WaterAid has worked in Timor-Leste since 2005 helping the country's poorest people gain access to safe, sustainable water supplies and sanitation.  Along with our other country program in the Pacific Region, Papua New Guinea, the program is managed by WaterAid in Australia. 

Throughout its 25 year independence struggle, much of Timor-Leste's infrastructure, including irrigation and water supply systems, was destroyed. 

The climate is characterized by extreme conditions with little or no rain falling in the north of the island for almost eight months of the year.  When the rains finally come they bring large-scale flooding which washes pollution into the waterways.  Because of this water quality is often poor, particularly in cities.

Timor–Leste is one of the poorest countries in Asia. Low water and sanitation coverage in the country mean that water related diseases exact a heavy toll on the people of Timor-Leste and gives great impetus to our continued work there.

Despite disruption due to political instability, WaterAid has been able to consolidate and develop the program in Timor-Leste. The program aims to deliver sustainable, community managed water and sanitation services to rural communities in Aileu District as well as health and hygiene education in Aileu, Baucau, Manatuto and Lautem Districts.

WaterAid's achievements to date

• WaterAid has been successful in introducing the Community-Led Total Sanitation approach to Timor-Leste.
• Gravity flow water projects have delivered clean, safe water to thousands of people in remote, rural areas. 
  

Water systems involve capping mountain springs and piping them to community tapstands in the villages. Through hygiene education the importance of household latrines is highlighted and a range of simple latrine options are presented to villagers.

Since 2007 WaterAid has been trialing the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) Liquica district. This innovative educative tool is designed to encourage people to understand the importance of sanitation and thereby stimulate community-led demand for latrines.  

This overcomes one of the issues that sanitation provision faces – that in the past many toilets that have been built are unused by the community.  

A case study comparing WaterAid's use of two very different approaches to sanitation - subsidies and CLTS - was included in the joint WaterAid / International WaterCentre publication Sharing experiences - Sustainable sanitation in South East Asia and the Pacific (PDF 3.5 MB).

Whilst WaterAid is in the early stages of CLTS in Timor Leste, it is clear that the approach is already making an impact and presents a major opportunity for effectively changing behavior, engendering community-initiated action to stop open defecation and creating demand for latrines without the use of external subsidies.

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