Community financing of rural water supplies in Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste is a new and emerging nation that has a history of instability and a large rural population. There has been a significant investment in rural water supply infrastructure, however sustaining this infrastructure has proven to be a challenge. Current research has shown that community management and in particular community financing of the operation and maintenance of water supplies has been the main constraint to sustainability. This paper then investigates the actual costs of operation and maintenance of the infrastructure, what communities can afford to pay and the current reality of community financing of rural water supplies in Timor-Leste.