Although progress has been made within the last two decades in supplying water and sanitation facilities to cities and small towns in Latin America, millions of people in small villages and in areas with dispersed population remain unserved. The challenge of meeting the need is exacerbated by the rapidly growing rural population. In this article, the author outlines what has been done in developing Latin America Countries and the scope of the unfilled needs. The following have been identified as key elements for implementing successful water and sanitation programs: training of paraprofessional rural water technicians; use of the most appropriate technology; promotion of complementary activities essential to deriving the most benefit from the project; use of village self-financing techniques that stretch limited budgets with local capital; training of villagers to operate and maintain the system; development of mechanisms to enable communities to finance the costs of expansion, repairs, or conversions; and the organization of a national effort to construct piped water systems based on small-scale programs and the use of appropriate technology. Includes 8 references, tables, figures.