47 year-old Trin Kon lives in Chauong Kao village with his wife Sat Tum. They have four children; the oldest is 30 and the youngest is 12. His family has four hectares of land which are used for farming and growing cashew nuts. They also have two buffalos and two chickens.
Kon is a health volunteer in his community. Thanks to the training he received from Health Poverty Action, he was able to help when acute watery diarrhoea (cholera) struck his village. As part of the emergency response he helped villagers seek treatment and learn about disease prevention.
Kon’s family was not infected by the disease because his family has good hygiene and sanitation practices. Kon said: “During the outbreak, the villagers who were infected by AWD went to receive treatment at the local health centre, referral hospital or private hospitals which are several kilometres away.”
Since Health Poverty Action has carried out village cleanliness campaigns and health education villagers now know how to prevent disease by practicing good hygiene. Five families have built latrines, and the village chief has developed a plan for cleaning the village every month.
This work is supported by the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO).
Last modified: 26/04/2011
