A new clean water source one metre from home

Clean water now flowing in Hularema sub-village has brought a welcome change to the lives of Imaculada Mendonça and her family. Instead of daily 30-minute walks to the river for water, they now have a clean tap water one metre from their home.

Imaculada, 24, is a mother of two who has lived for eight years in Hularema, a sub village of Sloi Malere village in Aileu. In 2012, Mateus Bere from World Vision’s Ami Nia Be (Clean Water) team arrived to talk to Imaculada and other families about a new clean water system.

Water for the village then came from a nearby river. “When we collected water for our daily needs, we had to walk back and forth about 30 minutes,” Imaculada says. “Our whole family had to leave early in the morning because a lot of people went there and you had to wait for your turn.”

Some days the water was so dirty they couldn’t use it. “It was contaminated by animals like horses, buffalo, goats and chickens. We had to wait a long time until the water became clean to fetch it again. It was very tiring for us mothers, especially when we were pregnant.”

Working and planning with the community, Mateus’ team built a new tank and put in pipes connected to new taps on concrete pads near the families’ homes. Seven or eight houses share one tap, and the new facility was handed over to the people of Hularema in November 2012.

“I am very grateful that World Vision has provided clean water in the sub village,” Imaculada says. “We welcomed the ANB team with joy for now we do not have to walk further to collect water for our daily needs. Both my children are very happy they can take a bath two or three times a day so close to their home.”

All the families in the sub village are pleased with the facility, she adds. Each community contributes between $0.25 and $1.00 to maintain it.

Imaculada joined the Health Club which provided weekly sessions on sanitation and topics such as hand washing using soap. She's also a member of the Group Management Facility (GMF) which provides training on how to maintain the tanks, pipes and taps.

Mateus says that since the project was implemented, all the families including Imaculada’s have taken great care to ensure the facility is clean and operating well.

Imaculada's son Davidson washes his hands.