It was 3:30 pm. After a long and tiresome work day we were finally sitting down to eat lunch at a noodle shop at Tamoyod Camp in Sanamxay District, Attapeu Province. It was a late lunch because we had a full share of car troubles that day. First a flat tire and then we got stuck in the mud. A steaming bowl of noodles rarely looked or tasted so good!
It felt very special to eat at this particular shop. It is owned by a family who lost their house and belongings in the flood caused by the dam break in July 2018. This family has started to rebuild their lives: a simple wooden house, a freshly planted garden, and a noodle shop. After seeing camps in much worse conditions, eating at this shop filled us with hope. We noticed a TerraClear water filter as soon as we arrived. When we asked if it has been working well, their response was overwhelmingly positive.
My Lao colleagues excitedly told the shop owner that I am their supervisor from TerraClear. The shop owner showered us with gratitude: “Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! The filter is working so well! We need it and use it all the time!” The emotions then turned sad as she told her story: “Actually, I had purchased a filter one month before the flood from the sales team that came to our district; however, the filter and the receptacle were washed away in the flood!” Then, her eyes lit up as she added proudly: “But we were able to save the rattan stand!”
She is one of over 2,300 people to receive a TerraClear filter during relief efforts since the flood. Again, she turned to me with deep gratitude and expressed: “Thank you so much for giving us a new filter that we now use with our original stand!”
