A Drop in the Bucket
November 30, 2009 – 10:06 pm
A Drop in the Bucket
(Lauren Shaw, Cambodia, 23min)
This film is a timely, hopeful and lyrical tale about people reaching across international boundaries to help provide clean water in rural Cambodia. Its intention is to bring awareness to the contemporary struggles of the Cambodian people as they endeavor to recover from the horrors of mass genocide. Access to safe water is one of the greatest impediments that prevents them from living healthy and prosperous lives. Over the last two years, I have built fifteen wells with the help of Sambrothers Clean Water Project and Journeys Within Our Community. I returned in 2009 to make a short documentary on the effects my wells have had on the lives of the people. By telling this story, some of the complexities and challenges involved in philanthropy are revealed. The goal of development should be empowerment and sustainability, but it is hard work. The interviews with Journeys Within Our Community, Resource Development International, the Doctors at Angkor Children’s Hospital, and the Cambodian people all share the issues of hygiene education, water testing, maintenance, ownership, and ultimately the delivery of safe water. I hope to illuminate and inspire a broad audience about the possibility, challenges, and promise that I found in Cambodia—and to make a small step towards a better tomorrow.
