A team from the Water and Sanitation for Health (WASH) Project was assigned to help Zaire's National Action Committee for Water Supply and Sanitation (CNAEA) formulate a long-term national policy/strategy for rural water supply and sanitation (WS/S) development. This report outlines the methodology and process used by CNAEA in this effort, describes previous WS/S activities in Zaire, and summarizes and makes observations on the initial draft of the CNAEA policy/strategy statement. The WASH team recommends that the Government of Zaire: support the participatory approach already adopted by the National Rural Water Agency (SNHR); fully involve women in WS/S projects; develop the SNHR's capacity to provide training in simple rural water supply techniques; provide institutional autonomy to the proposed SNHR planning unit; specify planning activities; and include sanitation and health components in WS/S activities. Also included are allied recommendations for short- and long-term USAID/Z support to the Zairois WS/S sector.