The garment, textile and footwear industry represents the largest portion of Cambodia's manufacturing sector. Workers are predominantly women under 35 years of age, and many live in temporary accommodations and commute significant distances from rural homes to work.
WaterAid and VF Corporation first joined forces in 2020 to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services for workers in nine factories across three Cambodian provinces. This partnership delivers improved WASH access to the workplace and its surrounding communities to maximize its impact and sustainability.
Activities include:
- Training key personnel in factories and surrounding communities
- Developing behavior change communications and intervention activities
- Constructing new water kiosks and rehabilitating existing infrastructure
- Strengthening WASH knowledge and skills among women and local governments
- Advocating to local governments for improved sanitation access
- Promoting piped water connections through accountability mechanisms
The impact so far:
250,000
community members and factory workers have benefitted from WASH interventions
280,000
people benefitted from Covid-19 messaging and vaccination campaigns
52,000
people have improved sanitation access
In 2021, The VF Foundation came on board to complement the work in Cambodia and is supporting climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene services for marginalized communities and championing women's leadership for inclusive services in Kandal Province. The partnership has thrived through a dedication to innovation by all parties, with a push to try new ideas and ways to communicate key messages about WASH to factory workers.
The next phase of the project will:
- Ensure that WASH services are handed over to factory management and integrated into factory plans for the long-term
- Extend the rollout of hygiene behavior change activities across the district for workers and their families and reach a critical mass of households that know and practice good WASH behaviors
- Support households to move to the next sanitation stage after becoming open-defecation free (ODF), so that household environments are also sanitary and safe
"Sharing knowledge with my workers is good because it helps their health, reduces illness and increases production in the factory." -Srey Touch, Warehouse Line Manager, Kandal, Cambodia
Image: WaterAid/ Tariq HawariImage: Srey Touch, 25, carries out her role as line leader at a warehouse in Saang district, Kandal, Cambodia, Feb 2023.
Image: WaterAid/ Tariq HawariImage: Srey Touch, 25, uses the hand washing station at the warehouse she works at in Saang district, Kandal, Cambodia, Feb 2023.
Image: WaterAid/ Tariq HawariImage: Srey Touch, 25, shares the knowledge she has learned from WaterAid's WASH master training with her colleagues at a factory in Saang district, Kandal, Cambodia, Feb 2023.
Watch the film, "Championing sustainable WASH for factory workers and communities in Cambodia"