Project Outcomes
The community of 197 people in 27 households at Kaimeta had no proper water supply system and were dependent on temporary water supply systems, which were prone to wide-scale microbial contamination.
The project successfully met it's aims to provide the portable water supply integrated with sanitation and hygiene components.
- All homes were provided with potable water supply by way of 12 community water points constructed at convenient locations in the village.
- These taps immediately reduced the walking time and distance endured by the residents of Kaimeta collecting water.
- The water points have a reserve tank to collect and store water for the ongoing convenience of the households they serve.
As is common across Timor-Leste and in many developing countries, almost all of the community members defecated in open spaces. Diarrhoea is the most prevalent and problematic disease in rural Timor-Leste and can be easily prevented through effective sanitation and improved hygiene practices.
- 17 toilets were built in Kaimeta as part of this project, making the village effectively open defecation free.
- As a part of hygiene education program, all the community members received education on safe hygiene behaviour. As a result, community members constructed tippy taps (a foot operated hand-washing system made with locally, and often free, materials) in their households and toilets.
- The most important and life-saving hygiene practice is hand washing at critical times (after defecation and before eating). It is a fact that hand washing at critical times alone can reduce the incidence of diarrheal diseases by 40%.
View PDF Chart document showing huge changes in behaviour following project implementation.
Case study of Kaimeta Darulema.
Kaimeta is a village in Maubara sub district. This village comprises 27 households with a total population of 197. It is located about 10 kilometres uphill from the district town and accessible through an all-weather road built in late 2009.
Maria is one of the members of this community. She is forty five years old. Maria is blessed with five children - two boys and three girls. Unfortunately Maria’s husband passed away just a few weeks after the project was completed. Before the water system was built, Maria spent significant time collecting water. She fetched water from the distant, unprotected source which took her 60 minutes for a round trip.
Now Maria is happy because the water point is near by her home and easy to fill up water buckets for the toilet or for cooking. She also feels it is more convenient for her children, and assists her to make it easier to get clean and promote safe hygiene behaviour such as hand washing. Maria built a latrine in 2005 and now having a water and sanitation project in her village, she finds it easier to clean and maintain her toilet.
Maria is planning to grow vegetables from waste water for income generation. “That will generate funds for maintenance of the water system as well” - says Maria.
Challenges:
As with much development work, there have been challenges associated with this project, including:
- Availability of spare parts: spare parts are not available in the district town. This will add a slight impediment to prompt repairs of the systems.
- Sustainability of hygiene behaviour change: Community members tend to easily go back to their previous unsafe hygiene behaviours. WaterAid will continue to work with the residents of Kaimeta to ensure these behaviours are being practiced.
Successes/attitudes of community:
Kaimeta has been a great success. This community of 197 people now have access to safe water, as well as sanitation facilities.
The project itself had a high degree of community engagement, with the members of the village being part of the planning and implementation of the project. This is not uncommon, as there always a real need for these services.
Local materials have been used where appropriate and available.
Role of the partners:
The role of local partners is instrumental to successful implementation of this project. Local partner staff know the local context, language and culture. This, along with their technical skills, has contributed to the success of this project. However, the local partners lack in-depth technical, community mobilization and hygiene promotion skills. WaterAid mentors the partners throughout the project implementation.
What's next for this project?
This project commenced in March 2010 and was completed in August 2011. There will be follow up support provided to the community for 2 years from WaterAid. This includes technical and management support to strengthen community water and sanitation committees (GMF) to undertake small scale maintenance.
As the village is situated in a remote part of Timor-Leste, the community have a real desire for improved water and sanitation facilities and an investment in maintaining these. The community have committed to adding funds to a communal pot in order to maintain facilities in the future. The community also has enthusiasm towards the development with a strong leadership and active water and sanitation committees that will maintain these facilities into the future.
To improve the health and quality of life among rural poor communities in 1 Village in Liquica District in Timor-Leste through integrated water, sanitation and hygiene education activities, and to advocate for increased quality and quantity output of the whole rural Water and Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector.
Footprints is delighted to continue support for WaterAid's ongoing
work in the Liquica Region. You can read reports of past projects that
Footprints has funded here.
The project aims and objectives:
- To improve access to improved water in 1 village serving approximately 130 men, women and children.
- To improve access to effective sanitation and hygiene behaviours
- To improve the capacity of communities and local organisations to mobilise skills in order to manage and maintain the facilities and associated improved hygiene behaviours
- To influence the rural WASH sector in Timor–Leste in order to increase the overall sector quality and quantity output
Project Activities include:
- Conduct base line studies in village community and technical feasibility of potential water sources and systems
- Discuss options with communities and agree on system and roles and responsibilities
- Construct or repair existing water facilities and provide Training in operation and maintenance of water system
- Support communities in the construction of latrines
- Provide hygiene education and raise awareness of the importance of hand washing at critical times such as after defecation, and before handling food. Trial improved methods of establishing and maintaining hand washing at critical times
- Formation and knowledge and skills training of the village water and sanitation committees (GMF’s) whose primary role is to promote the sustainability of the WASH facilities and practices in their respective communities.
- WaterAid staff will Provide support for at least 2 years to each GMF committee, actively participate in WASH sector meetings and promote the adoption of best practice WASH methodologies by all sectors and seek funding from government and external donors, support the Timor-Leste government to adopt best practice.
Expected Impact:
A reduction in water related diseases especially diarrhoea due to
- Improved quality and quantity water supplies
- a reduction of infected faecal material being present in the environment with improved use of latrines
- better handwashing and sanitation behaviours
Women and girls’ time spent collecting water or waiting at water source is reduced. Community, particularly women and girls able to spend greater amount of time attending to other social and economic activities. Children are able to stay in school and focus on education.
The community and WaterAid partners (local NGOs and local government bodies) will be equipped with skills to manage the new facilities and maintain improved hygiene behaviours in 1 Village.
The project will help build the technical and managerial capacity of local partner NGOs and local government bodies so that they will continue to implement further successful integrated water supply, sanitation and hygiene education projects in the future.
Community Engagement:
The initial activity is the joint selection of prospective beneficiary communities with District government authorities (including district government administration, infrastructure and health authorities). Once the communities are selected, initial contact is made and their level of interest and commitment to the proposed improvements is assessed. This provides the basis and justification for the project intervention.
The communities are then mobilised and organised in preparation for joint work in the provision of the water points. Water and Sanitation committees (referred to Timor-Leste as GMFs) are formed and members trained. Project planning follows Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) procedures and results in Community Action Plans and Facility Management Plans.
As part of the community engagement process, WaterAid will implement community led total sanitation process (CLTS), whereby communities are enabled to become aware of the dangers of open defecation and choose to build and use latrines and practice improved hygiene behaviours such as hand washing. WaterAid will liaise with local ministry of Health staff in order to utilise and support their skills development and also to enhance government linkages with the project.
Project Rationale
WaterAid Australia selected Timor – Leste to establish its first country program, as the need there is the highest in our region. Poverty levels in Timor - Leste are stark with more than two in five people live on less than 55 cents per day.
The latest water and sanitation figures from WHO/Unicef Joint Monitoring Program show that only 58% of people have access to safe water and only 36% have access to sanitation. Most of the water systems built are not functioning due to poor maintenance and lack of community ownership. This will bring down the coverage substantially less. In rural areas it is estimated that only 25% of people have access to improved water supplies and 16% to basic sanitation.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were set by the world’s leaders at the UN Millennium summit in 2000 and aim to halve the number of people living in poverty. The targets are inter–connected by nature but the water and sanitation targets would catalyse the attainment of all eight MDGs. Access to safe water and sanitation are the keys to unlocking economic growth and productivity and improve health and access to education.