Bob n Amanda Phew! Exhausting!

Leigh Feast Sounds like heaps of fun. Looking forward to catching up.

Mel One of my first dates with Pierre was to Kew Gardens ☺ Interesting to read about what you think of London now. I would love to get back soon.

Suzanne Eynon Hi Sarah, thanks for posting the response. Fingers crossed they find Chen well!

Sarah Taumoepeau Well l got a response from WV “Firstly, I have asked my colleagues in Cambodia to make a special visit to Chen, particularly in regards to his health. As part of our regular child sponsorship monitoring, every child in the sponsorship programme is visited regularly by either a World Vision staff member or a community volunteer. During these visits they check that the child is well, and is attending school. These visits are recorded in our online database, so that we here in New Zealand can check in and see that Chen has been visited regularly, and his health has regularly been recorded as satisfactory. However this does come with the limitation that the visitors are not trained health professionals, so it is likely that only acute illnesses would be picked up on. We would expect, though, that if the visitor notices a concerning change in the child's temperament or significant drop in weight, this would raise concern too. If staff are concerned about a child's health during a visit, they will refer them to a health centre. I will let you know how the special visit to Chen goes, and whether they have referred him to a health centre for a full check-up. They will also definitely check in to see if he is attending school regularly now that the new year has recently begun. You're right that the water treatment project you visited in Chi Kreng is quite a different model from some of the more traditional models that we use in other parts of the world and your questions are exactly the sort of questions that World Vision worked through while developing projects like this one. The rationale behind it is multi-levelled. We still do dig wells and boreholes in communities where water access is scarce, and the water quality gained from a deep well is higher than that of a dirty river or pond. In Chi Kreng, though, there are rivers, ponds, and wells already there is now reasonable access to water for most people, and they continue to use this water for sanitation and washing. The problem in Chi Kreng was that the water still carried some bugs, and we knew that the community were keen for better quality for their drinking water. They also wanted a way to provide jobs for locals and to be able to sustain the project on their own, once World Vision eventually finishes our work there. The water treatment plant solves both of these problems. The water is purified through a treatment process that meets Cambodian national standards, managed by well-trained professionals of the water management committee. The user-pays model can seem at odds with community development but we've learned over many years that actually, it's the best way to ensure sustainability, and ensure good, respected use of the water. We covered the costs of setting up the plant, but as it still costs money to treat and bottle the water, charging for each bottle means that it is the users of the service and product who cover the ongoing costs. It also ensures that future maintenance and repair costs can be met. In other communities where we've dug wells, the locals who use the water pay a small, regular maintenance fee meaning that they have ownership of the well and collectively look after it and keep it clean and operational. We've learned that without this, wells can fall into disrepair and disuse. The bottled water in Chi Kreng is cheaper and of better quality than other bottled water that is for sale in the marketplace, that comes from vendors outside of the community. Additionally, the water committee gifts free bottled drinking water to places like schools, and to people in need who may not be able to afford it otherwise. And yes the plastic! We so wish there was an alternative to get rid of plastic completely, but in the meantime we've found that recyclable plastic bottles are the best way to keep the water truly clean and safe, and users return the empty bottles to the plant to be cleaned and re-filled over and over again.”

Sarah Taumoepeau Yes it is was stunning! We are crossing our feet Byers and toes for you xox

Bob n Amanda Great trip!! That caldera! Brought back memories of Paris and Rhodes for us! Sounds like all good. Rops begins his new treatment next week. The signs and stars we hope will all be aligned. Arohanui

Sarah Taumoepeau Haha well I am following you on FB now! :) It looks fabulous.