Project 2020: A Sustainable Step Addressing Lack of Proper Sanitation in Rural Cambodia

CENTRAL, Singapore - April 14, 2020 - PRLog -- An initiative addressing the global sanitation crisis in Cambodia saw 20 dynamic architects and friends from Singapore undertake one of the biggest projects in that area under the crowdfunding impetus of Give Asia. This social initiative called, Project 2020 aimed to design and build 20 latrines for 20 families in the rural village of Bustatrav, SvayChek Commune, Angkor Thom District in Cambodia. The project has been undertaken in active collaboration with the Cambodian Community Dream Organization, CCDO under the Water, Sanitization, and Hygiene (WASH) Program. CCDO helped identify these families based out of the Siem Reap province as potential beneficiaries for the project.

According to a report released by Business Insider in 2013:

·         That estimated a total of US$260 billion loss annually owing to poor sanitation
         globally.

·         Improper access to clean water and other sanitation causes diarrhoea resulting in
         1.4 million preventable child deaths annually.

·         Improved sanitation conditions have more than 5 times the rate of return on every
         dollar put into the investment. The various factors impacting this include tourism,
         land value, clean water, and improved safety among other things.

World Health Organization, WHO has also released reports stating about 673 million people still defecate in open spaces behind bushes, exposing the risk of flies transferring the diseases onto their food. This is not a question of improper self-maintenance but a global crisis of people who do not have access to the basic infrastructure of a latrine.

Project 2020, in association with the WASH Program and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC has created a self-fund to address sanitation issues for 20 families. The initiatives to build latrines for families aim at saving lives, establish socio-economic development through the reduction of the fatal impact of related diseases like diarrhoea. The project has connected the students from the Architectural Faculty of Phnom Penh and Angkor University where knowledge transfer with their team of architects has helped students garner field experience and insight into tackling real-world issues. An example would be women defecating in the open and Project 2020 has restored their basic rights and dignity. Project 2020's vision to improve the living standards with proper sanitation facilities has been acknowledged by many and with time, more donors began to show interest in their work.

As of now, donations collected through the crowdfunding initiative of Give Asia have already addressed the challenges faced by 20 families and raised enough money to build 100 latrines for the villages in Cambodia.

Project 2020 is still a work in progress and with more active donors showing interest, their legacy of providing for people in need will also continue to enrich the world.

Click for a short video of the project. (https://www.facebook.com/1670436093052515/videos/22636008...)