UNICEF supports families with clean and safe water after five years

Ainaro Municipality, 22 April 2026 –  “In the past, I had to spend two hours going back and forth to fetch water from the spring down the hill,” says Natalina Dias, a mother who lives in Maulau Village. She has four children, two girls and two boys, ranging in ages from 1 to 11 years old. 

Natalina was the one who fetched water from the village's spring almost every day. Occasionally, her husband or children would assist with this task.  “Sometimes my elder children felt too tired after fetching water and would not have enough energy to study in the evening,” Natalina added. 

“I also felt so tired after coming back from getting water. Many times, I felt stressed,” Natalina explains, as the water source is far from her home. It took her an hour to go down and another hour to climb back up the hill. She carried three jerrycans every time she went to fetch water, one in her left hand, another in her right, and the third on her head.
 

Even though it was tough, she went several times a day, every morning, after lunch and in the afternoon to get water for her family’s use. These multiple trips per day added to her endless responsibilities.

When it rains, Natalina can’t fetch water because the ground is so slippery with mud, and the water in the natural source is dirty and contaminated by occasional floods from the cliff. During the rainy season, Natalina’s family uses rainwater for cooking and all other tasks. 
 

Newly rehabilitated rural water system in Maulau 

“Now I feel happy because clean water is coming into my area. I just spend less than five minutes getting water,” says Natalina with a smile. She has been getting clean water from the new tap for three days before the water system was officially handed over to the community.

“This water supply system is the best thing in my life in this community, compared to the past when I had to spend at least two hours back and forth to the water source,” says Natalina. “My children are also now happy after the water point was installed near our home, because they do not spend so much time and get tired like in the past when they helped to fetch water from the water source down the hill. Now they have enough time to play and study,” Natalina says.

Water that Natalina collects from the new water tap is stored in jerrycans so that there is always some ready for use. The water is used for cooking, drinking, and washing household dishes and clothes. This water system will be managed by the community and is planned to run for three hours in the morning and another three hours in the afternoon. 

A voluntary group will be formed at the community level to collect monthly contributions from each household for maintenance and other operational costs. 

When asked about the monthly contribution, Natalina expresses her willingness to pay the monthly fee for water system maintenance.

Thanks to Australian supporters, this rural water system was completely rehabilitated in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Works through Direção Nacional Para a Regulação de Água e Saneamento  (National Directorate for the Regulation of Water and Sanitation - DNRAS), benefitting more than 300 people, helping keep them and their children healthy and clean.

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