Project Report · Cambodia

Safe Water for Rural Schools in Kampot, Cambodia

Our partners have installed more than 300 school ultrafiltration systems since 2020. This report covers how the systems work, what the first water tests showed, and the plan for a full program audit in December 2026.

Audit visit in December 2026

UpdatedSeptember 28, 2026

PartnerKCCO; YourAid; ISZA

Prepared byClean Water Help volunteers

Webcleanwaterhelp.org/projects/cambodia-uf

Clean Water Help is a 100% volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 99-0765687). Founders cover all operating costs, so 100% of public donations go to projects. Numbers are current as of September 28, 2026. Photos are shared by partners with permission; names of private individuals are withheld. impact@cleanwaterhelp.org

At a glance

LocationKampot Province, Cambodia

PartnersKCCO, YourAid, ISZA

Program size300+ schools since 2020

Unit costAbout $700

CWH roleTesting, audit, advice

NextAudit, Dec 4–15, 2026

300+school systems

200–300students per school

~$700per system

~60new schools a year

1 Executive summary

Key findingKCCO and YourAid already run a strong school water program: more than 300 systems since 2020, about 60 more each year. The most useful thing CWH can add is independent testing and advice, especially on treating dry-season pond water, plus help finding grants and partners to reach more schools.

YourAid, an Australian charity, funds KCCO, a Cambodian NGO in Kampot, to install and maintain ultrafiltration systems built by ISZA at rural schools. Each system serves about 200 to 300 children aged 5 to 13 and costs about $700.

Clean Water Help connected with ISZA and YourAid in 2025. Our executive director visited schools with KCCO in May 2026. In June, KCCO asked CWH to audit its full water, sanitation and hygiene program. In August, CWH donated test kits and KCCO ran its first bacteria tests: two treated samples tested negative and one untreated sample tested positive.

The audit visit runs December 4 to 15, 2026.

What happens next

Finalize the audit scope with YourAid and KCCO.
Test water at 10 to 15 schools in December, including schools using pond water.
Recommend practical improvements for dry-season treatment (for example, washable prefilters).
Deliver an audit report with funding ideas early in 2027.
Identify grant opportunities and partners for deep wells or distribution pipelines.

The issue to watchThe dry season. Pond water clogs membranes faster and carries more germs. Whether schools keep getting safe water when the rain tanks run dry is the key question for the audit.

Key numbers and how solid they are

Each number is labeled by its basis: Measured counted or tested, Reported reported by a partner or a document, Record from our own payments, contracts and correspondence, Estimate a calculation or assumption, Planned a plan or target, not yet done.

Item	Value	Basis	Source
Systems installed since 2020	300+	Reported	KCCO / YourAid / ISZA
New systems per year	about 60	Reported	ISZA and YourAid
Students per school	about 200–300	Reported	KCCO
Cost per system	about $700	Reported	ISZA
System life	about 10 years	Estimate	ISZA and KCCO experience
Estimated cost per life saved	about $500	Estimate	200 students, 10-year life; method at cleanwaterhelp.org/technical
Test kits donated by CWH	30 bacteria + 200 strip tests ($105)	Record	CWH, Aug 2026
First bacteria tests	2 treated negative; 1 untreated positive	Measured	KCCO, Aug 7, 2026
Audit visit	Dec 4–15, 2026	Planned	CWH and KCCO

2 Background and progress

The program

KCCO (Karuna Cambodian Children Organization) is based in Kampot and serves rural schools. Its water, sanitation, hygiene and health program is funded by YourAid, a Sydney charity supported by a trust set up by its founder. ISZA, a Malaysian water treatment company, builds the ultrafiltration units. Since 2020 the partners have installed more than 300 systems, about 60 a year.

Students drink from their school’s new system — Students drink from their school’s system. Photo: ISZA

Training school staff to operate the system — Training school staff. Photo: ISZA

How Clean Water Help became involved

Our executive director met ISZA in Malaysia in mid-2025 and was introduced to YourAid. CWH published a school water fundraiser in July 2025. In May 2026 he visited schools around Kampot with KCCO. In June 2026, KCCO asked CWH to audit its entire program, and the visit was set for December.

“We truly appreciate your expertise and generosity and with your help and advice, we hope to improve our program further.”Lean Lee, Operations Manager, YourAid, August 31, 2026

Timeline

2020School ultrafiltration program begins.
Jul 2025CWH connects with ISZA and YourAid; fundraiser launched.
Oct 2025ISZA ships 30 units to YourAid.
May 2026CWH visits schools around Kampot.
Jun 16–22, 2026KCCO requests a full program audit; December dates agreed.
Jul 2026Audit brief prepared by YourAid; test kits ordered.
Aug 7, 2026First bacteria tests by KCCO.
Dec 4–15, 2026Audit visit.

3 Technical foundation

How the systems work

Water from the school’s rain tank (or pond water in the dry season) is pumped through an ultrafiltration membrane with pores of about 0.01 micron, which removes bacteria and parasites and reduces cloudiness. Maintenance is simple: a two-minute forward flush each day and a chlorine clean every six months. A pump replacement costs about $105 and a membrane about $150.

Inside the unit: pump and ultrafiltration membrane — Inside a unit: pump and membrane. Photo: ISZA

Low-cost testing

Sending samples to a laboratory in Phnom Penh is slow and expensive. CWH donated presence/absence bacteria tests (a color change after 24 to 48 hours) and multi-parameter strips (lead, iron, hardness, alkalinity, pH), about $105 for 30 bacteria tests and 200 strips.

Audit scope

Water quality at 10 to 15 schools, including dry-season sources
Condition and maintenance of systems
Sanitation, hygiene and healthy food components
Untapped funding and partner opportunities

Decisions and the options we set aside

Decision	Options considered	Why
Advise and audit; fund school systems only for schools KCCO confirms	Buy units ourselves for any school	The program already funds about 60 new schools a year, so independent testing and advice add the most value. Donor-funded systems go to schools KCCO confirms first.
Use low-cost field test kits	Lab analysis only	Faster, cheaper, and KCCO can keep testing after the visit.
Audit the whole WASH program	Filters only	KCCO asked for it; hygiene and sanitation affect health as much as water.

Risks and how we respond

Risk	Level	Response
Pond water clogs membranes	Medium	Test prefilter options; adjust cleaning schedules.
Few test samples so far	Medium	Test many more schools in December.
Program depends on one funder	Medium	Help identify grants and partners.

4 What we learned and what is still open

Strong partners need different help. Here, the biggest contribution is independent testing and advice; donor-funded systems go to schools KCCO confirms first.
Cheap tests change behavior. Field kits let KCCO check water routinely instead of rarely.

Open questions

How well do the systems perform on pond water in the dry season?
Would connecting schools to municipal water in the dry season be practical?
Which funders would extend the program to more schools?

5 How you can help

Give a school safe water

About $700 funds a school system that serves 200 to 300 children for years.

Give: cleanwaterhelp.org/donate
Contact: impact@cleanwaterhelp.org

References and sources

ISZA. School ultrafiltration system FAQ (2025).
YourAid. Brief for WASH Program Audit (draft, July 2026).
KCCO. Bacteria test results, August 7, 2026 (email).