On the small island nation of East Timor or Timor Leste, Aldea Fatunababu is a small village in Suco Usitaco with 58 households. The main livelihood in this area is dry land agriculture. Fatunababu’s geography is mountainous, with a lot of waste and rocky land which is prone to landslides. During the dry season, the community within this area always experience a shortfall of clean water and this is the main reason why World Neighbors wanted to work in the area.
The following comes from one of the community members of Aldea Fatunababu, who talks about the success of the protection and conservation activities around their water source.
“My name is Benediktus Quefi, and I am a chief of the Farmer Forum of Fatunababu. The availability of clean water in Bairo Fatunababu is limited – there is only one water source called Oel-Naleluf is available in this area. It is fully open with surrounding barren land, therefore during the dry season the depth decreases drastically. During the rainy season, the water is polluted from the runoff that brings debris, mud, and of course human and livestock manure. When this happens, the community has to wait for hours to get clear water after the sedimentation of the debris/mud, or walk for three kilometers to get clean water from other water sources. This water source is actually also utilized by people from the neighboring Aldeas of Nitibe and Oamna, as their farmland is close to the water source.