The water crisis in Cambodia may be a complex and convoluted problem, but it only takes a minute to grasp the dramatic need for clean water after watching this moving video produced by a global aid group.
Korea Food for the Hungry International (KFHI) is a Christian charity that spearheads projects in and outside Korea , according to its website. Its mission involves "[raising] awareness of poverty and hunger around the world, [bringing] food and love to the hungry with the spirit of bread and gospel and [helping] them build secure, self-sufficient communities."
In a video produced by KFHI and posted to YouTube in April, the nongovernmental organization illustrates the tragic disparity in living conditions between a "Korean actor" named Im Ji-kyu and a child in Cambodia named "La."
"La uses 1 liter of dirty water from Tonle Sap lake at Siem Reap. She uses and drinks it, water is her life," the video's description notes. "Im Ji-kyu uses 1 liter of clean water from purified water supply. He uses and drinks it, water is his life."
The video -- which has been making the rounds online -- then follows the two as they go through the motions of daily life: breakfast, commuting, school or work. For each action, the differences between the two are as clear as the "clean water" accessed by Im Ji-kyu.
A nation of more than 15.2 million, Cambodia has a severe lack of clean water and proper sanitation resources, according to United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Less than half of Cambodians have access to clean drinking water, and in the desperately poor rural areas, only one in four Cambodians has access to a toilet.
In fact, water is a serious problem across the entire Asia-Pacific region, the Agence France-Presse reports. Currently, about two-thirds of people in the area don't have reliable access to indoor plumbing or water.
According to its website, KFHI supports efforts to end water shortages in countries around the world, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Uganda, Thailand, Kenya, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Philippines and Vietnam.