My purpose in Cambodge

The basic employment “thesis of my summer” is that I’m here doing some work related to handwashing. I’m bascially going into villages to see what sort of handwashing equipment they have, asking them to test some exisiting handwashing devices to see if this might improve their practices.

Dehydration leading from Diarrhea, and other water born disease that can be avoided by handwashing are some of the main causes of death in this part of the world. What i like about this concept is that handwashing is such a simple practice, but it really does require a major shift in priorities and thinking to be able to perform it often, especially at key times  – basically anytime there is fecal contact, so after using the loo, and after cleaning their babies bottoms…and interestingly, this practice does not happen here. The main problem is that it’s really hard. The water is in one place (generally massive “jars” made of concrete that collect rainwater), the makeshift basin (big plastic bowl) is somewhere else, the soap (or “shoop” as my translator prounces it hehe) is in a third location, not to mention where and how they wipe their wet hands…and all the research so far suggests that having a fixed location for handwashing is perhaps one of the most important elements that facilitates this practice…

In staying in the village overnight, as I recently had to do – i realize HOW TOUGH it is to achieve this practice, when nothing is in a fixed location. It’s nigh on impossible, especially in the evenings and early mornings when everything is dark, as there is no electricity…not to mention the fact that there are a gazillion other things to do, and this practice does not feel like a priority.

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