A new basic school building under construction in Lautem, Timor-Leste, supported by the Embassy of Japan.

Timor-Leste · Since 2007

Building the schools, water and leadership rural Timor-Leste needs to thrive.

FUNDAMOR partners with villages across Lautem municipality to construct basic schools, deliver climate-smart water and WASH systems, and train women as leaders in economic and climate resilience.

87
Basic schools reached
9,000
Households directly reached
12,000
Students reached indirectly
34
Villages (sucos) in Lautem
In 2030, children will receive quality and inclusive basic education, and women and youth will live healthy and productive lives, participating in peace, economic development and poverty alleviation.FUNDAMOR Vision 2030

What we do

Four focus areas, one goal: resilient communities

From classrooms to water points to village councils, our programs are designed and delivered with the communities of Lautem, not for them.

Basic Education

Constructing school buildings and supporting municipal education departments to deliver quality, inclusive learning.

Climate-Smart Water & WASH

Solar-powered water systems, rainwater harvesting and water-quality monitoring built to withstand a changing climate.

Women's Leadership & Livelihoods

Training women as technicians, managers and decision-makers in climate adaptation, peace-building and rural enterprise.

Local Governance

Connecting suco chiefs and municipal government with communities so local plans reflect real village needs.

Children collecting clean water from a solar-powered water point built with support from the Embassy of Japan.

Why it matters

Clean water changes what a childhood looks like

When a village gets a reliable water point, girls spend less time hauling water and more time in school; families spend less on illness and more on their futures. Every system we build is paired with a local WASH committee trained to maintain it.

  • Solar-powered pumping, no fuel costs
  • Rainwater harvesting for dry-season resilience
  • Regular water-quality monitoring by trained locals
See all programs

Who leads this work

Timorese-led, community-rooted

FUNDAMOR's team is 100% Timorese and 70% women, with field staff who are Tetum speakers from the districts they serve. A network of 60 community cadres, including 30 Women Disaster Focal Points, carries the work into every suco.

17y
Serving Timor-Leste since 2007
70%
Of staff are women
60
Community cadres engaged
Community members meeting in the field with FUNDAMOR staff to discuss climate adaptation.

Working together

Backed by government, civil society and communities

Embassy of Japan The Asia Foundation (TAF) Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries National Directorate for Water & Sanitation Rede Feto Timor-Leste NGO Forum (FONGTIL) SCEPTL TLCE

Your support builds the next school, the next water point, the next woman leader.

Every dollar is stretched further by community labour and local partnership. Recent infrastructure funding turned $1 of core funds into $4 of school investment.