With 33-year-old farmer Gusti Koa as its new leader, Fetomone farmers group in Fatutnana, West Timor, is growing and changing. Gusti and his wife are farmers in area near Fatutnana, and the group he now leads was formed by 11 farmers in their hamlet in February 2016. At that time, there was support from government […]

“Before latrines were in the camp, we defecated in the river; and, often, we [women] had to wait because there were always men in the river, so felt insecure and uncomfortable.” This statement from Sanuba, who moved to an evacuation camp in Donggala after the September 2018 earthquake that centered on Palu, could have been […]

Taman was born to a poor family in Afghanistan, which didn’t have money to send her to school. So, she took matters into her own hands to be educated. “I was always working odd jobs and learning and trying different things so I could earn extra money to pay for my education,” Taman told one […]

CWS distributed collapsible jerry cans from UNHCR to 4,373 households in Sigi and Donggala districts and has constructed twelve four-stall public latrines in seven camps in Sigi district, plus an additional four in Donggala district. Nine more latrines are under construction…..

“The weather is unpredictable now,” says Buttutasik, a fiftysomething farmer in Bau village in South Sulawesi, who is chairman of the Harapan Lembang Bau farmer’s group. “This leaves us feeling confused: some of us continue planting our seeds, knowing we are risking crop failure from weather change and pestilence; others of us are reluctant to […]

Yohanis Tefu, who is 29, lives in a tiny hamlet in West Timor with his 73-year-old adoptive mother, Silpa Sopaba, and his three other siblings. Silpa is actually the siblings’ aunt, and she has been caring for her sister’s children since her sister died, along with the children’s father. When Yohanis was young he developed […]

From an early age Abdi dreamed about going to university. Born and raised in Mogadishu, Somalia, Abdi’s dreams were shattered when he was in 8th grade when civil unrest, insecurity and government disarray cause the education system to collapse, which meant that Abdi’s education ended when he was only 14. The collapse of Somalia’s schools […]

“The mud flowed and destroyed our house and dragged it and other houses, or what was left of them, away.” Henny Putong, who is 43, vividly recalls the moment on September 28th when her life and that of her neighbors turned upside down and their village, Jono Oge, disappeared. NOTE: What happened geologically when the […]

CWS distributed collapsible jerry cans from UNHCR to 2,760 households in Sigi and Donggala districts. CWS received an additional 1,500 collapsible jerry cans from UNHCR to share with affected families, ……

This blog is the last in a four-part series focusing on CWS water, sanitation and hygiene programs in each of four Asian countries where we work. This one focuses on Indonesia and Timor-Leste. It’s important to know that the acronym WASH stands for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. Access to safe water is a rising concern […]

CWS continues supporting and augmenting Government response to the late September earthquake and tsunami by distributing 3,000 collapsible jerry cans, 2,750 mosquito nets, 6,000 mats and 4,000 solar lamps from UNHCR to affected families……

Elham (not his real name) was born in Ghazni, Afghanistan to a working middle-class Hazara family. His mother was a dressmaker and his father worked for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. Elham enjoyed a childhood that was more comfortable than many Afghan children’s until his life changed suddenly when his father died. With […]

Zet Timaubas is a 41 -year-old farmer in Meobesi hamlet who lives with his wife, Safira Kase, who is 39, and their four children: Frederik, who is 17; Maria, who is 14; Martha, who is 10 and, last but not least, Yosina Timaubas, whose first birthday the family recently celebrated. Like many others in his […]

In Burasia village in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, dreams are becoming reality by empowering women to form savings and loans groups that, in turn, create opportunities for them to improve their lives and those of their families. One group created as part of the perfectly named DREAM project that CWS coordinates is the 20-member Mawar group, […]

Today, CWS is distributing 200,000 liters of clean water daily at 24 locations. This is accomplished with a fleet of seven trucks and reaches more than 16,000 people from 3,693 households every day……

CWS started water distributions on October 4th. Today, CWS is distributing 80,000 liters of clean water daily at 16 locations for 6,200+ people affected by the Central Sulawesi earthquake……

Arkilaus Leku and his wife Yunten Betty are farmers in Op village in West Timor. Arkilaus is also the chair of a newly-formed home gardening support group of eight families who share a drip irrigation system. Though Arkilaus had been a subsistence farmer, like most of his neighbors, for years, his poverty has kept him […]

Born in Wardak Province in central Afghanistan, Amir (not his real name) left home when he was just 13 years old because his parents feared for his safety during continuing civil and sectarian strife in their country. First, they sent him to Kabul, and from there he traveled a familiar route arranged by well-known, and […]

Immediately after the news of Saturday’s (29th September 2018) twin natural disasters hitting Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, CWS staff were in action to partner with ACT Alliance and Humanitarian Forum Indonesia colleagues to determine how best to respond in the immediate aftermath of the 7.5 magnitude earthquake and the tsunami it caused. Additionally, CWS Japan colleagues […]

Mateos Missa, who is 33, chairs the Oe Sustana Water User Committee in West Timor. He is a farmer and lives in Nitutoli hamlet in Saenam village with his wife, Yufita Sio, their toddler, Mercy and their newborn, Misa. In Nitutoli there are 83 families – about 400 people in all. As Chair of the […]