

In a bid to assess the extent to which CLTS programs have generated sustained sanitation and hygiene behaviour change in Timor Leste (TL), WaterAid, the AusAid Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Program (BESIK), United Nations Children's Emergency Fund United Nations (UNICEF), and Plan International conducted a joint study into three districts (Aileu, Ermera and Liquica), between December 2015 and April 2016.
The research study aimed to answer three broad questions:
- What percentage of households maintained open defecation free (ODF) status two or more years (2011 – July 2013) after being verified as ODF, and what percentage have reverted back to open defecation (OD)?
- To what extent has the CLTS intervention been able to motivate households to sustain ODF status?
- What are the primary factors or barriers affecting the decision of a household to upgrade, repair, maintain or abandon latrines?