Cambodia

About Cambodia

East Meets West has been operating in Cambodia since 2012, partnering with sanitation demand mobilizers, the government, and private sector suppliers to deliver sanitation products and programs in rural communities.

In Cambodia, about 30% of the population lacks access to sanitation, especially in challenging environments, such as areas that are flood-prone and water scarce. Another major challenge in increasing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) coverage is the lack of inclusive approaches aimed at reaching poor, socially marginalized households. As rural women are still primarily responsible for domestic work including water and sanitation activities, we give women an empowered voice at home and in their communities.

Our Work

Through our women-led sanitation and hygiene program, known as WOBA, we are currently training members of the Commune Committee for Women and Children (CCWC), a government agency focused on women’s rights, to raise awareness on and increase demand for adequate sanitation. As part of WOBA, we use menstrual health and hygiene and nutrition education sessions to start conversations with community women and leaders about their hygiene and sanitation needs. Through these sessions, we introduce options for affordable latrines, such as rebate incentives, and ultimately seek to motivate women-led decision making in building hygienic latrines in rural Cambodia.

Due to the efficacy of our approach, several of our projects have been adopted by the government, such as the Cambodia Rural Sanitation and Hygiene Improvement Program (CR-SHIP) Program in Svay Rieng province.

By 2022, through our women-led sanitation and hygiene programs, we aim to reach 30,000 rural households, of which approximately half will be poor and socially marginalized households. Learn more about our programs in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)