At Samaki Primary School in Cambodia, students once relied on pond water for drinking—posing serious health risks. Mr. Soung Kun, the school’s director, expressed deep concern about this practice and sought solutions to ensure access to clean water. With support from Save the Earth Cambodia and the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP/UNDP), water filters were introduced at the school, dramatically improving the health and wellbeing of students. Mr. Kun actively encouraged students to promote the use of filters at home, spreading awareness to their families.

Beyond clean water, the project expanded into greening the school and surrounding community. Save the Earth Cambodia provided 500 Neing Noung (Tick-Timber) trees to the school, with requests for thousands more to support disaster risk reduction and reforestation. The case highlights how targeted support can transform community health and environmental resilience, and underscores a growing demand for partnerships to scale up efforts like Cambodia’s Million Tree Plantation Programme.