Las Vegas-area physician assistant creates well-digging project in Cambodia

Cody Pulsipher always knew he wanted to help people.

That was why he became a physician assistant, working for Southwest Medical Associates, bouncing between its six locations in Henderson, North Las Vegas and Summerlin, such as the facility at 2704 N. Tenaya Way, near MountainView Hospital.

“When I got into medicine, I did it because I knew I wanted to effect change,” Pulsipher said, “not only in the local community, but globally.”

To that end, he is also a medical volunteer with the Flying Doctors of America, which provides health care to the underserved. Pulsipher was a part of a Jordan-based medical mission in 2015 serving Syrian refugees.

But it wasn’t enough. His late cousin Tyler’s missionary-type work in Cambodia, digging wells, appealed to him. The two were close growing up and shared similar ideals. When Pulsipher was doing his graduate studies at Franklin Pierce University, he decided his hands-on project would forward the work Tyler began before his death from glioblastoma, a malignant type of brain tumor, in 2010.

Pulsipher set up The Tyler Water Project to dig more wells in Cambodia.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing.

“I walked into it blind,” Cody said. “It was a learn-as-you-go kind of thing. The logistics, setting up the drilling site, getting supplies, I had no idea. I thought, ‘Oh, man. I bit off more than I could chew.’ ”

But he set his goals small, raising $3,500 for three water systems. He got in touch with already-established groups overseas such as Children’s Future. In 2015, he and his wife, Kali, flew to Cambodia to stay for nearly a month, building the wells..

“When you’re at the airport,” he said, “you think, ‘This is pretty modern, it isn’t so bad.’ But then you jump on the back of a motorcycle and go to the (countryside), and that’s when it strikes you - the lack of access. I mean, women were walking miles and miles with 40 pounds (of water), carrying what looks like chocolate milk.”

Sometimes, the children got sick from the unsanitary water, missing school and fall behind in their studies.

But the wells, using hand-bored drills (modern machinery cannot access the sites), can raise up the community. Some wells are simple hand-pump models that can cost $300 for the pump. Others are community wells that are sturdier and cost roughly $1,800 to build. Either way, a well means people can sell excess water to neighboring communities, produce more crops to sell and lift up not just one family, but many.

On his return, he began collaborating with an organization out of Utah this fall — which uses a drill created by Brigham Young University engineering students — called the Village Drill, meant to last for years. It is the workhorse behind the Who Lives organization.

According to Who Lives, each well costs about $4,000 to install with roughly 1,000 people using it each day.

Beth Manning is the director of global programs for Who Lives. Normally, the group partners with big organizations such as World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse, but it decided Cody’s effort was worth working alongside.

“It only takes one person to change lives,” Manning said. “Cody’s been able to change thousands of lives. His determination and passion is inspiring.”

Water brings other aspects. Cody reported that, at one of the wells, the community is building a new school nearby. Pulsipher’s effort will see its eighth well going in soon.The hope is to eventually expand to other countries, he said.

According to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals for 2015, an estimated 783 million people, or 11 percent of the global population, remain without access to an improved source of drinking water.

“I chose water and sanitation because it is a huge crisis,” Pulsipher said, “one with simple implementable and sustainable solutions. It is a moral compulsion to act based on need reducing pain and suffering while elevating life.”

Visit thewaterproject.org.

To reach Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan, email jhogan@viewnews.com or call 702-387-2949.