Celestina's story
In a village in the isolated and rugged terrain of Liquica district in Timor-Leste, a business is thriving as a result of recent access to safe water and hygiene education.
Celestina and her husband Silverio run their village’s kiosk, where until recently they made a living by selling groceries. Since water came to the region their kiosk business has expanded to sell spare water parts, and after learning about toilets and hygiene in WaterAid training, Silverio produced cement toilet pans to sell at the kiosk. The toilet pans were so popular, the initial batch sold out.
The kiosk is now a hub for water and toilet discussions. It is easy for community members to visit the kiosk for advice about their water systems and toilets, to replace parts and purchase toilet pans. This ensures that services are sustainable and keep working well into the future.
“I tell people if they have something broken in their water system they can come and buy a spare part and fix it. We talk to community and they can come and buy it from us to make sure it keeps working,” said Celistina
