Aqua Tower at Kouk Dong Primary School in Angkor Chum district, Siem Reap. The Aqua Tower will provide more than 600 school children and over 600 villagers access to safe, clean water to help improve their health, productivity and wellbeing.
The Angkor Chum District governor, Mr. Roth Chum and Mr. Frans Mol, Representative of Bunge Asia Executive Committee attended the inauguration.
“Bunge is proud to sponsor this Aqua Tower and to help provide a source of clean and safe water for the residents of Kouk Dong,” said Mr. Frans Mol. “As a major agri-business company, Bunge acts in a responsible way with respect to its own water consumption and is engaged in improving conditions in the communities where we operate. Too many people in rural Cambodia suffer from health problems related to poor water quality, so improvements like this Aqua Tower make a big difference in their wellbeing and daily lives,” he added.
“The Aqua Tower is able to produce 10,000 liters of clean water every day enough to serve upto 2,000 community children and people in a day. With enough clean water to use, health challenges such as diarrhea, malaria and other kinds of diseases caused by unhygienic water will be reduced,” according to Mr. Chan Sokhoeun, HFH Cambodia WatSan Project Officer.
Habitat for Humanity Cambodia has been promoting water, sanitation and hygiene behavior changes for 5 years in villages in Angkor Chum district to help increase villagers’ productivity and improve their health and wellbeing.
This is the second year Bunge is sponsoring the provision of Aqua Tower to a school in rural Siem Reap in collaboration with Planet Water Foundation and Habitat for Humanity Cambodia.
Apart from the Aqua Tower hand-over, the team also conducted a hand washing training along with HFHC to school students to teach them the importance of proper hygiene and sanitation. Students were taught proper use and maintenance of their toilet. They were also taught how to cut nails, how to brush their teeth, and how to keep their body clean.
This initiative is part of the Bunge 10 campaign, the company’s celebration of the 10-year Anniversary of the listing of its shares in the New York Stock Exchange on August 2, 2011. Employee-led Bunge 10 community projects continue throughout 2012, “Helping Our People Help Their Communities” around the world.
