As a street food vendor raising her child alone in rural Cambodia, Ear struggled for years just to cover basic daily needs. Her hardship deepened when a fire destroyed her home, leaving her family with almost nothing. Though she later remarried, her husband was imprisoned in Thailand for years for a crime he did not commit, leaving her to carry the grief and hardship of surviving daily life by herself.
“We were living from hand to mouth. Life became so painful that there were times when we felt like giving up completely,” Ear recalled.
While she had heard about Jesus from her brother years earlier, fear kept her from responding. Her circumstances began to shift when Water for Good partnered with a local church in her area to combine safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) training and spiritual support. Through this connection, Ear found practical assistance alongside a community of believers who prayed with her and offered encouragement through her darkest moments.
Through WASH training, Ear learned how clean drinking water and proper sanitation could protect her family’s health. Today, her family keeps a clean compound, drinks safe water, and uses a household latrine built with support from local church members. Illness that once seemed unavoidable is now rare, and her home has become a place of dignity
“Our church family helped us build a latrine and taught us how to keep our surroundings clean,” she said. “Now we drink safe water, our home is healthy, and we live with peace.”
Beyond daily practical care, the local church came alongside Ear and her husband in their moments of greatest need. When she fell critically ill years ago, prayer and medical care carried her through a hospital stay no one expected her to survive. “I was lying in the hospital, and no one believed I would live,” she remembered. “People prayed for me, and God gave me another chance at life.” Later, while her husband was incarcerated far from home, local believers visited him to offer spiritual care and support.
“Without God, my husband would not be alive today. God never abandoned us, even when we felt completely alone,” Ear said with gratitude.
Today, with her husband released from prison and back home, Ear’s household shows what’s possible when clean water and community support come together. Reliable water and sanitation give their family a stable foundation — one where their child can grow up healthy, safe, and surrounded by hope.
