It’s easy to take the luxury of a toilet for granted. It’s one of the most basic necessities for you and me, but millions around the world have never used one, and their health suffers for it.

Pa-Chouk is a father in Cambodia. When he and his family needed to go to the bathroom, they would just go into the bush close to their home and dig holes for their waste. As you can imagine, having germs like this so close to their living space was not good for the family.

“My whole family was constantly sick,” Pa-Chouk told us. “Our little children were always complaining of sick stomachs.”

His children, including a 9-month-old baby, were not safe as long as the water they drank, the water they bathed in, the water they washed their food in, the water they depended on, was contaminated.

Your contribution can reach more families like Pa-Chouk’s who need your assistance right now – please give generously.

With ADRA’s assistance, Pa-Chouk’s family now has a latrine and they are much healthier!

“When ADRA came, we were taught to not openly defecate and it made such a big difference,” he says. “I am so happy to have this latrine. It’s very close to our house. We don’t have to walk far and we can even take a bath inside this bathroom. We also received so much training from ADRA on cleanliness and how to keep our area and water clean.”

The biggest change for the family is that they aren’t sick all the time. The money that they used to spend on health issues and medicine can be spent for more important things, like food and caring for their children.

“I used to do it all wrong,” Pa-Chouk told us. “I am almost ashamed and scared of how I used to live. I used to have diarrhea all the time. My whole family had stomach issues. I don’t remember how often we were sick. It seemed never-ending.”