HUOI HOI, HUOI LUAH, KUN SI VILLAGES IN LAOS
IN PROGRESS
STATUS
PEOPLE IN SERVICE AREA
DOLLARS FUNDED
FUNDED JULY 19, 2023
Huoi Hoi, Huoi Luah, and Kun Si are three villages in Laos. This project will provide a deep borehole well with a submersible electric pump and large storage tanks in each village.
The total cost of the project is $8,000.
*Note: The original WPA was $6K, the amended WPA is $8K. We have upgraded the 3 well projects to all include two 2K Liter tanks mounted on support towers, needed extra plumbing, and slightly larger cement pad. The extra water storage will be more appropriate to serve the communities than the original application that was based on a single 2K Liter tank for each location. (2K Liter is the only tank size available.) The additional storage will also help to more efficiently use the electricity. The electricity is not always reliable; therefore, more stored water on hand is needed during an outage.
*Heaven’s Family will cover the cost of testing that exceeds the $8000 funding. There is additional water quality testing for these well
projects. The scope of testing is as follows:
1. For all 3 villages: We will do the normal water quality testing which includes microbial and general chemistry (including heavy metals.)
2. For all 3 villages: We will test for the presence of these agricultural chemicals that are used in Laos: alachlor, atrazine & chlorpyrifos.
3. For Huoi Luah Village only: We will add chlorinated chemical groups tests because this village is near a few industrial factories and rubber plantations. (The reason we are testing the chlorinated chemical groups is because these may cause liver and kidney problems which the people described as health issues.)
Note: Huoi Luah Village is nearby a few industrial factories and a rubber plantation.
Note: Huoi Hoi Village is nearby a cassava processing plant. The normal testing will show if the well water is affected or not. What is important will be the microbial & mineral content results of the tests as well as cyanide.
Note: Kun Si Village is near rubber plantations.
Village #1: Huoi Hoi Village is located in the Muang Phin, Savannakhet province. It is a rural village, with 1,000 people.
A hand-dug pond, about 3 feet deep, serves as a water source.
It used to be a bomb crater and they dug deeper.
If the people want to bathe, they go to the Sepone River, about 1 km from the village. The water from this river is polluted because the Chinese cassava processing factory discharges directly into the river without any treatment. People in the community mainly live by growing rice. They use pesticides and fertilizers, too.
There is no clean water at school. Students bring water to school. There is no clean water in the village except for bottled water. There is no clinic, so if someone is sick they must go 65 km to Muang Phin district hospital. The common water-related illnesses in this village are diarrhea, which is worst in the summer months, and liver and kidney problems.
More details: Ministry started in 1988. The people are of the Bru people group. Some Bru Christians from Vietnam brought the Gospel to Huoi Hoi. In this village, 360 people are Christians now. The Good News has since spread to other districts in Savannakhet province and Salavane province.
Testimony: I am the head of the Huoi Hoi meeting place, belonging to the Vietnam Christian Mission. The source of water for daily life is mainly taken from the dry fields; people dig holes 1 meter deep to get water in the fields. The distance is about 200 meters. Since there is no other water source, people use this water.
Village #2: Huoi Luah Village is located in Muang Phin, Savannakhet, Laos. It is a rural village. 700 people will be served here.
The creek is polluted and the water is turbid by discharges from the Chinese motorbike factory and electric battery factory. Besides the nearby factories, there are Chinese companies growing rubber, which spray pesticides to protect the rubber trees. The rubber forests are close to the creek. People do not know if the wastewater is treated before entering the creek. The local people grow rice and
cassava, and they also use herbicides and pesticides.
There is no water at the local school. Students must bring water from home for drinking. Usually the people boil the water. There is no clean water supply facility in the village. The wealthy families go to Vietnam, to buy clean water. You can buy a 1-liter bottle of water. There is no clinic in the community. If someone is sick they must go 20 km to Sepone Hospital.
The common water-related illnesses in this village are diarrhea and liver and kidney problems. Obtained from Google search about these organs being affected by polluted drinking water: “Note: It is not known what solvents are used at the local factories.”
More details about this village: Ministry started here one year ago, in April 2022. The villagers are from the Bru people group. There are 15 believers in this village now.
Testimony from the head of the Huoi Luah meeting place on the current water situation:
The main source of water is obtained from hand-dug holes about 1 meter deep near the creek. The creek is a tributary of the Sepone River. Each house hand digs their own hole to get water for the daily needs of their family; otherwise, they drink water from the polluted creek. The distance from the house to the water source is about 100 meters. There is not a clean water in the nearby villages. People are afraid to drink the water but it is their only option.
Village #3: Kun Si Village is located in Muang Nong, Savannakhet, Laos. It is a rural village. 1,000 people will be served.
Kun Si Villagers
Testimony on the current water situation from the head of the Kun Si meeting place, belonging to the Vietnamese Christian Mission:
The water source in the community mainly comes from the water holes which were dug 1 meter deep. These holes are located near the creek that has been polluted by discharge. The distance from the village to the hand-dug holes is 400 meters. There is no clean water in the other neighboring villages, except at the houses of the rich and the governmental officials. There
is also no public deep well.
The school in the community does not provide clean water to students. Students must bring cooked water from home to drink. Clean water is only sold in plastic bottles, but it is too expensive for the poor people. There is no clean water supply in the community. There is no clinic in the area. The patient must go to Muang Nong hospital, 12 km away.
Most of the surrounding land was sold to Vietnamese investors. Rubber forests are planted there and heavy pesticides are used to protect their trees. Those rubber forests are located along the Ra Nuang River. Before, when rubber forests had not been planted, people of the community used water from the river, but now no one dares use it due to the polluted river water. The upstream water is also polluted, so people have to dig holes to get water.
Children at the stream
Woman collecting water
Man carrying a water jug
from the stream
Young boy drinking from the stream
Access to clean water is so important. Providing a deep well for this community will meet their urgent
need. The people will experience better health and they won’t have to worry about the polluted water. They are very poor and will save money on medicine because they will be able to prevent getting these sicknesses. They will have water for bathing and cooking and the people will be able to practice better hygiene. They will be able to water their animals and water gardens to grow food. Also, we hope it will be a great platform to spread goodwill with their unbelieving neighbors, and that the well will be a platform to share the gospel and for the village church to share their faith in Jesus.
Another woman collecting water
We do not do projects unless we have formed an ongoing partnership with a good track record of accountability with any ministry partner who is involved in any Safe Water Ministry project. We require ‘before’ marker photos where the well will be drilled. We collect pertinent details that describe the need, collect completion photos, reports and testimonies.
We have had several successful projects in Laos. Those projects were with another ministry partner. This project will be the first project working with John T. Heaven’s Family partners with him through the Unreached People Groups Ministry. He has been a faithful partner working in Vietnam and Laos. Please note that he keeps a low profile in Laos for security reasons. My long-time co-worker at Heaven’s Family describes John as a “Vietnamese leader doing great things for our Boss.”
For payment, it depends on the project who receives the funds. We do not pay in full upfront for projects. Usually, we send 60% at the commencement and the balance upon completion. Sometimes we send it to the partner, who then pays the driller, and sometimes directly to the driller. In this case, we will send the funds to our partner and they will pay the driller. We try to make sure of confirmation that the driller will arrive on schedule because sometimes drilling gets delayed. We would rather be in control of the funds vs. the drilling companies.
We desire to protect the on-going success of the wells once they are complete. As a part of our process, we require all of our ministry partners to agree to prepare for and manage any future maintenance on the well. The receiving partner ministry may take on the responsibility and/or they may create a water commission, have community meetings, and have the community agree to contribute in some way, according to ability. It is very important that the local people know that this is ‘their’ well. When they know they have ownership they will work to take care of it best they can. The whole community agrees how best to manage the water asset. Often times very small fees are charged for the future management of the well. The process varies from place to place. Here with this particular project, relating to maintenance and operation of the well, in each location the church will be responsible for the electricity, maintenance and repair.
All projects are made possible by World Changers.