Welcome to the Rotary Club of Camberwell

Our ongoing international projects delivered by Sue Gray achieved the construction of another water well in a remote Cambodian village in Kon Tum, Vietnam. This is the construction of the tenth well providing filtered drinking water to villages of between 2,000 and 4,500 people. Camberwell Rotary has been the key supporter of these wells including Kon Jodreh Well 2015; Kon Hongo Kotu Well 2016; Kon Toneh Well 2017; Kon Hodram Well 2018; Kon Trang Kola Well 2019; Dak Rochat Well 2020; Kon Trang Kep Well 2021; Kon Donang Well 2023; Plei Rolong Village Well completed in late 2024. We can now add the Nan Ha Village to the list.

Nan Ha Hamlet is a small village located 40km north-east of Kon Tum City in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Over 2,200 people reside in the hamlet with a mixture of ethnic minorities - the Xodra tribe and the Vietnamese people. The tribal people of Vietnam’s Central Highlands are some of the poorest in Vietnam. The majority of villagers are subsistence farmers mostly producing rice. Other crops such as manioc, bananas, vegetables and coffee are commonly grown, harvested and when possible, sold or traded with neighbors.

Most houses do not have access to a water supply and is an ongoing problem for people in this region. Chemicals from farms drain into rivers, there is minimal sewerage infrastructure, animals wade in rivers and villagers wash themselves, their clothes and their cooking implements in rivers. An alternative hand dug village well is at best a short-term solution to access water. It is possible to purchase but is unaffordable given the inadequate average level of income. Disease is common and with only basic medical facilities available, is easily spread. Medical treatment and pharmaceuticals products are also unaffordable, compounded by lack of transport to major towns leading to village elders without medical training and to rely solely on herbal remedies.

To provide clean potable water to such a community improves health outcomes allowing people to work, providing food and security for their families. Access to water also provides the potential to sell locally grown produce enabling children to attend government schools with the future prospect of education to break the poverty cycle.

Sue Gray has worked with her local Project Managers Mr John to deliver the well. This well was relatively more costly as it needed to be bored through a rock layer. The project has been successfully completed on budget by Mr John and the village now has access to clean water. Our thanks go to Mr John and Sue for their hard work in completing our latest project.

Drilling                             Flow testing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other meetings took place the following week in Bacau and Dili before returning to Melbourne on Friday 6 June on the 'red eye' flight from Darwin. 

The trip to Timor Leste achieved the goal of overseeing recently completed projects as well as assessing future needs with local leaders for the Consortium to consider.