Five primary schools in Ratanakkiri province are set to receive water and sanitation facilities following donations by Moët Hennessy Asia Pacific and development efforts from Plan International Cambodia.

The US$77,400 will provide more than 1,300 students with proper toilet facilities, wells, and campaigns to educate the children on the importance of hand-washing and basic hygiene. “My people need clean water, but don’t always know how important it is,” says Ratanakkiri governor Pao Ham Phan.

“Many of them are living in the forests and do not have access to clean water, so I am very happy that these educational sessions will be provided.” The project is Plan International’s first step into Ratanakkiri, and was designed to show small, immediate results, according to Plan’s Program Support Manager Prashant Verma.

By initially limiting the project to only five schools, he says, efforts can be better concentrated and locals will be more inspired to participate in future endeavours. It’s the future of Ratanakkiri’s water services development that will prove a bigger challenge.