Kone Kmeng (meaning children in the Khmer language) began as a bridge between charitable financial donors and those churches in Cambodia that desperately needed assistance in their desire to work with at-risk children. Kone Kmeng’s efforts have grown from several small, temporary outreaches, such as motor repair training and nutrition for babies in poor health, into projects that are building local communities through programs such as non-formal education, micro-loan financing, and sanitation installation programs. Today, Kone Kmeng runs education and public health projects throughout rural Cambodia.

COLLABORATION WITH KERU

In Summer 2019, the Keru Team went out to Kampong Thom, Cambodia, to develop a map of water quality data for Kone Kmeng. Quantities of naturally occurring arsenic were found to be present rural water sources. The Keru Team developed steps to engage this problem by assessing the arsenic levels in a series of wells and choosing the ideal location for their first biosand filter, which removes arsenic from a water supply. The results of this project were in the format of a research report present in person to Kone Kmeng leadership. 

In Winter 2019, a Keru Team will return to Kampong Thom. The previous trip identified the ideal location for the first installation of a biosand filter, and this trip will work on the installation of the filter at the chosen location, measuring arsenic levels before and after, and pave the way for wider rural distribution of the filters.