Working together to end poverty and injustice

Health and nutrition

A house in Cova Lima, East Timor. Photo: Michael Riach/Oxfam

Cova Lima District sits on the south-east coast of East Timor. It has a population of about 56,000 people and is considered to be one of the poorest parts of a poor country. The only access to Cova Lima is along a rough, narrow road that winds its way from Dili, the country's capital, through coastal and mountainous terrain.

Oxfam New Zealand has been working in Cova Lima for the past two years. However, New Zealand’s links with Cova Lima go back to 1999 when New Zealand peace-keeping soldiers were stationed there.

Skills for self-government
One of the major difficulties facing the people of East Timor is a lack of skills in key areas, from government planning to engineering. Centuries of Portuguese and Indonesian occupation denied the East Timorese people the opportunity to manage, administer, budget, plan and govern their own country, leaving the nation with a problematic skills shortage. Many people have felt isolated from their government and now want to be more involved in decision making.

Oxfam is helping to address this skills shortage, training local people and local groups in management and planning skills while working to build links between the community and all levels of national government.

Communicating needs

Many people have no say in the decisions that affect their lives; they have no power to change things. Oxfam helps people speak out together so that their views are heard and their needs can be met.

A key role in planning, discussing and communicating the needs and priorities in a community is played by the Community Organiser. The Community Organiser is a volunteer and is usually nominated by the village members. The Community Organiser receives training in how to run meetings and how to motivate all members of the community to take part in discussions. Perhaps most importantly, the Community Organiser is trained in how to represent and communicate the needs of their community either to local government or to other local groups.

Village taps in Nanu, East Timor, mean an end to the three-hour walk to get water. Photo: Michael Riach/Oxfam

As simple as tap water
In Nanu village, the community identified water supply and sanitation as a key issue. With the help of the Community Organiser, Oxfam assisted with the construction
of a small water supply system, installing taps and washing platforms throughout
the village.

• ‘Before our village water supply was built it took me up to three hours to get water. Now I have extra time for gardening and caring for my family. Our new village taps give water that is cleaner and fewer children die from diseases.’ Maria Oliveira, Nanu village, East Timor.
  

Health and nutrition

Poor nutrition has been identified by the community and the health services as another key problem in the Cova Lima area. Oxfam aims to improve nutrition and food security within the community, particularly for children who are underweight.

Oxfam aims to improve health and nutrition in the Cova Lima community, particularly for underweight children.

Oxfam uses an approach that involves training and mentoring key women and men in the community (health volunteers) who demonstrate and promote positive practices to others. The approach includes small groups of carers (mothers, fathers, older siblings, etc) cooking nutritious meals in small groups known as the “hearth”.

From hearth to health
Nutritious recipes use locally available foods; if the participants are unable to bring sufficient items to the hearth, Oxfam will provide protein and fat-based sources of nutrition. The hearth also provides an opportunity to discuss a wide variety of topics, such as the nutritional value of different foods, breast feeding practices, other health issues, options for vegetable gardens, food processing and food storage, to name a few.

The programme is also working to improve the capacity of government, local NGOs, community groups and Oxfam staff to build a sustainable response to combating malnutrition in the Cova Lima district.

• 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.

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