Women leading resilient water solutions in rural Cambodia

Ms Kreang Sreypich, manager of a piped water supply company in rural Prey Veng Province, Cambodia, provides Water for Women partners with a tour of her water treatment plant (Thrive Networks / East Meets West Cambodia)

Ms Kreang Sreypich, the manager of a water enterprise in Prey Veng, is spearheading the expansion of piped water connections in the rural province of Cambodia. A core part of her business is addressing requests from local government partners to supply water to households that would otherwise struggle to cover the cost.

In rural Cambodia, where water security is a challenge for remote and poor households, women-led enterprises Like Ms Sreypich's are making a significant impact by providing access to safe and clean water. Cambodia faces significant climate risks, particularly related to the hydrological cycle. Both extremes of flooding and drought significantly impact the accessibility and quality of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, exacerbating existing urban-rural disparities, as well as inequities for girls and women.

Women, girls, and socially disadvantaged groups are disproportionately affected by water insecurity. Unsafe water, inadequate sanitation, and a lack of handwashing facilities at home undermine girls' development, compromise  well-being, and perpetuate a cycle of poverty. With reliable access to safe water, these barriers are broken down, enabling women and girls to realise their potential and explore new opportunities.

Supported by Australia, Thrive Networks/East Meets West is working with local partners in Cambodia to deliver transformative and scalable outcomes that improve access to sustainable and inclusive WASH services, and strengthen the climate resilience of water resources and WASH systems.

“I am so proud that I can establish a piped water supply system and help the government provide climate-resilient water services.” 

- Kreang Sreypich 

Through the Water for Women Commuity-Led Inclusive Climate-Resilient WASH (CLICR WASH) project, partners are supporting women-led water businesses to pipe water connections to 1,000 poor and rural households across six provinces by the end of the year. In three communes, partners are also supporting 1,050 households to implement water safety plans, such as rainwater catchment, water storage and well protection, with consideration of women and disabled household members’ needs.

“Without the support of the CLICR WASH project, my house would never have been connected to the piped water supply. Before, we bought bottled water for drinking. Now, we can directly drink water from the piped water supply.”

- A young mother of three

The project's partnership with women-owned water businesses has been instrumental in securing a critical resource for community well-being. Beyond providing reliable piped water, the initiative has had cascading benefits, including reduced waterborne diseases, reduced health-related costs, and empowering women to participate more actively in the social, political, and economic life of their commuities. These women entrepreneurs are playing a pivotal role as agents of change.

For her part, Kreang Sreypich sees the strong correlation between water security and strengthening communities, making them resilient to climate change and conflict.

“Water leads to peace in the family and community, free of anxiety about water shortage in the present and in the future wherever my services can reach. You can live without food for a few days, but life is not possible without water for a day.” 

The CLICR WASH project builds on Thrive Networks / East Meets West's Women-Led Output Based Aid project, completed in 2022. The CLICR project locations cover 23 communes in six climate-vulnerable provinces of Cambodia, taking in a combined population of approximately 5.4 million. According to the Ministry of Rural Development’s 2019 guidance principles for sanitation in challenging environments, all six project locations are severely or medium affected by the impacts of climate change.