WE take so much for granted in this country that most of us would struggle to even imagine having no access to clean water.

But that's the reality for families in rural regions of Cambodia who live in extreme poverty. Housed in unsafe, unsanitary structures, many become displaced and are forced into squatting.

In some rural areas as many as 85per cent of people are without adequate sanitation and clean drinking water, meaning that diseases are rife.

"We've all seen Comic Relief reports and news items on people living in poverty around the world, but when you see it firsthand it has a profound effect," says Councillor Richard Dunbar, who recently travelled to Cambodia with two other Bradford volunteers, Donna Haworth and Pete Sims.

They went there to help a charity called Volunteer Building Cambodia, which aims to improve the living conditions of rural families in need by providing them with safe, dry housing, sanitation and a water supply. The charity was set up two years ago by aid worker Sinn Meang, who lost most of his family to the Khmer Rouge genocide.

Cambodia is still recovering from the bloody chapter in its history more than 40 years ago, when millions of people died under Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot's brutal regime of execution, torture and forced labour. Pol Pot'sYear Zero policy, aimed at turning Cambodia into a collective agricultural economy with no education or medical care, led to widespread famine and the death of thousands from disease. Around a quarter of the population perished in the genocide.

Volunteer Building Cambodia works in eight villages in a deprived province near Siem Reap in the north west of the country. Local social workers, assisted by village and commune chiefs, identify families most in need, who are then assessed by the charity.

Working with a team of local builders, the Bradford volunteers helped to construct a house they had funded. "It costs 2,900 dollars to build one house," says Richard, Labour councillor for Thornton, Allerton and Sandy Lane. "Then there's added money needed to furnish it. We bought provisions for the house, and toys for the children.

"Once a family has moved into a house, the charity stays in touch and visits them every few months to check on maintenance and carry out repairs. Nobody is educated past the age of eight in these areas so the charity is helping people develop skills to look after their new homes."

The houses being built are traditional Khmer-style structures on stilts, made of wood. Many of the original houses, made of bamboo and palm leaf, are unsafe and offer little protection from the elements and local wildlife.

"It was about an hour's drive to the village, we approached it from a beaten track and it looked like a shanty town, with houses made from bits of old tree," says Richard. "We knocked one of the houses down, and it only took 10 minutes.

"The people there have nothing. I'd done some research before I went out there, but nothing prepares you for that level of poverty, it hits you in the face. The living conditions were shocking, but that gave us motivation to get on with the job. We had to control our emotions. What struck me most was how humble and grateful the people living there are.

"The whole village got involved with the house-building. There were some volunteers from Australia too; it was great working with people from different cultural backgrounds, all with a shared vision of helping these families."

He adds: "Building this house, for a young family of five, has made a big difference to their lives. It was House 86 in the charity programme; it took four days to build, then it was blessed by a Buddhist monk."

Having worked with Save the Children, and on projects tackling child poverty in the UK, Richard is all too aware of the lifelong impact of poor housing.

"It's that jigsaw; health, education and housing. It all fits together," he says. "If a child has adequate housing, it has an impact on other aspects of life."

With poor standards of sanitation in rural areas, and a high death rate caused by diarrhoea and disease, VBC also focuses on providing wells and toilets. According to the charity, Cambodia is undergoing its worst drought in 70 years.

"Lack of clean drinking water is a big problem, leading to diseases like cholera," says Richard. "People in remote areas drink from pools of standing water or canals which are contaminated with pollution.

"The village we visited had just had its first water pump installed, which is making a huge difference to their daily lives."

The charity is planning to build a community centre where villagers can learn English, and to read and write in their own language, as well as practical skills.

"It's the basis of community development," says Richard. "The charity is helping them stand on their own feet, to break the cycle of poverty.

"Cambodia is a beautiful country; it was my first time there and I fell in love with it. But the beauty is largely defined by the people and their attitude. They were so grateful for our help."

Richard would like more people from Bradford, including businesses, to support VBC and is planning to hold an awareness-raising event in City Hall later this year.

"We need more donations so we can build more houses, and the charity needs people to go out there as volunteers," he says. "Humanity has no borders. It's our duty as human beings to help others in need."

* Visit volunteerbuildingcambodia.org or contact Richard Dunbar on Facebook or @richarddunbar83 on Twitter.