Thirteen years of working with Wahana Visi Indonesia have allowed Mita Sirait (48) to gain a deep understanding of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector from start to finish. She has distilled her grassroots experience and observations into the WASH programme strategies implemented by Wahana Visi Indonesia (WVI).
Insights from national and international meetings are contextualised by Mita to ensure they create a real impact for children and communities in Indonesia’s most remote villages. “Because no one can be healthy without being clean. And it is impossible to be clean without water, sanitation, and hygiene. Everyone needs WASH to be healthy, productive, and to live with dignity,” says the woman who has served as a WASH Specialist at WVI since November 2014.
Turning Reality into Impact
Being a specialist in the WASH sector has given Mita the opportunity to travel across WVI’s assisted areas, stretching from Sumatra to Papua. Throughout these journeys, Mita has often witnessed the reality of how children and communities live in villages that are difficult to reach and lack access to clean water. This reality affects the growth and development of toddlers in West Kalimantan, compromises the health and hygiene of children in Papua, and forces children in East Nusa Tenggara to lose their playtime because they must walk long distances to fetch water. The lack of access to clean water triggers a sense of helplessness for children and communities in Indonesia’s most remote regions.
“West Kalimantan was WVI’s most geographically challenging assisted area when I first became a WASH specialist. It is also the region I visit most frequently. The paths are muddy and steep, and sometimes we have to use simple rafts to cross rivers. The journey to a village can take two to three hours each way. On top of that, there is no signal. So, if something happens on the road, no one will know until a villager passes by,” Mita shares.
On one occasion, Mita became stranded mid-journey. That night, the motorbike she was riding broke down while the destination was still far off. She and the WVI team in West Kalimantan could only wait in the darkness of the forest, hoping a local resident would pass by and offer help.
“At that moment, I complained to myself, wondering why on earth I was there. In the silence, the faces of everyone I had met in the village I just visited flashed through my mind. There, the children knew nothing of hygiene and were expressionless. Only two houses had toilets with a clean water supply. It was then I realised how much God loves the children and people in those very remote villages. God brought WVI there to reach out and show them that hope exists,” she says.
Difficult and physically exhausting journeys are small challenges for Mita because she understands the ultimate purpose of this work. After facing various hardships, she has also witnessed how WVI’s assisted villages have, one by one, begun to realise the importance of clean and healthy living—working together to build clean water networks and ensuring that water continues to flow to every home. This positive impact has shifted Mita’s own perspective; she no longer views the most vulnerable children and communities through the same lens as before.
“This drives me to speak up for those who have no voice and remain unreachable. I strive to ensure that all children and adults receive proper water and sanitation. No one should be left behind or forgotten. I believe we are given the capacity to achieve that goal, to implement WASH programmes that are more contextual and of higher quality,” says the woman born in Parapat, North Sumatra.
From a troubling reality, Mita seeks every possible way to bring smiles to children's faces, now that clean water is finally within reach.
The Vital Role of a WASH Specialist at WVI
As a specialist, Mita is responsible for developing appropriate methods to ensure long-term access to clean water. This is particularly crucial because clean water access is not merely about construction or technicalities; it must function for the long term, be managed sustainably, have protected water sources, and involve a behavioural change among water users. This presents a unique challenge for Mita, given Indonesia’s diverse contexts.
Mita and WVI never stop learning and searching for the best ways to ensure children and communities can access clean water and lead healthier lives. There are times when Mita needs to stay in assisted areas for extended periods to observe and identify the most contextual solutions. At other times, she and her team must align strategies at a national level to broaden the programme's impact. Furthermore, there are occasions to showcase various best practices from children and communities on the international stage.
“Implement, if it doesn't work, try again with a different method, then implement again. It goes on like that until we find the right formula for a specific context, while simultaneously building the capacity of field staff. Do it, observe, and evaluate again until I can finally say that for WASH in Indonesia, I know the ins and outs,” Mita explains.
This experience has formed the foundation for Mita and WVI to develop modules and simple technical guides, making them easier for staff, water managers, and the general public to use. This understanding also serves as primary capital during international meetings, whether with other agencies or fellow World Vision partners. This valuable expertise has successfully positioned Wahana Visi Indonesia as an organisation capable of handling WASH programmes through both transformational development and disaster response approaches.
The WASH programme implemented by WVI does not just focus on providing facilities; it first builds community commitment, awareness, and a sense of ownership. All clean water networks in the villages are the result of collaboration between the community, local government, and WVI. Residents contribute materials available in the village, labour, and community coordination—including providing meals and managing work schedules. WVI fills the gaps that the community and village government cannot meet—for example, providing materials difficult to source locally and deploying experts like Mita or qualified field staff. Often, the community's contribution far outweighs WVI’s, particularly when the village provides land for piping networks or storage tanks.
This equal collaboration is far more valuable than the water and sanitation facilities themselves. It is this collaboration that guarantees the sustainability of the infrastructure built. Seeing children and communities feel empowered and dignified once again is the greatest achievement of WVI's WASH programme. As a bonus, the arrival of clean water in a village brings a higher quality of life. Mita is an integral part of this process.
The synergy between her WASH expertise and the field team’s knowledge of the local context is the key to the success of WVI’s WASH programmes. Mita recognises that these programmes must be supported by field teams who are becoming increasingly expert in WASH. Therefore, alongside programme implementation, she also transfers her knowledge to the WVI staff on the front line. This makes the workflow much simpler, as field staff fully understand how to implement the WASH programme.
“I also feel successful when field staff are able to carry out technical interventions independently, even simple ones. I know this will become knowledge and skills that serve them for a lifetime,” she explains. Mita deeply admires the work of the field staff, who remain tireless and always manage a smile despite difficult terrain and complex dynamics. “Total commitment and dedication. This is what makes the villagers trust WVI—they realise their villages are incredibly hard to reach and present formidable challenges,” she says.
Clean Water Access for All
For Mita, there is no hope more vital than for children to have access to clean, proper, and safe water and sanitation. She envisions children living in clean villages where they can achieve their ideal growth and development—without having to walk long distances to fetch water, leaving them time to play and learn. Children should be able to use safe and comfortable toilets at home, at school, or anywhere else. “All children, everyone. No one should be left behind or forgotten,” Mita says.
Clean water access is not just a necessity for those in the most remote villages; it is also a right for those living in the heart of crowded urban areas. Mita still witnesses disparities in water access even in major cities. “It is a disturbing sight that I cannot forget—why, even in modern cities, are there still people who do not have clean water or a toilet in their own homes?” she remarks.
Clean water for all is the ultimate goal for Mita, WVI, and all of us. Because the old adage “water is the source of life” remains true—past, present, and future.
Author: Mariana Kurniawati (Communication Executive)