Project successes
Thank you for the vital role you are playing in transforming the lives of men, women, boys and girls in Timor-Leste. Your generous support has provided safe water, improved sanitation and hygiene education to one village, Surirema in Manufahi. This progress report provides information about the community you supported, photos of the people you have helped, and stories telling you how the new facilities have changed their lives.
Surirema village in Manufahi
Surirema village is located in Manufahi, in the sub-district of Same. The village has a population of 242 people, including 111 children. They had to walk about an hour over steep terrain to collect water, and they had to do this about three times a day.
Without a nearby water source the hours spent collecting water would stop the women and girls from going to school, playing, spending time with their families and other productive activities.
Without toilets, the community members were going to the bathroom outside. Germs in human waste spread disease and open defecation makes living conditions intolerable and puts people, especially children, at risk of disease and ill health. The lack of safe water and basic toilets means diarrhoeal illnesses were common, one of the leading causes of death among children under five years old in Timor-Leste. Women and girls also faced risks to personal safety and dignity not having access to a safe, private toilet.
The local school had no water access, with the students having to bring at least one jerry can of water to school per day to fill the tank so they could drink clean water and use the toilet. Female students still did not have enough water, with 95% of the students missing school while they were menstruating. Female students told us how going to the toilet outside made them feel: “We were really scared and embarrassed at the same time when we want to do toilet activities at school, because we had to go in an open area near the school, and try to make sure that the boys did not notice us”, said Luciana, a 14 year old student.
New facilities
Thanks to your support, the community members in Surirema village are very pleased with their new facilities.
WaterAid recognises that the ultimate owners of our water and sanitation projects are the community members, who must feel a sense of responsibility and ownership in order to ensure long-term use of the new technology and facilities. We involve community members every step of the process, including in the construction of the water source.
As a result, the people in the community have a real opportunity to achieve their potential and contribute to the growth and development of their community and country. They can spend time usually lost collecting water focusing on more productive activities, such as small scale farming or attending school.
Work undertaken
Toilet blocks
All 38 homes in the village constructed their own toilets after being motivated by the community led total sanitation process. When community members build their own toilets, they are much more likely to maintain the facilities.
Drinking water and hand washing facilities
Eight tap stands were constructed throughout the village, at a distance of only 100 meters from their homes, no more than a ten minute walk. 28 hand washing stands were constructed. Hand-washing alone could cut the risk of diarrhoea almost in half, saving children's lives every day. A girl’s shower block was also constructed at the school.
Hygiene education
As part of the community led total sanitation process, community members learned about hygiene practices. Improving hygiene behaviour is vital for the full benefits of access to water and sanitation to be realised.
Maintenance
A water user committee was established in the village, made up of men and women who are tasked with ensuring the long term sustainability of the water, taps and toilets. Each household pays 25 cents a month into a maintenance fund. The committee has been trained to fix simple problems, and there is a local government group to help with more complex maintenance issues.
A sustainability officer will also return to the village over the next two years to test the quality of the water source and check that the tap stands are in good working order.
Your impact
Thanks to your support, the community members in Surirema village are very pleased with their new facilities. Eliana, a 14 year old girl, excitedly said: “I now have no worries to attend school even in my menstruation period and know what to do when I get my period at school. Moreover, having toilets and water both at my school and home feels just like receiving a big present when you have your birthday!”
What next?
Our work in villages like Surirema helps us demonstrate to governments effective ways of supporting communities around the world.
You, our supporters help politicians to understand how much access to water, sanitation and hygiene for the world’s poorest people matters to Australians. You can send a message to world leaders that you care about safe water, sanitation and hygiene for everyone, everywhere by adding your voice to our petition.
Project objectives and outcomes
This project will contribute to the delivery of safe water,
sanitation and hygiene to one village in Manufahi District in
Timor-Leste.
1. Safe water:
Help all community members in one village gain access to a supply of safe, sustainable water through the construction of gravity feed water facilities.
Outcomes
- A village gains access to improved water supplies free from contamination, thereby reducing the incidence of water related diseases. Money and time spent seeking medical care is therefore saved due to fewer bouts of illness.
- Women and girls’ time spent collecting water is reduced. Time spent on waiting at the water source is also reduced, thereby freeing up more time for productive activities.
- Community, particularly women and girls are able to spend a greater amount of time attending to other social and economic activities.
- Children are able to stay in school and focus on education when they might otherwise stay home to collect water.
2. Access to hygienic latrines:
Help all community members in a village gain access to low cost, low maintenance hygienic latrines through the community led total sanitation approach.
Outcomes - All community members in one village:
- Have access to and regularly use improved latrines rather than resorting to open defecation, resulting in a reduction of infected faecal material being present in the environment.
- Feel a sense of achievement having built a household latrine, and are motivated to maintain it in a hygienic condition.
- Are aware of and practice improved hygiene behaviours, such as hand washing after defecation and before eating or cooking.
3. Improve hygienic practices:
Help all community members in one village to improve their hygienic practices and environmental sanitation, focusing on hand washing at key times, penning animals and reducing places for mosquitoes to breed.
- Six monthly monitoring visits after project completion report that household latrines are being used and maintained in a hygienic condition (at least 70% of all latrines), and a representative sample of villagers are able to explain the critical times when they should be washing their hands.
Photo: Providing children with clean and accessible water and toilet facilities changes their lives. Their health improves, they have more time to go to school and gain an education, as well as more time to just be kids and play with their friends. (Photo Credit: WaterAid/TomGreenwood)
Background - Water issues in Timor-Leste
Of the nearly 800,000 people living in rural communities in Timor-Leste 40% do not have access to a safe water supply, and 63% do not have access to improved sanitation facilities.
In Timor-Leste’s rural communities, the absence of nearby clean water means women and girls can spend up to three hours per day walking long distances to collect water, precluding them from participating in school or other productive activities.
The water sources that are close to communities are often contaminated by human waste, as well as pollutants associated with agricultural run-off and animal husbandry. In these situations, any development activities aimed at improving female literacy and school completion will fail until these underpinning environmental issues are addressed.
Photo: Imagine if every morning you had to get up at the crack of dawn and walk for miles down uneven paths to the nearest water hole to collect your family's water – water that could pass on deadly diseases to you or your children. (Photo Credit: WaterAid/TomGreenwood)
Project partners / community involvement
The community is involved in every step of the project starting with the development of a Community Action Plan.
The project seeks to provide significant and on-going support to the community water and sanitation committees (GMF). Practical training and regular mentoring of GMF members aims to ensure that they have the confidence, capacity and community-backing to maintain the water supply systems and conduct repairs when needed.
Photo: The simple act of handwashing helps prevent diarrhoea and other diseases, improving overall health. (Photo Credit: WaterAid/TomGreenwood)
How this project fits into a larger strategy or project
The direction for WaterAid’s Timor-Leste country program is documented in the WaterAid in Timor-Leste Country Strategy 2011-2015. The program focuses on the field testing of WASH best practice methodologies then advocating for them to be adopted and implemented at national scales by national governments, donors and other WASH sector actors.
We work in collaboration with other NGOs to increase impact on communities’ livelihood by maximizing the benefit of water, sanitation and hygiene program. We will continue to work with local NGOs and community groups to harness the local knowledge and increase accountability towards the communities to whom we serve. We will endeavour to improve planning and monitoring capabilities of Government by closely working with local government and line agencies.