Getting a drink of water is often not as simple as turning on a tap. For families in Kampong Speu, Cambodia, it's a labour-intensive process that often results in diseases like diarrhoea and typhoid. With medical treatment often costing twice what most villagers earn in a month, the act of drinking water has become a health and economic issue.

These days, however, the community has increasing access to clean drinking water, thanks to a project by Cambodian NGO Sao Sary Foundation and the Singapore International Foundation. With bio-sand water filters being built and installed around the province, villagers are falling ill less often, saving money on medical bills and using their incomes to send their children to school.

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