CEF recently funded the building of a solar powered water system to serve Kauk Chrey School in rural Cambodia. The school had struggled with very poor water quality and quantity as theirs was inadequate and contained arsenic and iron. The new system by CEF will serve the approximately 330 children as well as many of their families by providing clean drinking water to the community – affecting about 1000 people in this very poor rice farming area.
We recently received a letter from our partners at KIDS International who were there for the community celebration as the project was completed:
“Dear Compassionate Eye Friends,
The solar powered water project is now finished and the community celebrated this great asset for their school and village on February 24th and 25th. The water project went very well, the builders were very committed to doing a good job and the project was done in a timely manner and on budget. The one problem we had was that it took three attempts at drilling the well until the drillers were satisfied with the volume of water but in the end they were successful.
The celebration was amazing. The community came out in full force (hundreds of people). There were speeches and many thanks given to everyone who contributed to the water towers that were built for two communities. The commune chiefs, village chiefs and the head of the district education committee especially thanked Compassionate Eye Foundation for funding the water tower for Kauk Chrey school and community. They asked us to pass on their wishes to you all for a long life, good health and many blessings….
The next morning we went to the blessing (a smaller group of officials and community members). They had a white thread tying together the Compassionate Eye water tower to the platform where the monks were. We sat with the dignitaries and elders in front of the monks while they blessed the water tower and all those that helped bring this water to their community. After the initial blessing the community members lined up to put a spoonful of cooked rice into each monks bowl as well as one other bowl, made of banana leaf, that represented the ancestors and mother nature; this would be buried and go back to the earth. Once this ritual was finished we went back and gave the monks the rice bowls and all had another simple meal together.
The event lasted two days and there were many inspiring speeches. It was very humbling and heartwarming to hear how much they appreciated Compassionate Eye and K.I.D.S. for our efforts in making these water projects possible for their communities…. as the weeks pass and we get deeper and deeper into the dry season, the ponds, ditches and residential wells have all but dried up and the search for water becomes a consuming task for children and families. This basic need for children and their families at Kauk Chrey school has now been met in a way that they could only have dreamed about before. The water is filtered three times and run through a UV light and comes out as clear and clean as water at home.
Over the two days of the celebration there was a constant coming and going to the water station during the day as children and people drank, filled their water bottles, containers and washed faces and hands. The smiles on the faces of the school children and villagers during the celebration said it all.
So to The Compassionate Eye Foundation and all of you who put in a huge effort to make this project possible, we would like to extend our most heartfelt thank you for your support, commitment and dedication to making a difference and changing lives here and in many other places in the world.
In Friendship
Rick and Adrianne”
