Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Cambodia

Enabling girls and boys, especially the most marginalised, and their families to have sustained access to and use safe water supply, sanitation and hygiene services and live in a hygienic environment.

School children in Siem Reap cheering new water purification system

Plan International Cambodia and partners work with girls, boys, household, local entrepreneurs, health clinics and local authorities to promote the adoption of clean water consumption, hygiene and sanitation practice. The programme also makes available access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation, hand-washing and menstrual hygiene facilities at schools.

The programme is integrated with nutrition and early childhood care and development. In various interventions, it encourages women’s leadership and applies technologies to ensure the inclusion of people with disability as beneficiaries.

Since 2006, the programme has triggered and achieved open defecation free in 750 villages through the community-led total sanitation approach. Some 130 wells, 65 water purifying systems and 700 latrines and group hand washing facilities have been constructed, installed and rehabilitated at school. More than 1,100 other wells were built in the communities and at health clinics.

Key Targets

500,000	people living in open defecation free environments
2,000	villages (girls and boys, households and authorities) adopting hygiene and sanitation practices
500	villages (households, health centres and schools) having access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation, handwashing, and menstrual hygiene facilities
2,000	villages (local authorities) take ownership for water supply, sanitation and hygiene services