Phnom Penh - In Cambodia, a country where water-borne
diseases cause tens of thousands of deaths every year, one
development organization is using the power of song to spread the
word on safe water consumption.
For the past 18 months, the US-based Resource Development
International (RDI) group has combined its public health and water
safety message with one of this country's most popular pastimes -
karaoke.
With its purpose-built karaoke truck, the group has toured many
communities in predominantely rural Cambodia and invited residents to
sing along with a range of specially composed tunes.
The songs' lyrics address a range of crucial public health issues
including HIV-AIDS, bird flu and water sanitation; and according to
RDI country director Mickey Sampson, they have struck a chord with
people of all ages.
'Workshops and community meetings are great ways to teach people
about the importance of sanitation and healthy habits, but we have
been amazed by the effectiveness of this karaoke programme,' he said.
'These kinds of methods are very useful in countries like Cambodia
where there is a poor level of literacy. I think it has also been
particularly effective here because Cambodians seem to have very well
developed aural abilities and they learn very well from music.'
While generally limited to bars in many Western countries, karaoke
is a popular family activity in Cambodia and is most commonly
performed in people's homes and at parties, weddings and public
festivals.
'Cambodians love karaoke, so they were more than willing to take
hold of the microphone when we arrived in the villages,' Sampson
said. 'Often making contact with people and getting them involved in
campaigns can be a hurdle to raising awareness, but this is not the
case with the karaoke programme.'
Sampson said it was difficult to measure how the program had
changed people's behaviour, but said there were signs the songs'
messages were sticking.
'Although measuring the impact of the songs on behaviour is
complicated, we have returned to villages weeks or months after our
first visit and found that people are still singing the songs,' he
said.
'Combined with our other services, such as providing ceramic water
features, we have found this is a very simple and effective way of
raising awareness about such important health issues.'
Only 16 per cent of rural Cambodians have access to toilets,
according to a report released in September by the World
Bank-sponsored Water and Sanitation Program.
The report also said the lack of proper water sanitation and
toilets in rural areas led to the deaths of more than 12,000 children
aged under five through diarrhea-related illnesses each year.
According to figures published on RDI's website, water-borne
diseases contribute to 74 per cent of deaths in Cambodia each year.
USA
Your Talkback on this Story