One of the wells in Cambodia Good Trust has already supported. Photo/Jim Grafas
One of the wells in Cambodia Good Trust has already supported. Photo/Jim Grafas
The Bachelor NZ's Art and Matilda will host a charity evening to raise more than $100,000 for a small rural town in Cambodia.
Water for Cambodia, held on November 12 at ImageHub Tauranga, will be an evening of auctions and music to help raise money to provide freshdrinking water for 4000 people in Thma Puok, Cambodia.
The small rural town near the border of Thailand suffers from drought, then flooding every year creating major health issues for locals.
Good Trust co-founder Jim Grafas said they took on the new task after completing other water projects in the South East Asian country.
It was the contrasts with his own life which struck him after visiting communities in Cambodia, he said.
"Living in the Mount with my wife Jess and two young children, whenever we feel like a glass of water we just walk a few metres to the tap, and clean, safe water flows. It's an unconscious luxury for us. My kids don't think much about water.
"In places like Thma Puok, it's a big deal. Every day."
So far they had been able to fundraise $38,419 which would provide fresh water for 1337 of the 4000 people they wanted to help.
Mr Grafas said across the world the number of people without access to clean water had dropped from a billion to 660 million people over eight years.
"But that's still 660 million drinking unsafe, dirty water every day.
"One charity can't end the water crisis for that many people, but we can end it for Thma Puok."
Good Trust had helped fund more than 20 other fresh water wells across Cambodia and seeing the changes it made in people's eyes was incredible, Mr Grafas said.
"People in Cambodia already have the ability to grow food, go to school and they have good family lives.
"One of biggest issues is having access to proper medical care, with many of the health issues coming from dirty drinking water. Clean water has a massive impact on health, productivity, education and development.
"It really does change everything."
The difference between a Cambodian farmers land when they have access to water, or not. Photo/Jim Grafas.
Mr Grafas said the night would include hosts Art and Matilda from The Bachelor NZ, Tauranga's own Georgia Lines, Young lyre and Lydia Cole and plenty of items up for auction.
Mr Grafas said the big ticket item would be a raffle, where the winner would win a trip for two to Cambodia with Art and Matilda next year.
"There are some other really awesome items too like a weekend away on the beachfront in Ohope, lots of art and photography packages and a breakfast with Art and Matilda after the event."
