April 26, 2001<BR>
Villagers Elders Get Their Wish: Nets for Their Children<BR>
By Brian Calvert, The Cambodia Daily<BR>

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Ros Ruan Commune, Preah Vihear province - Life in this remote 
northern region of Cambodia has been tough for villagers. 
Hardship is evident in nearly everything, from the dusty soil 
that yields mediocre crops to the rutted roads that show signs of 
yearly washouts during the rainy season. 
	And it is evident on the faces of the villagers themselves. 
Lifetimes spent toiling in the sun has hardened them, darkened 
them. Yet elders say nothing worries them like malaria. They are 
old, they say, and have lived their lives. But they are concerned 
about the well-being of the children, who, like many Cambodians, 
could be susceptible to one of the country's top killers, which 
last year accounted for a reported 608 deaths.
	On Monday, the National Malaria Center distributed 600 nets 
to families from three villages in the commune, alleviating at 
least the fear of malaria in a part of the country that has known 
a lot of fear. 
	Up until 1998, it was nearly impossible to reach this 
remote cluster of villages, which have been carved out of the 
deciduous forest that carpet the region. Khmer Rouge guerrillas 
were still active here, the roads were often mined, and ambushes 
were not unlikely.
	Now, peace and stability have come, and with them some 
development.
	Neighboring Robib, less than an hour's drive south from 
here, is the home of a pilot project by Bernard Krisher, chairman 
of Japan Relief for Cambodia and also the publisher of The 
Cambodia Daily. 
	Schools are being built here, outfitted with solar panels 
and linked to the Internet for education and telemedicine 
purposes.
	It was on a trip here to see the Brad Washburn School in 
Ros Ruan earlier this year that Krisher was approached by 
villagers who told him their concerns about malaria.