Timor-Leste
Context
Timor-Leste is the newly independent eastern half of the island of Timor. Until 2002, it suffered from a brutal conflict with neighbouring Indonesia, killing a large percentage of the population in a 25 year fight for independence. The country's uneven terrain makes farming difficult, causing frequent water and food shortages.
69% of the population have access to safe water and just 50% have access to sanitation.
12% of children die before the age of five, many from diseases caused and spread by unsafe water and sanitation.
WaterAid's plans
- We will work with partners in 139 communities to get water, sanitation and hygiene strategies in place.WaterAid works primarily in the Aileu and Lautem districts, bringing water and sanitation to several villages.
- We will help stop open defecation.
- We will overcome barriers to ensure at least 90% of water points are working by 2015.
- We will ensure that 50 technical graduates are provided with on-the-job training on water, sanitation and hygiene projects and get more women in technical training by 2015.
- We will encourage Community-led Total Sanitation to be included in the national sanitation policy.
WaterAid's programme work in Timor-Leste
WaterAid is working with a number of organisations to help the Government of Timor-Leste address its residents' welfare.
WaterAid's programme in Timor-Leste is relatively new but is in the process of adapting strategies to the local context.
What has WaterAid achieved?
- In 2008, WaterAid's total programme expenditure in Timor-Leste was $637,576, providing 3,800 people with clean water and another 3,800 with sanitation.
- WaterAid works primarily in the Aileu and Lautem districts, bringing water and sanitation to several villages.
- Using Community- led Total Sanitation (CLTS) methods, WaterAid has helped communities build their own toilets for the first time.
Case study
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| Credit: WaterAid / |
Maria lives in the Aileu district in a small, rural community. Before WaterAid delivered safe water and sanitation to her community, Maria collected water from the same stream the community used as a toilet and for washing.
People in the village suffered from lots of coughs and cold, upset tummies, malaria. Now I spend much less time collecting water and we have plenty of water all year round to drink, wash our dishes, wash our hands and bodies and also cook with.
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Timor-Leste Sources:
World Bank (2011) World Development Indicators database - databank.worldbank.org, WHO / UNICEF (2010) Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) report 2010, UNDP (2011), Human Development Report 2011 NB. Official statistics tend to understate the extent of water and sanitation problems, sometimes by a large factor. There are not sufficient resources available for accurate monitoring of either population or coverage. Varying definitions of water and sanitation coverage are used and national figures mask large regional differences in coverage.
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What we do
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