The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
On August 30, 1999, people of Timor-Leste overwhelmingly chose "independence". Their joy was short-lived, however, as the militia opposing the country's independence destroyed most of public facilities including schools and clinics. Because most of the doctors left the country, a large number of tuberculosis and malaria patients were left unattended without treatment. In 2000, SHARE launched its activities in Timor-Leste by training health volunteers and deploying health education.
School Health Project in Ermera District: Family Health Promoter Training Project in Aileu District
Our Objective; Spreading Health Education for All
The idea of having a "minimum" healthcare requirement is yet burgeoning in Timor-Leste, as it is only a few years after the country's independence. In agro-forestry regions such as Ermera and Aileu Districts where SHARE is carrying out its programs, people have little access to medical care service and there is a shortage of medical care staff. Thus, it is very important for people themselves to learn how to prevent illnesses. People, however, have only a vague understanding of "prevention", and tend to rely on treatments after the onset of illnesses. Consequently, 1 out of 8 children under the age of 5 die from preventable diseases such as diarrhea, malaria and mal-nutrition. We believe that if people have the knowledge of safe-guarding their own health, as well as their children's health,and behave accordingly at home and within the community, they will be able to change such a situation. Thus, we aim at practical preventive activities in communities and at homes by "training persons who can implement health education" by propagating knowledge about health in communities and schools.
Country data
Area |
14,000 km2 |
Population |
Approx. 110,000 (estimate in 2000) |
Languages |
Official languages: Tetun and Portguese Practical languages:Indonesian and English Local dialects: more than 30 |
Religion |
Christians (mostly Catholic):99% Islams (less than 1%) |
Average life expectancy at birth |
61 |
Infant mortality rate |
75/1,000 births (2008) |
Infant mortality rate of children under the age of 5 |
93/1,000 births |
Maternal mortality rate |
Approx. 380/100,000 births (2005) |
Sources:
UNICEF (2009): The State of the World's Children 2009
Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs: web page
Projects now
Health Education in Primary Schools (Ermera District)
Training Project for Family Health Promoters (Aileu District)
- Training of Trainers
- Training of Family Health Promoters, and Structuring the Post-training Support System
- Monitoring of Health Education Activities by Family Health Promoters
Projects past