Meet a water entrepreneur

Meet Mr. Bun Ratha, a friendly Cambodian, highly-skilled in nuts and bolts, and with a gift for fixing machinery. Regarded as a reliable and responsible person, he was appointed as a water entrepreneur by his community in Kaul Banteay Commune (Kampong Chhnang Province) to manage the commune’s first Community Water Enterprise.

Developed by Lien AID, the Community Water Enterprise is part of the organisation’s Gift of Water programme and deploys social enterprise fundamentals to provide a sustainable and affordable source of clean drinking water for rural communities in need.

The water treatment system is designed to effectively treat nearby river water sources into clean drinking water quality in a cost-effective manner. Then, Lien AID works with local resources for the building and the construction. Bun Ratha also receives training from the organisation to :

1) operate and maintain the water treatment system
2) set up the sustainable social business, which pays no dividend, enabling a low and affordable water price for the villagers.

 “After people drink clean water, they are healthy. When they are healthy, their expenditure on medicine is reduced and they have more time to earn their living,” says Bun Ratha.