Report on Community Sanitation Development (July - Dec 2006)
Khan Mean Chey Situation:
TASK have been working in one of the poorest area calls Mean Chey district which has population up to 200,000.These people majority is Khmer, some are Vietnamese and Charm. They are speaking their own languages. Mean Chey district located South urban area of Phnom Penh. It is 70% lower land divided in two parts by BASAC river. Many people settling their houses along river bank and living with very low hygiene such as using unclean water, low quality of food & lack of access to get medicines,… ect.
TASK (Former Servants to Asia’s Urban Poor) in now continue implemented 8 projects in aiming to respond to the needs of people suffering of poverty & diseases. our work is to serve these suffer people and changing their lives following our vision and mission statements.
The royal government of Cambodia is planning to expand the capital city by another 20km by the year 2010. As part of this plan, a big lake in Niroth has been filled up to build a new stadium. It affects people living around the lake because it used to provide them with income from fishing and farming. The land price is dramatically increasing, many flats are building up. The homeless people have to pay more money for their accommodation as the rent price is going up as well.
Latrines built with monies raised by the community clinics:
TASK Management reports:
TASK has become localize for almost two years since 01 Oct 2004. ALL management structure is 100% led by Cambodian staff. There are more and more blessed from God. more funding, more staff since TASK has become localize.
The management is now led by two Co-directors & one deputy director and supported by management team. At least one representative was chosen from each project to be a member of the management committee. All these position was elected NOT appointed or nominated.
by the constitution stated that every three years one of the Co-directors has to step down automatically and remain one. This situation a new one must be chosen from the team by election to replace the one who step down.
The management committee also rotating roles. There will be new election is taking place very two years to select a new members of the management committee.
TASK now is preparing the election for new management committee which will be scheduling in late Oct 2006. and the Co-directors & deputy director will also be re-elected in Oct 2007.
The reasons TASK formed this is to mobilize and encourage young experiences staff learn how lead TASK Organization. Also open way for them to share their leadership within TASK.
General Activities:
School works: ( Pre school & Primary Scholl) Assist Red soil, playgrounds, rubbish bins, block toilets, food for student for International children day, drainage system, water tanks, wells, clean water …ect.
Community works: Build drainage, family latrines, basic health teaching, Clean water system, , building road… ect.
Progress & Future plans:
- Provided red soil 6 trucks & sand 2 trucks to Chack Angre Krom Primary school.
- Provided red soil 6 trucks & sand 2 trucks to Chack Angre Krom Primary school.
- Provided 4 trucks of red soil to Rusey primary school.
- Provided 3 truck of red soil to Rusey Sros Peimary School.
- Provided 3 trucks of red soil to Chbar Ampouv 2 Primary school.
- Provided 2 trucks of red soil to Chbar Ampouv 1 Primary school.
- Provided 2 trucks of red soil & 1 trucks of sand to Chamreun Phall Primary school.
- Provided 7 trucks of dirt & 1 truck of sand to Tombok Khpors Primary school.
- Provided 2 trucks of red soil & 1 truck of sand to Sansom Kosal Primary school.
- Provided 2 trucks of red soil to Steung Mean Chey Primary school.
- Provided 3 trucks of red soil to Prachhom Vong Primary school.
- Provided 1 truck of red soil & 1 truck to Preah Ponlear Primary school.
- Provided 1 trucks of red soil to Prek Pra Krom Primary school.
- Provided 1 trucks of red soil to Prek Pra Leu Primary school.
- Provided 2 trucks of red soil to Chack Angre krom Phhom 2 Primary school.
- Provided 1 trucks of sand to Chack Angreleu Pre school.
- Provided 75 rubbish bins to Primary school & pre-school. 5 rubbish bins for each school.
- Equipped one set of playground to Sansom Kosal Primary school, 1 set of see-saw & one swing.
- Equipped one set of playground to Wat Kamsan Primary school, 1 set of see-saw, one swing & one slide.
- Equipped one set of playground to at TASK Children Centre, Prek Pra for Sunrise student play, 1 set of see-saw, one slide & low rotation.
- Equipped one set of playground to Chack Angre Leu Phom1 Pre School, 1 set of see-saw, one swing& one slide.
- Provided 15 boxes of instant noodle to 225 students at Chbar Ampouv2 Primary school at International Children day 01st June, 2006.
- Repaired one block old toilet at Chbar Ampouv2 Primary school for student use & for people moved from flooding places.
- Contacted with school directors discussed about general hygiene with schools, how to maintain, rubbish bins, block toilets, playgrounds, provided by TASK.
- Negotiated with school directors to intergrades student back to school.
- From October 2006 to December 2006, built 7 family latrines to 12 poor families at Group 5 & 4 Thnot Chhrom village, Beung Tompon Commune, Mean Chey District. These 7 toilets can serve 84 people.
- From June 2006 to September 2006, built one line of drainage 775m at Preah Ponlea. This drainage flows wasted from 500 houses.
- Educated community people at Thnot Chhrom about General Hygiene, how to maintain drainage, how to keep toilets clean, and 100 people joined.
- Gathered people in community & village leaders discussing about future plan for connecting clean water, build more drainages, more family latrines.
- Communicated with Commune leaders & district leader discussing how to identify the need of communities.
- Continue to negotiate school directors to identify the of student in school, as playgrounds, block toilets, red soil, rubbish bins.
- Continue to have good cooperation with school directors to intergrades more students back to school. These students quit school for some reasons.
- Continue to educate general hygiene and basic health to all primary & pre schools.
- Seek a need of poor student in order to support them as school supplies, food, cloths.
- Mobilize & advocate school teachers to stop taking money from poor students.
- Encourage & mobilize student mothers to sent their children to school.
- Engage other organizations to gather more supports for poor student in school.
- Visited Rain Water Project run by the Organization in June 2006 to learn from them how to keep rain water to use in the family.
- Continue to research the need of Communities, as family latrines, drainage, and clean water.
- Continue to negotiate with local authority to involve building drainages, water system.
- Encourage community people to share their contribution, as labor, some money in building more latrines, more drainage.
- Continue to communicate with Commune leaders, district leaders & municipality to discuss of future community development projects.
- Continue to search about building big water jar for poor community use rain water.
- Will visit Rain Water Organization in order to learn how make big water jar for people in community.
Staff Activities:
- Mr. Chea Lin, Project coordinator, attended 1day workshop with Maryknol & World Vision about project implementing in the same locations to avoid double services.
- Attended half day workshop at Municipality hall about supporting poor community development & poverty reduction plan.
- Attended 40 hours course of Computer training at ICS (International Computer School) from 10th July to 10 August 2006.
- Continue to attend English training.
- Will visit other Sheila Organization project about how to work better in building drainage.
Other TASK projects:
TASK
As a local NGO, TASK is experiencing great favor and blessing. In general, funding seems to be quite forthcoming and this year a major donor has funded the building of a children’s centre which will house all the children’s projects in TASK, such as Project HALO, Sunrise School, The Little Conquerors, Kids Plus, and the Nutrition Project. This gives them room to expand their programs and reach more children, more effectively.
The TASK co-leaders have risen to a number of challenges, including uncovering a case of fraud and subsequently implementing a new, tighter financial system to avoid problems in the future. There are currently over 30 full time staff.
Servants relationship with TASK
Expatriate Servants team members continue to work alongside TASK staff in some of the projects and provide advice and encouragement where needed. Kristin helps with the new drug users initiative and the AIDS education, Additionally, they are all board members, along with four Cambodians.
Here is a summary of progress in the various projects: Please note that although these are described as separate programs, there is a lot of liaison and networking between the programs. In particular for the Nutrition Program, they work very closely with Project HALO with the Kids Plus program (same staff as Nutrition) and now with the Women’s Health program. The local Government Health Centre sends staff each Tuesday morning to the Nutrition clinic to do immunizations.
Nutrition
Half of all children are malnourished in Cambodia. We treat the most severely malnourished fewer than 5 year olds in our district. A clinic is held in the community once a week, followed up by home visiting. Community workers help us locate children and carry out health and nutrition education.
“Kids Plus” - HIV positive children
The mushrooming AIDS epidemic in Cambodia has meant that increasing numbers of children are being born with the HIV virus. TASK works passionately to keep these kids as healthy and happy as possible for as long as possible.
Project HALO (Hope, Assistance & Love for Orphans)
TASK has helped Cambodian communities care for over 900 children affected by AIDS, through extended families, teen-headed households and foster families. We also mobilise Christian young people to take on the role of “big brother or sister” to one orphan each, visiting and encouraging.
Childhood Immunization
While much of our work is treatment for diseases and disabilities we must also attend to the fence at the top of the cliff. By carrying out the unglamorous task of extensive immunization for babies and children we prevent thousands of future cases of disease, disability and death.
Women’s Health
Lack of access to reproductive knowledge is one of the key factors keeping women and their families poor, sick and in danger of early death. Working alongside village midwives, we hold regular clinics in the community providing health check-ups, education and family planning.
The Little Conquerors - disabled kids
In a karma based society like Cambodia, disability is often a shameful and hidden problem. TASK treats disabilities and trains the families to carry on the therapy at home, we try to bring families together for mutual support. TASK also mainstreams as many kids as possible into local schools.
HIV/AIDS Homecare
TASK has mobilized an extensive network of community workers (mainly from local churches) to visit people living with AIDS and offer a helping hand a listening ear and an encouraging prayer. TASK medical staffs follow up with compassionate counseling, pain-relieving medication and support.
Brothel Clinic
TASK runs a clinic in the heart of one of the slum brothels in our district. We supply condoms, AIDS prevention education and treat STD’s. During the clinic the sex workers are encouraged to attempt escape from the brothel lifestyle and go to a Christian safe house where they are cared for and learn new skills.
AIDS Education
The answer to halting the onward march of the AIDS epidemic is not cure but prevention. And the best hope for prevention lies in changing human behaviour. TASK reaches out to the most vulnerable groups in Cambodian society with straightforward facts and education about HIV/AIDS.
Emergency Relief
At times, the only Christian response to an urgent need is to provide emergency relief. Cambodia suffers from flooding on a yearly basis and several slums have been wiped out by major fires. People who are already struggling, lose everything and TASK is often called on to provide emergency supplies.
Teenage Drug User Rehabilitation (TDUR)
This new initiative is progressing well with cooperation from local authorities who are keen to help us make a difference. They have donated a number of locations to TASK to use for training and agriculture with the boys. It is early days yet in this ministry and the main focus is on building relationships and research.