As the traditional water carriers and water managers, third world women are crucial to the success of rural water supply projects whose short term goal is increased water quality and quantity and whose long term goal is improved family health. Change depends on the utilization of local learning systems of the society and women are most often the controllers and purveyors in these systems. Local learning systems provide linkage among "what" community development is, "how" it works in rural water supply projects, and "why" women must be included for project success and continuing community controlled growth and development. An operational framework (including technology, maintenance, local learning systems, and community participation) can be used to explain how community participation works in specific rural water supply projects. The local learning system framework provides a design tool that indicates probabilities of success for different technologies, and an implementation tool that guides the type, amount, and direction of information through community participation techniques. The framework offers women the strength of their traditional power, and offers the community a design and implementation technique that recognizes the inviolability of their inherent control. (BRR)