The Rural Water Supply and Small towns Strategy Paper of the Ministry of Water Resources of Sierra Leone lists Self-supply as one strategic option to improve access to water and sanitation in rural areas of Sierra Leone. As the biggest share of the population lives in villages with a population of less than 150 people these areas will not be served by subsidized conventional water supplies in the near future. Self-supply is the only realistic supply option for thousands of households living in rural areas in Sierra Leone.