Since he was little, Januario, now 17, has struggled to access clean water. Growing up in one of the most remote villages in Lautem Municipality, Timor-Leste, he would walk for 30 minutes daily with his eight siblings and other local children to collect water—and that was on a good day. It could take up to an hour if small children joined the pilgrimage.
“During the dry season, our closest spring dries up, so we would walk to other villages to collect water,” explains Januario. “If younger children came, we would have to slow down and wait for them to catch up.”
While some families could afford to rent trucks to carry their water, lessening the burden on children (“The trucks carry all the water in one trip”), Januario wasn’t so fortunate. “My parents relied on us children to collect water. It was our responsibility,” he says.
In 2021, Januario moved in with his aunt and uncle in Lospalos, a city in East Timor-Leste, to avoid travelling long distances daily to attend high school. He currently shares the house with eight other relatives from rural areas who are either studying or seeking better job opportunities. Januario says his younger brother will also be joining him soon, making it a total of 12 family members living together under one roof.
“Sometimes the water comes in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon. So, we have to be prepared and fill up our tanks and jerry cans because the tap only runs for a few hours. And then it stops. We will have to wait for it the next day.”
Despite the move, access to water remains an issue. “I thought that coming to live in town would be easier, but it is still the same. We still struggle with clean water,” says Januario. He explains that although the government provides clean water to every household in town, it comes at a cost, “We have the water piped to our house by the government, but we have to pay around USD$5 every month.”
The costs involved and the fact that water isn’t readily available (the government turns off the tap in the central system, and the cycle of water rationing isn’t always constant) mean Januario and his relatives only use the water for “drinking and cooking” as they wait for their water rations.
“Sometimes the water comes in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon. So, we have to be prepared and fill up our tanks and jerry cans because the tap only runs for a few hours. And then it stops. We will have to wait for it the next day,” says Januario, adding that he makes sure to get up early before school to collect water. “I walk 10 minutes to a well before school each morning to shower. If I don’t, I might not get another chance to wash all day.”
A lack of safe water and sanitation is also affecting children and young people’s learning and basic needs at school. Water is scarce, leaving students like Januario without access to clean water to drink and wash their hands. “We don’t even have water in our school toilets.”
Water and sanitation projects are critical to improving access to safe water in both rural and urban areas in Timor-Leste. Clean drinking and cooking water, adequate sanitation, and proper hygiene can prevent infectious diseases, dehydration, malnourishment, andearly death and help reduce poverty. Spending hours a day travelling to collect clean water or thinking about when they can next shower can impact children’s ability to learn and rob them of their childhood. They lose precious time that could be spent studying, pursuing hobbies, or playing with friends.
ChildFund Timor-Leste is working with the local community to improve access to clean water and help solve the water scarcity issues. ChildFund has supported the construction of two concrete water tanks in Lospalos. Concrete water tanks help store safe, temperature-controlled, and portable water, which makes it easier for households to access it for their daily consumption.
“Water is very important. For children to have clean water, the government needs to create better facilities and pipe water for every house and school. It is not just the communities that lack water but also schools.”
As a newly minted Youth Changemaker, Januario is passionate about improving health and wellbeing in his community. The new water tanks are just the beginning.
“Water is very important. For children to have clean water, the government needs to create better facilities and pipe water for every house and school. It is not just the communities that lack water but also schools,” he says.
As a Youth Changemaker, Januario is learning life skills and how to best advocate for not only himself but also his friends, family and community. He is part of a group of 60 local young people from Lautem municipality attending ChildFund-supported training sessions and activities to build their confidence and leadership skills.
“I wanted to join because I think it will benefit me a lot,” says Januario. “I want to learn many new things, especially how to become a good leader. The Youth Changemaker program motivates us to learn more.”
Although he is new to his role as a Youth Changemaker, Januario is already making a difference by raising awareness and inspiring action to address the community’s water and sanitation crisis.
This project is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership. The Youth Changemakers program is implemented in Lautem municipality by ChildFund Timor-Leste and local partner, Ba Futuru.
The opportunity to learn, grow and innovate is open to all – we just need to make the right investments by building a more inclusive world for women and girls. Offering equal employment opportunities and fair pay to women is a key step towards achieving this goal. These measures can help them lead successful and independent lives – just ask Ngoc and her mother, Ri.
When Ngoc (pictured below) was two years old, she got sick with a high fever that led to full-body seizures. Life changed in an instant; she was diagnosed with a severe mental and neurological disability. Suddenly, daily tasks, like putting on shoes and brushing teeth, required huge amounts of effort. Ngoc spoke hesitantly and unclearly, often needing to repeat words to make herself understood. She could not hold things firmly as her hands trembled frequently.
Ngoc spent most of her time at home in Cao Bang province, Vietnam, two hours from the nearest town and only reached by foot. Despite attending the local school, Ngoc struggled to maintain good grades due to a lack of specialised teacher support. Her mother, Ri, always by her side, wasn’t sure what the future held for her daughter.
Inclusivity has the power to remove barriers and transform lives
When Ngoc was only six years old, her father passed away, leaving her mother and older brother, Vuong, to support the family. Ngoc remembers feeling lonely as she didn’t have many friends and rarely went outside. She understood how hard it was for her mother to raise two children, as she watched her work in the fields, selling vegetables to make ends meet.
But all that changed five years ago, when Ngoc, then 22, attended a monthly Self-Help Group of People with Disability meeting in Quang Hoa district, accompanied by her mother. The meeting, supported by ChildFund helps young people with disabilities and their carers as they gain the necessary skills and resources to become active members of the community. They also help establish a good support network.
During these meetings, Ngoc was able to share her experiences and difficulties with people who faced similar challenges. Meanwhile, Ri attended training sessions focused on disability rights, which helped her understand her daughter’s needs better and improve her caregiving skills.
Ri soon noticed a positive change in her once-shy daughter. She observed that the more Ngoc engaged in activities and interacted with others, the more confident and bolder she became in expressing her opinions and tackling various tasks. Her communication and organisational skills had improved. With her newfound confidence, Ngoc took a more proactive approach to her life, determined not to be defined by her disabilities or circumstances. This included taking greater control of her financial wellbeing.
Ngoc’s disability meant she faced barriers to employment opportunities after she left school. She was often judged as unfit for work, particularly without her mother’s support. However, thanks to ChildFund’s income-generating activities for people with disabilities in her community, Ngoc was taught how to raise and sell chickens (she bought 50, excited by the prospect of earning her own money).
This income-generating model was created to assist rural communities in using available resources and maximising the potential of their land. This is particularly significant for rural women, who make up a crucial workforce in agricultural production, accounting for 67.7 per cent of the workforce in Vietnam.
Although only half of the chickens were sold and consumed, Ngoc says she valued the opportunity to learn and share with others like her and was inspired to start her own entrepreneurial journey. She had discovered a natural talent and passion for business (after the chickens she saw a gap in the market and convinced her mother to let her look after one of the family’s buffalos and quickly turned a profit.) But her ambitions didn’t stop there.
Ngoc was determined to live independently as possible. Being a farmer living in a rural area, she knew it was necessary to have her own vehicle. Ngoc had always dreamt of owning a three-wheeled electric scooter, which would not only help her sell coffee by herself (the next business venture) but also provide her with the freedom to travel into the commune centre independently. Ngoc’s family was worried about her safety and didn’t want her to go outside alone. Despite this, she used the money she had saved from selling and raising animals to buy a scooter. She was determined to succeed and told her mother, “I have to try harder. If I fail, I need to try again.” Ngoc practiced riding the scooter on her own and, after a few days, surprised her family and neighbours by successfully controlling the vehicle.
Ngoc rides her three-wheeled electric scooter around her rural village in Cao Bang province. She purchased the scooter with money raised from raising and selling animals.
Try and try again!
Last year, Ngoc bought 100 chickens and 20 ducks to raise and sell before Tet (Lunar New Year). Today, she has successfully sold almost all her chickens and already has new business ventures lined up.
Ngoc says her life has improved significantly over the years, “We have another worker to help with farming and household chores such as washing dishes and doing laundry. I raised 10 more pigs, chickens, and ducks with my mum. Recently, we also began to grow sugarcane to sell to Phuc Hoa sugar factory. Our living conditions have much improved.”
Ngoc hopes to help other people with disabilities in her community. With her scooter, she can easily travel and participate in Self-Help Group of People with Disability activities, which includes training sessions on organising meetings and planning. She is now one of four disability volunteer representatives in Tu Do commune. Her duties include communicating and advocating for disability rights, informing households with disabled members about related policies, laws, and rights, and promoting project activities that they can participate in.
Ri says she is proud to see how much her daughter has grown and financial independence, which she hopes more people with disabilities will be able to achieve.
“Ngoc is now eager to do many things, such as raising rabbits, growing plants, and selling teddy bears and coffee. I hope other people with disability like Ngoc can have jobs to support themselves.”
The My Right to Education project is supported by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and implemented in Bac Kạn Province and Cao Bang Province by ChildFund Vietnam and local partners.
