Left to right: Merian Soares, Josefina Tilman and Sabina Ximenes in the village Beloi on Atuaro Island, Timor-Leste

“Before I had a water filter my family sometimes drunk water from the tap and sometimes my family was coughing and had diarrhoea. But now, my family has been using a filter for the last three months and I can save money and I don’t need to buy water. I just fill water into the filter pot and then we have plenty of clean water available for our family. Water that we drink from the water filter hasn’t made us sick or coughing, so it’s good for our health.

I have been sharing my experience with my neighbours, friends and some visitors from Australia about the benefits of using a water filter. I am very happy with Abundant Water’s program for clean water and I hope that Abundant Water can continue to work with other communities in Timor-Leste.” - Merian (Merry) Soares

Merry bought a water filter three months ago as part of Abundant Water’s pilot program in Timor-Leste. Merry and Josefina are two of the many beneficiaries of Abundant Water’s water filters, which are distributed through a growing local vendor network.

Sabina (pictured above) is one our local vendors in Atauro. Sabina has been selling filters since June and we continue to work closely with her to grow her business.

All three women live in Beloi on Atuaro Island. Most of the island’s population work in agriculture and fishing and face a challenging water situation, particularly in each dry season. Abundant Water helps to increase communities’ resilience to these challenges by making clean water more accessible.