No Longer Need to Walk 2 Hours Every Day, Hundreds of Villagers in NTT Now Have Clean Water Facilities Through the Jelajah Timur Program

The people of Besnam Village, Fatukopa Subdistrict and Naileu Village, Kie Subdistrict, South Central Timor District, East Nusa Tenggara are happy because they now have clean water facilities. The construction of these facilities is the result of the Jelajah Timur charity run campaign initiated by Yayasan Plan International Indonesia (Plan Indonesia).

With the presence of clean water facilities close to residents’ homes less than 30 minutes away, children in both villages can be more free to do activities. They can study well without the need to be tired of fetching water in distant places in the early hours of the morning.

The clean water facilities built in Naileu Village itself are a 1,456-meter pipeline network with three hydrant units. While in Besnam Village, there is a pipeline network of 1,300 meters along with three hydrant units with a capacity of 1,200 liters each.

On Friday (17/1), the constructed clean water facility was officially handed over by Plan Indonesia to the village government to be recorded as a village asset that will be managed by the government and residents.

“We hope that the construction of this clean water facility can help improve the health quality of the village community. Thank you to our partners, especially Jelajah Timur runners, who continue to support Plan Indonesia’s efforts in expanding access to clean water. This initiative is a tangible manifestation of concern for children, especially women, who are vulnerable to risks when they have to walk long distances to fetch water,” said Semuel Niap, Area Program Manager of Plan Indonesia.

Also present at the handover ceremony were the Acting Regent of South Central Timor, Seperius Edison Sipa, Chairperson of the East Nusa Tenggara Provincial DPRD, Emilia Nomleni, Chairperson of the South Central Timor District DPRD, Deki Liu, and Deputy Chairperson 2 of the South Central Timor DPRD, Aris Nenobahan.

“On behalf of the community, we thank you very much for all the efforts made by Plan Indonesia and the Jelajah Timur runners. Hopefully the facilities that have been built can be put to good use by the people of Naileu Village and Besnam Village,” said Seperius.

Okto Boimau, Head of Naileu Village, added that his party and the community have developed rules to ensure the sustainability of this clean water facility.

“Members of the BP-SPAM (Drinking Water Supply System Management Agency) will help ensure that this facility is utilized by the entire community evenly and sustainably,” he explained.

Lack of Clean Water Facilities in Besnam Village and Naileu Village

So far, the water facilities in Besnam Village and Naileu Village can only meet the needs of residents in 5 RTs out of a total of 8 RTs. They have to travel 4 kilometers or two hours to get clean water. The total population in Besnam Village is 109 households and Naileu Village is 145 households. The lack of clean water is also one of the triggers for the high stunting rate in the village.

In addition, they can only rely on rainwater for farming throughout the year. The farmer groups in Naileu Village can only grow corn as a source of food. When the dry season arrives, all plants will have difficulty living without water.

“We are grateful that in this difficult water condition, Plan Indonesia through the Jelajah Timur campaign with runners who have great backgrounds chose our village as a donation destination,” Okto said.

Jelajah Timur is a campaign initiated by the Plan International Indonesia Foundation in 2019 that aims to help provide clean water access facilities in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and North Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

Previously, the Jelajah Timur campaign also recently received a prestigious award at the Asian Philanthropy Forum 2024. The forum brings together change-makers and philanthropic organizations from across Asia to collaborate on regional challenges and drive global development.

The award is a reminder of the importance of collective action in addressing pressing issues such as access to clean water, especially in East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara.

About Yayasan Plan International Indonesia (Plan Indonesia)

Plan International has been working in Indonesia since 1969, officially registered as a national foundation named Yayasan Plan International Indonesia (Plan Indonesia) since 2017. Our organizational purpose is to strive for children’s rights and equality for girls. As part of that effort, we work with youth to ensure their meaningful participation in the decision-making that impacts their lives. 

Plan Indonesia, as a member of Plan International Inc., has child sponsorship as a core program. The sponsorship program currently assists more than 32,000 marginalised girls and boys in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province. This program is committed to delivering the children’s basic rights to access a birth certificate, basic vaccines, clean water, sanitation & hygiene and education. 

In total, Plan Indonesia’s work on children’s rights and equality takes place in eight provinces and focuses on seven thematic programmes: Stunting Prevention, Elimination of Violence against Children and Youth, Adolescent Health, Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship (YEE), Resilient School, Gender-Responsive Disaster Preparedness and Humanitarian Response and Youth-led Climate Resilience. representation. These programs aim to enhance leadership capacity, agency, and social movements, engaging and targeting 3 million girls to achieve equal power, equal freedom, and equal representation. For more information, visit: plan-international.or.id 

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