Water Sanitation Expert

Do you have a passion for helping people in rural areas? Improving living standards is not just about improving education; it’s also about improving the sanitary conditions that people live in. How do you ensure that villages maintain a clean and safe environment, thereby dramatically reducing the risk of people getting sick or having water and food contaminated?

In developing countries, hygiene and sanitation play a key role in life expectancy, where malaria, skin diseases, chest infections, and diarrhoea affect many people, most notably in rural villages. To combat this, governments and NGOs run sanitation and hygiene programs. A Water Sanitation Officer provides technical support for hygiene and sanitation programmes, such as planning, design, implementation and execution, evaluation and monitoring. They facilitate dialogue between local communities to promote hygiene campaigns. They are also in charge of behavioural change methodologies, to assist local communities shift towards more sanitary and hygienic habits,
breaking old cultural norms and perceptions.
They ensure that everyone understands the importance of maintaining hygienic standards and the health risks associated with bad hygiene.

DID YOU KNOW?

• In developing countries, as much as 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions.
• In Cambodia, over 9 million people don’t have access to adequate sanitation and 4 million people don’t have access to safe water.

Mr. Rov Sokkhai
Project Officer
RainWater Cambodia

My motivation comes from my dream to improve living standards for Cambodians in rural areas.

I am currently working as a Project Officer for RainWater Cambodia (RWC), where I have been since 2014. I have been involved in numerous sanitation and hygiene projects in Kompong Cham and Siem Reap. My motivation comes from my dream to improve living standards for Cambodians in rural areas.

I graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture Economics and Rural Development at the Royal University of Agriculture. During my time there, I was motivated by senior students to apply as a volunteer for RWC to gain more experience before graduating. I spent six months as a Project Officer Volunteer, where I was noticed by the management team and promoted to Project Officer for Kampong Cham. As Project Officer I am responsible for submitting plans to our Project Manager and making sure all tasks get completed in time. I produce detailed field reports and submit to our management team. I also play the role of mediator with communes and villages, ensuring that our development activities do not interfere with their daily routines, while also working to our timeline.

Working and communicating openly with the local communities is always a challenge. Cambodian habits and culture sometimes make it difficult to help people see a new perspective on important issues such as safe water and open defecation. Breaking old or bad habits can be a difficult process and really becomes a challenge for NGOs.

Despite these challenges, I am able to use my knowledge, skills and experience to help support and improve
standards of living for rural Cambodian communities, which makes me love my work. Working in this field gives you valuable first hand experience in the field, allowing you to play a role in making a change for your country. I strongly believe that when working to help improve a community’s living conditions and standards, you need a high level of commitment and willingness, regardless of the challenges you can face.