As Father’s Day approaches, for millions of fathers worldwide, the day unfolds against a backdrop of immense challenges due to a lack of access to clean water.  

In many countries, fathers wake up not to leisurely family celebrations, but to the daunting task of helping ensure their families have access to one of the most basic necessities: clean water. 

In Cambodia, On Sokdeth and his ten-year-old daughter Chamnan live in a floating village with their family. On Sokdeth fishes and collects lotus seeds to sell, and often Chamnan misses school to come with him. 

On Sokdeth worries about earning enough money to support his wife and six children, pay for piped water and for his children to go to school. Chamnan wants to help him with collecting the lotus seeds instead of going to school. The family needs the money to buy water for drinking, otherwise they have to use the dirty river water for cooking, cleaning and sometimes drinking.  

“I buy the drinking water. I buy a bottle of water but if not I use [the river] water. We just afford a little one. We have [the river] water and drink directly. I always told the children that the river water is not clean for drinking” 

Chamnan, 10, accompanies her father On Sokdeth, 38, fishing and collecting lotus seeds on the Basac river in Saang District, Kandal Province, Cambodia.

 In Timor-Leste, Maun Frederico is the Chief of his village and a father to eight children. Before WaterAid started work in his community, collecting water meant embarking on a long journey to the river. This journey took over three hours for a round trip and included a steep walk back to the village, burdened with heavy water. 

With the introduction of a water system and taps placed throughout the village, accessing safe and clean water has become easier. This change has not only alleviated the physical strain of water collection, but it also empowered Frederico. With water close by, Frederico was able to raise farm animals and make an extra income. Together with his son Olivio, they have used the extra income to build a new family home. 

“Before the WaterAid intervention, it was difficult because when I was collecting the water it was far from the village” he explains. 

“Sometimes it was difficult to take a shower before the intervention… the community is very happy because the water system has been established in the village.” 

 In Papua New Guinea, Hekoi, his wife and five children live in Pari, a village by the water, where residents are particularly vulnerable to poor water security, scarcity and very high costs for water. 

Hekoi is a fisherman and gets 12 PNG kina (AUD$4) for one bundle of fish, however, he is spending $2 a day buying clean water to drink, as there is none close to his home. If Hekoi does not catch anything or cannot go out fishing, the family does not have clean water. 

Hekoi has been fishing since he was a young boy and has seen the population decrease. Coupled with that, he says now that he is older and not as strong, he cannot catch as many fish and doesn’t make as much money to look after his family and buy clean water.  

“The affordability of the water currently [is the hardest part], those that are fortunate can afford to buy water cart, but for those who are less fortunate like me, we struggle to have water.” 

“[There] are the four containers that we own, we try to fill them up [with water] for daily use but it depends on my daily catch and if they sell, and if we have customers to buy the fish. Then we know how many containers we can fill.”  

“This Father’s Day let’s remember the stark reality that many fathers like Sokdeth in Cambodia face,” said WaterAid Australia Chief Executive and father-of-two Tom Muller.  

Muller said Water is the most basic necessity, and we at WaterAid are dedicated to working with partners in Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and elsewhere to ensure that everyone, everywhere has access to clean water. 

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