Water, Water . . .
Located in the south-east corner of Laos, Attapeu is considered the most remote and least-developed province in the country. It is vulnerable to the destruction of water, yet is in desperate need of clean sources.
During the monsoon, rivers flood the lowlands, where most of the population live. The flooding places Attapeu at risk of water-borne disease, as polluted surface run-off flows into rivers. Then, in contrast, is the dry season in which there is virtually no rain. Streams disappear, leaving humans and stock competing for the remaining polluted water.
Mrs Kanya, 41, a rice-paddy farmer in the Samakhixai district, understands the experience. She grew vegetables on the river bank some distance from her house. “It was a small garden. We couldn’t grow enough to sell to earn a few extra kips [dollars],” she says. “But, now, things have changed.”
Mrs Vone, 23, also understands how hard it is to live with limited water. She also has a small rice-paddy farm. To buy needed household items, Mrs Vone makes clay pots, but with the river far from her house, she is limited. But that has also changed.
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has been working to overcome such issues. Realising that water difficulties in Attapeu are also affecting villagers’ health, ADRA began Attapeu Communities Taking Initiatives On (ACTION) Health project. It helps communities with basic hygiene and sanitation training. as well as installing and maintaining bores.
For Mrs Kanya, the well in her village has made gardening easier—plus two crops a year for sale. “It’s bigger now, we can earn LAK30,000 ($A5.30) per sale,” she says.
The extra income means Mrs Kanya can afford clothes and school materials for her children, helping them escape poverty. “I thank ADRA and donors for the help they’ve given our village,” she says.
Mrs Vone’s family is also doing well. “Having the well right in my village means I now produce more pots; I don’t waste my time. In a year I now sell up to five batches of pots and earn up to LAK500,000 ($A88). I’m happy—and my family too.”
Through increasing health education and access to clean water, ADRA touches lives in a very real way.
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