Working together to end poverty and injustice

East Timor

East Timor has been ravaged by violent conflict in recent years. Oxfam and local partners are working to rebuild shattered lives.

East Timor (also known as Timor-Leste) is one of the poorest countries in the Asia-Pacfic region. It became an independent nation in May 2002 following several years of conflict and turmoil, which brought widespread destruction of the social and economic infrastructure.

Violence erupted again in 2006 between east and west factions in the nation.

Oxfam New Zealand in East Timor

Livelihoods

• Sustainable energy: biogas
  Working with the Movimento Cooperativo Economico-Agricola (MCE-A), Oxfam is building biogas plants as a renewable energy source for rural communities.
• Increasing returns for farmers
  Working with MCE-A, Oxfam aims to build the economic independence of the people of East Timor by increasing farmers’ productivity and returns from agriculture.

Health and nutrition

• Communities taking charge of development
  Oxfam is working in Cova Lima district, one of the poorest parts of a poor country. We are working through local partner organisations, training people to identify, analyse and prioritise problems in their community. We are also working to overcome malnutrition in the area.

Emergencies

• Emergency response
  Outbreaks of violence in East Timor continued sporadically for two years after 2006, creating an ongoing humanitarian emergency.

Water and sanitation

• Finding sustainable water and sanitation solutions
  Oxfam is working towards providing safe water and sanitation to some of East Timor’s poorest communities by encouraging community ownership of water resources and providing grassroots education.

News and Stories

• Overcoming malnutrition
  Six years after bloodshed and violence swept through East Timor following the vote for independence, the people are facing a new crisis - malnutrition. Oxfam Australia’s Maureen Bathgate travelled to East Timor to find out how Oxfam is helping families survive.
• Calisto and Francisca
  Calisto and Francisca are subsistence farmers from Haburas-Sare, a small rural village in Liquica District, East Timor. They have seven children and two grandchildren to feed, yet last year they earned less than NZ$900. Now, with Oxfam's support, things are looking up.

• Domingas and Laurindo
  Domingas de Silva and her husband Laurindo are coffee farmers in a small community in Maubaralisa, Liquica District. With the support of Oxfam and MCE-A, they are learning new techniques for maintaining their coffee crop. A new processing machine means they will increase the income they receive from the crop, allowing them to repair their home and improve the water supply.

Country profile

Key challenges facing East Timor include the rebuilding of infrastructure destroyed during the conflicts of 1999 – 2001 and 2006; strengthening the capacity of the new civil administration; and addressing the skills deficit in areas of government and community planning.

• East Timor country profile