Floating Villages – Revisiting The Water Filter Run to Cambodia and Vietnam

Below is a post by Water For Life’s founder, Rudy Shaffer,  posted in January 2014 following a “filter run” to Cambodia and Vietnam.  What has followed is a year long effort to raise money to provide as many filters possible to that region.

We have had a few new people joining our team recently and one common question has been: “why Cambodia” for our first crowd funding campaign?  After you read this post, you will understand why the sense of urgency to provide clean water to the people of this country and more specifically this area where the floating villages are located.

As always, our reward is the feeling received from the improved lives, the smiles, the thank yous and the Spirit of Service.   Another drop in the bucket – small act, big impact.

Floating Village: Filter Run to Cambodia and Vietnam…bringing safe, clean water to children / families ( Jan 5th, 2014 )

I think I have shad more tears on this trip then then maybe my entire life all together. We were at the floating villages yesterday, climbing into homes where over 5,000 people live 12 ft above the water.  We were brought to this location by one of our partners The Lake Clinic.

In this area when it floods the water is horrific and dangerous – even more so than normal. The villages have two schools that both hold over 200 children each, and we had the had the chance to bring them all life saving water filters.

It felt so so good to do this of course, but here and the villages on the ground, you see hundreds and hundreds of these beautiful, smiling children and they just melt and break your heart, running around bare footed and their clothes so dirty and their hair and bodies so dirty…but they are just so so precious, you just want to take each one back with you and just love on them. I have to figure out how to come back here soon with hundreds of filters some how!!

The families drink the water right out of the river; it’s brown in color and guess where they all go to the bathroom living on the water? Yep, you guessed it. I loved sampling the water after it was filtered to show the people how safe the water is. They were blown away that I drank their water!! You will see me in one of the photos below doing this and two photos are attached for you to see.

The people here are so peaceful and friendly, I can’t even put it into words.

The beautiful country and temples bring the culture alive so that it is simply amazing. I realize now that I need our organization to focus more on saving the children here. I would love to live here; I really would and I spend the rest of my life saving one child at at time here.

Please help us to bring safe, clean drinking water to these beautiful people.  They need our help.

Thank you!!

God Bless you….

Rudy

Cambodia - Floating Village water filter floating village view
Cambodia - Floating Village water filter housing picture
Cambodia - Floating Village water filter Rudy drinking clean water
Cambodia - Floating Village water filter scene
Cambodia - Floating Village water filter school
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