• Program will provide access to clean water, improve health conditions, and protect natural resources
TIMOR-LESTE, Nov. 6, 2008 -- CDM will undertake a 5-year, $17 million program to improve water quality and sanitation in the nation of Timor-Leste. The District Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Services (DWASH) project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Timor-Leste occupies land on three islands within the Indonesian archipelago, including the eastern half of Timor island. After more than 25 years of struggle for independence, Timor-Leste became a sovereign state in 2002. The country has important development and environmental health needs, mainly in terms of water supply and sanitation coverage.
Falling under CDM's Environmental Health Indefinite Quantity Contract with USAID, the DWASH project will pilot approaches to improving living conditions and economic opportunities for the 90 percent of Timorese who live in rural communities. CDM's services include:
• Water supply and sanitation - Providing technological and practical solutions to help reduce waterborne disease outbreaks.
• Health and hygiene - Engaging and mobilizing communities to promote hygiene and sanitation and monitor water quality and health indicators.
• Environmental and natural resource management - Creating a healthier environment by restoring and protecting watershed and water resources, through projects such as reforestation.
The program is one of the first initiatives of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act, which requires U.S. foreign assistance "to provide affordable and equitable access to safe water and sanitation in developing countries."
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