Our Story (cont.)

Chan Sor ‘commune’ is an area near Siem Reap, Cambodia and consists of 19 villages. Chan Sor Health Clinic serves approximately 14,000 people. Conditions at this rural health clinic differed little from 50 years ago – no electricity, poor sanitation, no running water, little medication, etc.  Midwives couldn’t deliver babies at night, medical equipment was rarely sterilized effectively (if at all), no staff training in up-to-date medical procedures, health center flooded during rains. There is one physician, two nurses and two midwives. Working with the medical staff, village elders and community members a multi-year strategy to address needs was agreed upon. 

By 2016 Kindredhouse had raised funds to pave the front of clinic eliminating flood water and filth, construct a barrier wall reducing mud and debris during rainy season, a community garden for staff and their families provides fresh food, new paint applied inside and out, updated medical equipment and technology and electricity on for the first time since the 1980s.  Goals met!

Our job at Chan Sor complete, Kindredhouse came away with an effective model for rural health care center renovation and support.  However, we became aware that rural communities in Cambodia face a number of additional challenges, one of which is poor sanitation and hygiene, including lack of toilets, proper drainage, garbage disposal system, as well as overcrowded and inadequate housing.  It seemed time to expand our mission in Cambodia. 

During the first years, we became acquainted with many amazing people working hard to safeguard the health and welfare of Cambodians.  One humanitarian organization stood apart from the rest – Heartprint.  Wendy and Garry O’Brien truly embody generosity and care for Cambodians.  Heartprint builds stilted houses in areas in and around Siem Reap for families in extreme need.  But that’s not all!  They support Cambodian communities near Siem Reap in so many ways – providing support to school children, local food programs to families in need, and even job opportunities at Heartprint House Community Center.  (See Partners for detailed information about Heartprint or better yet – go to www.heartprint.org.au)

This is where Kindredhouse comes in.  We are a community health organization dedicated to improving the health of Cambodians.  As we were looking for an additional focus, Heartprint offered an opportunity - public health projects and programs in conjunction with their valuable work - hygiene, clean water, health education.  Toilets and wells are also a major part of helping families change their circumstances. By providing sanitation, the spread of disease and preventable illness can be prevented.  For every house built, if there is sufficient money and space, a toilet and well are built. 

Currently, Kindredhouse raises funds to help Heartprint build toilets.  We want to develop programs related to changing the way Cambodians think about toilets and their health.  80% of Cambodians have no access to toilets.  Can you imagine?  Waking up every day and worrying, “Where will I go to the bathroom today?” 

Open defecation contaminates the soil, air and water, both above and below ground.  And it leads to serious illness and diarrhea. In Cambodia, one in eight children won't reach their fifth birthday due to infectious disease, much of it preventable.  More seriously, the lack of sanitation in rural areas means that women and girls are vulnerable to predators when having to expose themselves publicly.  In partnership with Heartprint, Kindredhouse offers volunteer trips from the U.S. to build houses, toilets and wells for families in need.  After the trip costs, all other fees are applied to additional builds, toilets and wells or other health projects in Cambodia. 

Additionally, Kindredhouse provides public health expertise and research-based community health programs such as dental hygiene, hand hygiene and maternal/child health education.  In 2017, seven community health student interns from Brigham Young University lived in Cambodia for 8 weeks at Heartprint House where they completed a Hygiene Study, developed and implemented a successful Dental Hygiene program and implemented Days For Girls menstruation hygiene programs.

We've seen our fair share of struggles at Kindredhouse. Projects that we thought were awesome that ended up not being in the right cultural context. Lessons that were planned with careful preparation that don't get across as well as hoped. Planting the wrong seeds, incorrectly guessing on what comes first - the paving or medication, and feeling discouraged when how we want to help isn't how people want to be helped. But the good thing about failure, if you don't get discouraged and give up, is you learn and you get better. 

Over the years we have learned a lot and we have come up with a model in how to do community health and development work that really can make an impact. With partnerships and groups of hard working volunteers and interns we have seen amazing projects and programs working better than we ever had imagined - growth in individuals and communities.

We are all volunteers at Kindredhouse.  We have traveled and worked in a lot of places around the world and we've seen a lot of unfair situations that we really want to improve, but Cambodia is where our hearts are.  We are hardworking, problem solving folks who enjoy a good challenge and like being part of an extended family because that’s what we are – a global family.