Timor Leste Now & The Future 2007 by bridgette see

TIMOR-LESTE

FRE EC OP Y

NOW AND THE FUTURE jan07

Peace building What women and young people can do PLUS Violent discipline in the school?

Words from the Representative

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Alves

2006 has been a watershed year for Timor-Leste; an extraordinarily difficult year for thousands of Timorese. After gaining independence in 2002, the country has once again been wracked by violence. This time, the conflict has been largely internal – and so all the more difficult to watch. Despite this, we must not lose sight of our mission to make the future of Timorese children as bright as their smiles. For UNICEF, it isn’t simply about bringing basic education for all children or immunization coverage for infants. It means looking at the whole child to see that his or her health is assured and that he or she is protected at home and in school. This means going beyond the child to understand the factors that shape the behaviours of the parents, extended family, and the community. It also means that we have to understand how the past has influenced the present the social cleavages, and political tensions. Although everyone suffered in the long fight for independence, a whole generation of young people grew up in the maelstrom of radical change. They emerged from the struggle for independence, triumphant and hopeful, with promises of a future

where each and every Timorese could make a difference. But the promises have yet to be fulfilled. One of the painful lessons learnt this year was the extent to which many young Timorese felt alienated, frustrated and hopeless. And with at least 50% of the country younger than 18, this is a serious concern. The civil unrest showed what disenfranchised and disillusioned young people can unleash. Imagine if this energy was our asset — what a force of positive change these young people would be. UNICEF’s advocacy for 2007 is clear: peace building integrated into all programmes and a renewed focus on youth participation. We cannot afford to lose a generation to a culture of dejection, apathy and violence. Thus, we need to re-double our efforts to actively engage young people, as peace makers and peace builders, to create their own future. And in turn, they would also make better parents and have greater stake in their children’s future. This generation can become UNICEF’s best partners in ensuring that the future of Timorese children is bright. Shui Meng Ng UNICEF in Timor-Leste

Editor-in-Chief: Shui Meng Ng Editor: Madhavi Ashok, Bridgette See Tetum Editor: Antonio Gomes Contributors: Christine Kearney, Sarah

Meyanathan, Cornelio Moniz, Tani Ruiz, Ivónia Pinto Tsia, Bishnu Pokhrel Photographers: Mario Joni dos Santos, João Vas, Jordao Henrique, Armando Lay, Anthony Asael, Stephanie Rabemiafara, Candido Alves, Ze’sopol C. Caminha Designer: Yulian Setyanto/ DesignLab Translator: Jose Ximenes Support logistics: Samuel Soares Special thanks to all UNICEF staﬀ & partners who helped in one way or another to breathe life into this publication.

For additional information please contact: United Nations Children’s Fund Timor-Leste UN House P.O. Box 212 Rua de Caicoli Dili, Timor-Leste T: +670 3313309 F: +670 3313322 www.unicef.org

january 2007

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Asael

LIVING IN CRISIS

At the height of the crisis in June, there were up to 78,000 displaced people living in cramped quarters in 60 camps in Dili.

Special Features:

Life skills: Bringing skills to young

Photo Essay: Life in IDP camps......2

people to build their conﬁdence and identity................................................24

Three Women in Crisis: Their

Saving lives: Stemming malnutrition

Peace building explained: Bite-size information to explain the process..18 Speak out!: A young journalist

interviews the minister leading national reconciliation....................20

Vision: New PM & UN chief on how

women and young people can build peace...............................................22

Photo Essay: Testing times.............26 Beyond Dili: Help is needed outside the capital city.................................30

through nutritional screening..............34

Not a pipedream: Bringing access to safe water and sanitation............................36 No chance for measles: A shot to keep the deadly virus at bay.........................38 Speaking nicely: What children really want us to do......................................46 Revival of Timor Post: How UNICEF

stepped in to keep Timorese voices alive....................................................49

Opinion: Will this wake up call rouse us into action?.........................................52

Cover: Photograph by João Vas january 2007

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encounters with violence and how peace can be achieved.......................8

First Lady Kirsty SwordGusmão reveals her “terrible dilemma.”

Photo Essay: Made in Timor, the ﬁrst locally developed primary school curriculum arrives

LIVING IN CRISIS Life in IDP Camps

At the height of the crisis in June, there were up to 78,000 displaced people living in cramped quarters in 60 camps in Dili. Outside the tiny seaside capital, there were another 80,000 who had ﬂed to their hometowns in the districts. This is a glimpse of their lives as they waited for the day they could return home without fear.

STILL SMILING

A Timorese woman carries her baby as she walks towards her tent in a camp for displaced people in Metinaro, about 1 hour east of Dili. Photograph by João Vas.

> TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

“I overheard a child say, ‘Mother, why do we

not go home?’”

- IVONIA PINTO TSIA, 18, student in Dili

january 2007

WIND PROTECTION

A woman uses a gunny sack to protect her child against the strong wind and dust at the Metinaro IDP camp as she queues up to collect food aid. Photograph by Jo達o Vas.

LOVING TOUCH

Two toddlers walk towards their mother as she prepares food for them at a makeshift kitchen in an IDP camp. Photograph by Jo達o Vas.

january 2007

“They burnt our house, beat up our friends

TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

and even shot at us. We’re afraid to go home.” – LURDES FREITAS, 10, displaced person in Metinaro

CURIOUS

A boy on his way to attend an emergency class set up by UNICEF and partners in his camp, while his friend accompanies him. Photograph by João Vas. january 2007

CHIPPING IN

A young girl carries two ﬁve-litre cans of water back to her tent in the Don Bosco IDP camp in Dili – a daily chore for many Timorese children. Photograph by Armando Lay.

RESPONSIBILITY

A girl cares for her young sister who has fallen asleep in her lap during an art activity in the Comoro Has Laran IDP camp. Photograph by Anthony Asael.

BORN INTO CRISIS

A woman tends to her six week old baby boy who has to sleep in the open in an IDP camp, exposed to the elements. Photograph by Jordao Henrique.

TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

Women &

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TIMOR-LESTE NOW NOW AND AND THE THE FUTURE FUTURE TIMOR-LESTE

Children in Crisis

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It is only a small half-island, but Timor-Leste has seen turbulent times in recent history: from the Second World War, to the resistance against Indonesia and now civil unrest. Three women share their experiences of living in each era as young Timorese. january 2007 2007 january

Grandmother’s

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She has experienced rebellions, invasions, and civil wars - violence she would never be able to forget. 87 year old Noberta Riberio da Silva de Jesus speaks to Christine Kearney about her wartime scars.

t has been more than 60 years since the end of World War II but for at least one Timorese woman, the memories of the Japanese occupation remain vivid. Norberta Ribeiro da Silva de Jesus was just a young woman in her 20s when the Japanese landed in Timor-Leste in 1942. In a wavering voice, De Jesus recounted the years between 1942 and 1945 when thousands others like her were held captive in Liquiça district. “There were thousands of people in Liquiça, all the foreigners - Portuguese, Chinese - and us Timorese, we all stayed in Liquiça,” she said, speaking from her home in Lahane, in the foothills above the capital city Dili. Although there was no fighting in Liquiça town where she was, they were all well aware of the clashes between the Japanese and Australians in Dili. “When they were fighting, we could feel the earth shaking, the ground would shake all the way to Liquiça,” said De Jesus. At that time her parents had passed away and she lived with her two older sisters who were married to Portuguese. “I didn’t have any children. I was still a girl,” she said. She avoided the occupation force as much as she could because they terrified her. But she could not avoid witnessing the daily scenes of brutality displayed by the invaders. “They would get a big piece of wood

and beat people, break people’s legs or beat them to death, they were very vicious: they wanted us to work, if we didn’t, they would beat and kill us,” said De Jesus. The troops did not allow them to look for food or plant crops outside the town. “We ate [rice porridge] day and night until the war was over. We ate potato roots and the worst vegetables,” she said. Just before the war ended, De Jesus escaped in a group to Mount Fatubesse in Ermera district. “All day long we climbed. We slept along the way, children, adults, all of us, we carried rice and things on the horses. We climbed for two days until we reached Fatubesse,” she said. There they stayed hidden in the coﬀee plantations for two weeks until a Portuguese friend brought them the news that the war was over. Timor returned to Portuguese rule, although strong anti-colonial sentiments had begun to build up. Many parts of the country had been ﬂattened by widespread bombings and the agricultural systems devastated. It was during this tough postwar period that De Jesus met her husband, got married and gave birth to six children. In 1975, a civil war and the Indonesian invasion threw Timor into upheaval again. De Jesus’ husband was killed when the Indonesians descended upon Dili and she was left to fend for herself and the children. The country plunged into long

dark years of armed struggle as a fierce resistance against the occupying force raged. It has been estimated that 180,000 Timorese men, women and children died during those 24 years: from conflict, and from poor health and starvation. De Jesus’ fourth child Norbeto Guterres took to the hills to join in the clandestine movement when he was just a teenager. 11 years later, he was killed in an Indonesian air raid in the mountains of Suai. Despite the deaths of her husband and son, De Jesus never gave up. Her youngest son said: “When she’s sad, she never expresses it openly. She only sheds a tear and then quickly turns away to do something different, to distract us.” Her stoicism is perhaps a way of coping with her loss and giving her the strength to carry on. Now at 87 and a great-grandmother, De Jesus is once again living through conflict. But when asked about the current crisis, she only said: “I’m an old lady now, I don’t go out.” Ironically, the events of the Second World War are far more real to her than the current conflict. Her experiences during the War, which have scarred her, are telling signs that the current crisis will similarly have marked another generation. Like De Jesus, young Timorese may never be able to forget the scenes of violence, upheaval and suffering witnessed in 2006. TIMOR-LESTE NOW NOW AND AND THE THE FUTURE FUTURE TIMOR-LESTE

Tale

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“I’m an old lady now, I don’t go out.” – NORBERTA RIBEIRO DA SILVA DE JESUS, 87, when asked about the current crisis

TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Lay

january 2007

Features

We can build peace with our daily actions, says Maria Domingas Alves, who speaks to Bridgette See about her resistance past and her vision for women in Timor-Leste.

aria Domingas Alves was the first Timorese politician to quit the Government in June 2006. She was then advisor to the former Prime Minister on gender issues. Founder of a prominent NGO Fokupers, the 47-year-old has spent the last 30 years promoting the rights of women and encouraging them to participate in the founding of the nation. “I quit because I felt that the Government was, by then, no longer effective and I didn’t feel good staying on and getting my salary while others were suffering,” she explained. She returned to work with her old friends at Timor-Leste Women’s Network (Rede Feto) for three months. Then in October, she joined the Dialogue Commission for Community Re-integration, an initiative by President Xanana Gusmão that complements the Simu Malu reintegration and reconciliation process. Alves’ long journey of activism began in 1975, just after she celebrated her 16th birthday on November 28, the day TimorLeste declared its independence. But the joyous occasion was short-lived, when neighbouring Indonesia invaded a week later on December 7. At the time Alves and her mother were in her birthplace of Laclo, Manatuto, and they fled to the mountains when news of the invasion reached them. Hiding in the hills, the teenager joined the Organisação Popular da Mulher Timorense (OPMT), a clandestine women’s organisation. Alves spent three years in the bush, first working in Laclo and then in Aileu, Manatuto and Metinaro.

Peace Act She travelled on horseback to the various districts, mobilising women of all ages. Old women would weave sacks for food rations, others worked as midwives or cared for children, while younger women would process sago from palm trees as rations for the resistance ﬁghters from Falintil. OPMT’s activities also included literacy, raising the political consciousness of women and informing them of their right to participate in the independence struggle.

“When my neighbours ﬁght, I advise them to stop and I’m building peace.” When she was 18, she married Jacinto Alves, a Falintil member who she met in the hills. “[Marriage in the hills] was rather common at that time. Furthermore, there were many women who feared that they would be forced to marry the Indonesians so they decided to get married in the mountains,” she recounted. Both men and women suﬀered tremendously during this time especially from the lack of nutrition. Women who had just given birth could not rest, but had to run like everyone else whenever the

Indonesians attacked. In 1978, Alves and her husband were captured on the top of Mount Ilimano in Manatuto. They were brought to Metinaro and questioned intensively for 16 days, with little food or water. One soldier even tried to tempt Alves with promises of living abroad. “I told him ‘You can kill me but I won’t go,’” she said, the memory of that interrogation burnt into her mind. Miraculously, Alves and her husband’s lives were spared and they were sent back to Dili to serve in the Indonesian administration. The couple continued their struggle underground – they sent information overseas, provided supplies to the ﬁghters and bought medicines for sick soldiers. Her husband was arrested again in 1991 after the Santa Cruz massacre of November 12. At 32, Alves had to care for ﬁve children on her salary, but it did not stop her from continuing her clandestine work. During this period as a single parent, Alves realised the need for an organisation for women. In 1997, what began as an informal support group for wives of political prisoners evolved into a women’s NGO Fokupers to promote women’s rights. The organisation’s focus is on political victims, and gives counselling and assistance to expolitical prisoners, war widows and wives of political prisoners. When Timor became independent, Alves continued to promote greater female participation in Timor’s patriarchal society. Women’s groups like Fokupers, OPMT and Rede Feto face an uphill battle to persuade TIMOR-LESTE NOW NOW AND AND THE THE FUTURE FUTURE TIMOR-LESTE

Timorese men and women to accept the idea of gender equality. They also have to convince the society that women must be involved in development planning so that development policies will focus on the most marginalised in society – poor girls and women in rural communities. “The biggest obstacles now are poverty, the lack of access to education for women and of course the patriarchal tradition,” she said. When asked why the voices of Timorese women have not been heard during the 2006 crisis, the veteran activist said that women now have an even greater burden to care for their families, especially those living in camps. But this did not mean that women are not contributing to the peace process. “When I teach my children to be disciplined, to be strong, I am building peace. When I see children selling fruit on the street and I encourage them to return to school, that is building peace. When my neighbours ﬁght, I advise them to stop and I’m building peace. Sometimes when people think of peace, [they think] it must be political, it must be about disarmament, but for me it’s in our everyday life,” she explained. Peace-building has also gained a new dimension for Alves in recent months, since she was invited to help reconcile some of the nation’s leaders, after their fallout during the 2006 crisis. “I am saddened by what has happened. I am tired. I have been ﬁghting since I was 16 and it is almost like I have not yet achieved anything. I am supposed to rest and enjoy my life now, but I still have to work hard,” she said. january january 2007 2007

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Lay

tivist

What is the

“Our development ... will start from again ...”

zero

TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

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Features

The crisis in May and the continuing tensions resulted in a great sense of insecurity all over the country, especially in Dili. Young journalist Ivónia Pinto Tsia who was also displaced by the violence asks if children really have a right to education and protection in Timor-Leste?

Reality For Children? By Ivónia Pinto Tsia

Translated from Tetum

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UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Lay

s a young person who was evacuated to my school, I feel that I have been directly affected by the violation of children’s rights which occurred during this crisis. First of all, from the educational point of view, everyone shouts: “Children have the right to a good education,” but what has happened now? As a result of the crisis, most schools in Dili closed in May and June, causing thousands of children to disrupt their education. But more importantly, some children were and still are separated from their parents as I write this in September. I, myself, am one such example because I left my family and moved to my school in order to continue my studies. Prior to moving to St Joseph’s College, my family and I had moved to a place close to the Indonesian and Chinese Embassies at Farol. When we were there, my father would send me to school on his motorbike everyday. At that time, Dili was very tense after the April 28 riots, with rumours of more violence and people were fleeing en masse to the districts. I felt vulnerable travelling to school and so decided to move to St Joseph’s College. I was so grateful that my family allowed me to stay at the school in order to continue my studies. On May 4th 2006, I finally made the move with a heavy heart and said goodbye to my family. At that moment, I fought hard to stop the tears from welling up in my eyes, so that my family would think I was strong enough or had the courage to do so. My mother, on the contrary, approached me with tears and with a small statue of Our Lady clutched in her hands.

She gave it to me and said: “When you feel fear, please pray to Our Lady as she is the protector of women.” This was the “bukae” or travel ration that my mother gave me for my journey ahead. My school, St Joseph’s College, became a shelter for displaced people as the security situation deteriorated in June and hundreds of houses were razed to the ground. The school transformed into a massive camp ground for 1,000 displaced people. We have 13 classrooms, but only 5 were used for schooling because the others were occupied by the displaced. Although there were limited classrooms, we tried hard to carry on witrh our academic activities. As the result, the school was able to successfully carry out the ﬁnal examination. The school tried to organise the primary and secondary students who moved to St Joseph’s to continue their school activities as much as possible. But from my observation, they were either playing or helping their mothers to cook, wash clothes and dishes, take care of their siblings, and even in small businesses. Our school director Father Edward exhorted us to focus on our academic

duties. Yet, from what I saw, most of the children who took refuge in the school never did any reading or writing because they had stopped schooling. While living in St Joseph’s, I overheard a child ask her mother: “Mother, why don’t we go home?” Who can give an answer to this question? I think it is a very important question for us, and especially for our leaders of this country. We all need to find the answer to this question and then address it not only to that child but also to all Timorese children. What we all need to reflect on is, if this crisis stretches on indefinitely, then we will never have good quality education for the children who are the future of the nation. We will not be able to produce educated young people and in future, we will have leaders who, instead of knowing how to govern well, will only think about destruction. As young people, please listen to our voices and our vision here: Our development in this country will start from zero again if this crisis does not end. That is why leaders need to stop having negative thoughts but instead, they have to start thinking positively. In other words, please don’t only think of overcoming or resolving problems using war or force. Leaders need to have courage and commitment to find the solution to this problem. To do so, they have to listen to others and have compassion for the innocent. As leaders you need to first analyse the situation, and then you can form your vision about how to solve this problem. By doing so you may able to stop this crisis from getting out of hand.

Features

What is

Peace Building? It is a phrase that has become as commonplace (and perhaps just as hard to understand) as capacity building. So we asked UNICEF peace building consultant Deborah Durnan to explain. Process not product “The building of a culture of peace in Timor-Leste is going to be a long-term process. Peace will not emerge overnight nor does it happen miraculously. In fact, Timor-Leste will probably take as long as it did to regain independence to ﬁnd peace – that means we’re talking about 20 years. So the key peacemakers of tomorrow are the young people and children of today, but they need the support of the adults.”

Culture of peace “No society can exist in peace if it does not embrace a culture of peace. So Timorese must dig down to the root

causes to understand what is causing all this violence, hurt and anger. It is not one isolated incident like the Petitioners that is the cause, but a culmination of past and present events. We must also look at the consequences of long years of conﬂict – poverty, illiteracy and separation of families. This knowledge will help us to identify the peace makers and guide us in planning peace building programmes.”

Peace by piece “Just like when we build an uma lulik (traditional sacred house), it cannot be a rushed job. There are many steps to it. If the beams for the foundation of the uma lulik

are not driven in properly, then the house cannot stand ﬁrm. And if each one of us does not share the work, the uma lulik cannot be raised up. Thus, the foundations for peace will be shaky too if it is not built on each and every Timorese citizen’s commitment to democracy, justice and equality.”

Safety ﬁrst “We cannot talk about building peace before each one of us starts to feel safe and secure. Otherwise it’s like asking someone who is hungry to feed other hungry people. So ﬁrst, each person must feel relatively assured of his or her own safety, then, he or she will be able to think about making

Marta stands up for peace Hi! My name is Marta and this is my brother Atoy and our pet Kakatua.

One day, our friend Tomas pushed and injured another friend while we were playing.

As a result, the group split up.

When I couldn’t get them to reconcile, I asked my father for help.

We learnt to respect and listen to one another!

Tomas apologised, we forgave him and became friends again!

TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

Features as a united and independent Timor-Leste – will be crucial for Timorese to stand together and to understand that everyone has diﬀerent views that we must learn to respect and accept.”

Developing trust

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Rabemiafara

peace with others for the long term.”

Respect “Simply said, the aim of peace building is to create conditions for peace to thrive. It’s not enough to stop violence from reoccurring – that is just the ﬁrst step to peace. The next step is to re-build and renew relationships – in the family, with our neighbours, with our school mates, with the government, with NGOs and with international agencies. We must encourage and support all sectors of society to mend damaged ties and start the process of restoring dignity, trust and national unity. The idea of nationhood –

Meet Marta, a cartoon character, developed by Timorese artists, storywriters, radio producers, NGOs and UNICEF as a heroine for Timorese children. Marta is Timor’s special daughter – animated, bright, lively and resourceful – and when she encounters problems, she knows how to rally support from the older and younger generations. “A role model like Marta is crucial january 2007

“Peace building also includes strengthening political, social, cultural and economic institutions capable of mediating conﬂict. For example, a school director who chooses to take a ﬁrm stand that there will be no discrimination and violence in school, and promotes tolerance and respect in the school environment will make the academic institution a place where people can trust.”

Key players “There are three main actors who must be involved and working together at the same time in order to build a national movement for peace. These are people at the grassroots level – the Dili resident, the teacher, the student, the vegetable seller, the farmer, the civil servant; people with some community inﬂuence like the village chief, the catechist, the parish priest, and the district administrator; and those at the national level, such as national leaders.”

Women in Peace building “Women can and must get involved in the peace building process. Take for example the Mindanao peace process in the Philippines where the women have shown tremendous leadership. In fact, earlier this year, 100 women gathered at the Mindanao Women’s Peace Summit to draw up

now, as the country struggles with internal conﬂict. The group working on Marta stories has decided to write about peace so that Marta can show how girls can urge their friends to respect and listen to each other, while her younger brother Atoy shows boys how to be peacemakers,” says Dominggus Monemnasi, UNICEF consultant, who has been involved in developing Marta for 3 years. Marta was introduced in 2003 in a radio melodrama. She was created as a cartoon character in 2005 and oﬃcially

recommendations and inputs for ongoing peace talks between the Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.”

Literacy “Many success stories in peace building have been based on mass literacy movements. Give young people and adults literacy, give women literacy and you will have a greater sense of equality and more opportunities for all to participate in nation building. People are also better able to analyse and debate issues.”

It’s in your hands “It’s not the UN or the international NGOs that will eventually restore peace to TimorLeste. If you have endured conﬂict and survived, it means you are the best person to restore peace and order in your society because you know how Timor-Leste works.” UNICEF aims to integrate a peace building approach into future programmes and strategies; this includes work with young women, and in community development work at the village level around issues of schooling, community radio, water and sanitation, and health. This means working closely with NGOs (e.g. Ba Futuru, Auscare, Belun, Care International and Bibi Bulak) and the Government (the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry for Labour and Community Reinsertion, the Secretary of State for Youth and Sport, and the Ministry for State Administration).

launched in November 2006. To date, four stories for comic books and radio have been developed and animation cartoons are planned for the future. Marta’s struggles for opportunities and for peace are echoed by the lives of the children and adolescents in Timor-Leste. “Perhaps she can inspire them to stay on the right track as the country moves through challenging times,” says Monemnasi. For more information and materials on Marta email marta.ﬁtun@gmail.com

Features

SAYS MINISTER

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SPEAK OUT AGAINST VIOLENCE, By Cornelio Moniz

Cornelio Moniz was one of two young journalists from Colegio de São Jose invited to contribute to this magazine. Cornelio’s article was written in Tetum and the English version edited by Bridgette See, who was with him when he interviewed the Minister. “

omen should tell men that we have had enough stoning and burning which has made us and the children suffer. We’re tired of this violence. Now stop and talk about the future which has to start now and not next week or later,” said Arsenio Paixao Bano, Timor-Leste’s Minister for Labour and Community Reinsertion. I met the Minister at his office on September 13th when I interviewed him about the crisis in our country. Mr Bano’s Ministry had been actively involved in a conflict resolution programme called Simu Malu (Mutual Acceptance). Its aim is to stop the violence on the streets and

through community dialogue, promote the safe return of displaced populations to their communities. But Mr Bano pointed out that few young women and girls had been participating in the programme. He hoped that the level of participation from women and girls would increase as many of them were living in camps and it was important for women to play a role in overcoming the crisis. “We say that children are the future but the future has to start now, not next week or next year... We cannot wait, we have to work now to make the situation better,” said Mr Bano forcefully.

He said that parents play a critical role in protecting children, even though Timor-Leste has ratified the Convention of the Rights of the Child. According to the Convention, children have the right to live safely, to be protected, to play and study in an environment where there is no conflict. Mr Bano said: “That is why we started the Simu Malu programme. It will allow our children to live in a safe environment and return to school. Then can we talk about the future.” Mr Bano appealed to parents, children, young people, leaders and village and sub-village chiefs to really try and resolve conflicts, if they were indeed thinking of TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

“We’re tired of this violence.” their children’s future. He said the Simu Malu programme had also invited young people from the Youth Council, religious and international NGOs to participate. “Don’t just wait for the Government to resolve the crisis, you all have to get involved so that we can move one step further away from the crisis,” said Mr Bano. Currently the Ministry of Labour’s Division of Social Services has been working hard to ensure that children can return to their normal living conditions. Through the Simu Malu Programme, the Ministry has worked with UNICEF in the areas of nutrition, education and media, in order to bring information to people affected by this current situation. The Ministry has played a key role in coordinating the country’s humanitarian aid and worked closely with international NGOs and UN agencies. Its staff, like Mr Bano, never stopped work even at the height of the conflict, when their lives were in danger. “A lot of NGOs were working and helped us and if we weren’t working just as hard as them, we would have felt bad,” said Mr Bano. The Minister has two children, whom he said he now spends less time with because of his long hours at work. “It hasn’t been easy working during this time, because our security has not been guaranteed. But it’s important to continue working to demonstrate that we are committed to our responsibilities. We are committed to working for our nation and for our children,” said a determined Mr Bano, before we shook hands and said goodbye. january 2007

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Arsenio Bano, Timor-Leste’s Minister for Labour and Community Reinsertion

Features

Thoughts from the Prime Minister Dr Jose Ramos-Horta: “Before Timor-Leste can enjoy prosperity, strength and growth our country must be peaceful and secure. This is why national reconciliation is so important and it is where women and children can play such an important role. “All people have to realise that they are neighbours and that without peace and harmony, our families – and particularly our children – cannot be safe. “Women have a crucial role to play in building this neighbourhood trust. Often it is women who determine how our children develop. They cradle the babies and the young and it is the women whom children rush to for help when they are frightened or injured. “Simu Malu is a programme designed to prepare the way for displaced people

to return to their homes, and to their neighbours, without fear or intimidation. The programme will very carefully encourage the women of Timor-Leste to help with this important task. “If women can teach their children to play peacefully with other children, then this can be the key to opening the door to reconciliation. “When a country endures conﬂict, the people who suﬀer most are the women and children. We cannot allow this to happen again to TimorLeste. Women are like

farmers tending, feeding and watering the crop. But this crop is our children, our most valuable resource and the future of our country. “It is women who can help stop the youth gangs from fighting. If each woman can influence her child to resist those who advocate violence and conflict then we will begin to have peace. A woman’s choice of peace is a gift to her family and particularly to her children.”

New UN Mission For the new United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), women and young people will play critical roles in bringing stability and national reconciliation to Timor-Leste, according to Finn Reske-Nielsen, Acting Special Representative of the UN SecretaryGeneral in Timor-Leste. “We want to encourage women and girls, in their various roles as mothers, sisters and daughters, to use their unique positions to contribute to peace-building efforts, community healing and the disarmament of civilians. Women have always been natural peacemakers with their traditional roles of keeping their families safe from conflict,” said ReskeNielsen. One of UNMIT’s first priorities has been to promote the rights of women and their participation in key state-building processes such as

the elections. At the same time, the mission is pushing for young people to have a greater say on issues which affect them, by working with youth groups, state institutions and development partners. UNMIT will also support the adoption of the National Youth Policy – an umbrella framework drafted with input from young people to provide a coordinated approach to young people’s issues. “In recent months, many young men have been involved in the destruction of property, looting and fighting. The politicisation of youth organisations and martial arts groups, coupled with the high rate of unemployment, limited access to education and a feeling of hopelessness about the future, have made youth particularly vulnerable to external influences. This is why UNMIT recognises that youth groups need to strengthen their structures and leadership so that more young people can be involved in peace building and community healing to achieve sustainable peace,” said ReskeNielsen. TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

FROM THE FIELD Interview with Bridget Job-Johnson Adolescents and HIV/AIDS Project Ofﬁcer

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Santos

Bridget Job-Johnson Adolescents and HIV/AIDS Project Ofﬁcer bjobjohnson@unicef.org

The incidence of HIV/AIDS in Timor-Leste is quite low. Why is it still a concern? The number of cases is quite small, but there has also been a signiﬁcant increase in the past two years, from 7 cases to 43 cases (Sep ‘06). And there is still a lot we don’t know about HIV/AIDS in this country. We had more or less stumbled across these cases because people had presented themselves to the hospital. Timor doesn’t have widescale testing or surveillance, so the actual incidence may be much higher than this. What are community perceptions about HIV/AIDS in Timor? There are a lot of myths about transmission and the most common one is that HIV/ AIDS is a foreigners’ disease. But of the 43 cases reported, none of them were ‘malae’ or foreigner. What are some of the risk factors associated with HIV/AIDS in Timor? In 2003 there was a study which found a high incidence of sexually-transmitted diseases (STD), which are an associated risk for HIV/AIDS and which are believed to be grossly under-reported in the community. The study also revealed a lot of multi-partner behaviours like married men who had girlfriends and also visited commercial sex workers. This is a volatile network which could cause a signiﬁcant increase in HIV/AIDS. january 2007

In the general population, which group is most at risk? This is a young person’s country with a huge proportion of the population under 20. Young people are exposed to the risk of HIV/AIDS because of the milestones ahead of them, such as experimentation, dating and marriage. What are some of the obstacles to HIV/AIDS education here? If you look at the terrain of the country and the limited reach of the media, it’s hard to get information out there; illiteracy is another issue. In terms of human resources, there are a lot of health workers who need to be trained and educated about HIV/AIDS. Another major obstacle that we need to overcome is sensitivity in the Catholic Church on condom use. However, there is some opinion in the Church which is not opposed to condom use for disease prevention. During the crisis this year, there was a lot of debate about young people in Timor. What has been one of the main shortcomings, in terms of working with young people? Young people could be an asset or they could be a problem depending on how you harness their energy. There has been a lot of tokenism but no serious attempt has been made to harness their energy. I think the National Youth Policy is a step in the right direction. It’s an umbrella framework which will provide a coordinated approach to young people’s

issues across various sectors including health, education, labour and general youth issues. Young people were very involved in drafting the policy. When it’s completed, I hope it will become a rallying point for other programmes and initiatives for young people. Literacy has also emerged as an issue for young people. What has UNICEF been doing in this area recently? Previously, there was a very piecemeal approach to literacy in Timor, but in the past two years, we’ve been working with the non-formal education (NFE) section of the Ministry of Education, UNDP, UNESCO and the Brazilian mission. With the help of a technical consultant from UNDP, we designed a new set of literacy manuals; within 3-4 months of using these manuals, people who were illiterate could write their own names. We’re also working on primary and pre-secondary school equivalency programmes through the NFE. What would you like to see happening in the youth/ adolescent area and in HIV/AIDS education in Timor in ﬁve years time? I’d like to see a more vibrant economy so there are more opportunities in the labour market for young people, so that when they go to school, they go with a hope. And since young people have the right to know about and to be educated about HIV/AIDS, I hope they’ll be better informed and that they won’t be criticised for making their own choices for their lives.

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/See

Teenagers participating in a UNICEF Life Skills Education session specially adapted to the ongoing emergency.

hen Jacinta dos Santos Guterres sought refuge at the São Jose Minor Seminary in June, she saw how frustrated children were at the camp for 1,500 people who ﬂed their homes amid the recent violence in Timor-Leste. “With nothing to do and nowhere to go, the young people were simply hanging around all day,” said Guterres. She had previously served as coordinator of a UNICEF-supported project for children and young people in the Comoro neighbourhood of Dili, the capital. She knew that with so much free time on their hands, some of the youths in the camp would get into trouble before long. The best thing, she thought, would be to teach them some useful skills to occupy their time, and also help them make better informed

decisions before joining in any activities. Already, there had been reports of young people living in camps fighting with those living in surrounding neighbourhoods. So after getting the nod from camp managers and support from UNICEF, Guterres and UNICEF adapted the organisation’s life skills education modules into a five-day training session - designed to suit young people’s needs in emergencies The training covers how to improve self-awareness, cope with emotional stress and communicate effectively. Issues such as HIV/AIDS, drugs and alcohol are addressed as well.

Girls especially vulnerable to abuse When UNICEF visited the Minor Seminary, a group of 30 young people

had gathered for a life skills session on the rooftop. Under the blazing morning sun, they shifted around constantly in their chairs. Despite the limited resources and harsh conditions, all were fully attentive. Among them was Jaquelina Fonseca, 16. “I got a headache when I sat at the camp listening to people gossip,” she said. “It stressed me out. So I am glad to be at this training. I can make new friends and also learn new things.” Girls are particularly vulnerable in the camps, facing the constant threat of physical and sexual abuse. By participating in the training sessions, they can more successfully cope with stress and stay away from violence. As of August, ten cases of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse (including 2 cases of rape) had TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

Adolescents and HIV/AIDS

SKILLS FOR LIFE IN EMERGENCY

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/See

Displaced, frustrated and in very unstable environments, young people now need a strong sense of identity and conﬁdence.

been reported to Rede Feto, a Timorese Women’s Network monitoring genderbased violence occurring in camps. “I wanted to join this training because I don’t know myself well enough,” said a young man in the group, Albino Fatima, 25. Like thousands of others across the newly independent nation, he is unemployed and frustrated. Instead of joining the protestors on the streets, however, Albino found hope in the life-skills training.

HIV/AIDS prevention messages “Sometimes at night, you can see young men and women sitting together in dark places,” said Guterres. “Nobody dares to tell them oﬀ. We just pretend we don’t see them and walk away quickly.” In a society where many people prefer january 2007

to ‘see no evil,’ spreading messages among young people on how to protect themselves from diseases like HIV/AIDS is crucial. “Traditionally we don’t have a culture of saying ‘no’, which is what they will learn in this course,” said UNICEF Assistant Project Oﬃcer for HIV/AIDS Prevention, Milena Rangel. “We are also going to discuss what constitutes molestation and inappropriate behaviour so that young women can understand risks, and be more assertive.” The lessons learned should not only help carry young people through this emergency but also rebuild their lives when peace ﬁnally comes. UNICEF has trained adult facilitators in Baucau, Los Palos and in Dili to carry out more of these sessions.

UNICEF Life Skills consultant Alfredo de Jesus Mota leads a discussion on decision-making with 30 young people on the rooftop of the São Jose Minor Seminary.

Not only has UNICEF and 2 local NGOs trained adult facilitators in Baucau, Los Palos and Dili to carry out more life skills trainings, it is also identifying young people who had undergone the sessions to become peer educators on prevention of HIV/AIDS. This is expected to reach up to 600 peer educators who will in turn reach an estimated 10,000 young people by the end of 2006.

TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

TESTING TIMES A demonstration by former soldiers that turned violent shattered peace in Dili on April 28. As tensions mounted, some state institutions began to disintegrate - torn by political forces. Fierce ďŹ ghting began around Dili and climaxed on May 25 when several police oďŹ&#x192;cers were shot at point blank range in the city. International forces were called upon to intervene and a state of emergency declared. For some women and children, they will never see their husbands and fathers return home. Photos by Armando Lay

< january 2007

DETERMINED

Children at the Dili International Airport appealing for a restoration of normalcy as Special Envoy for the United Nations Secretary-General, Ian Martin, arrives to undertake a rapid assessment on the crisis for the UN Security Council.

HURT IN CROSSFIRE

A woman cries for help after her teenage daughter was hit in the chest by a stray bullet while on the way to seek refuge at the Australian Embassy. At that time, armed men were shooting at random on the streets.

TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

< CONTEMPLATION

An old woman, with hundreds of others, stands outside the Australian Embassy to seek shelter as ďŹ erce gun battles rage in their neighbourhoods.

TO SAFETY

A woman hands her baby to the father from a truck that had brought them to the airport. They had sought refuge at the Indonesian Embassy and were being evacuated by an Indonesian military plane to Kupang.

< INSECURE

A young boy sits out side the UN compound, unsure if he and his family would be allowed to seek shelter. Tensions were high in Dili with news of impending attacks on the city by soldiers who had broken away from the military.

january 2007

With more than half of Dili ﬂeeing to the districts, more attention needs to be paid to host communities bearing the extra burden.

n June, much of the world’s media were focused on Dili as the capital plunged into chaos, which had been sparked oﬀ by former soldiers’ demonstration and precipitated into ethnic violence. More than 78,000 people ﬂed their homes, with children and possessions in tow. The result – more than 60 camps for Internally Displaced People sprung up all over Dili. Overnight, the capital became the focus of humanitarian response as UN agencies, international and local NGOs turned up to assist the displaced people. Meanwhile, away from the media’s

attention, were some 80,000 Dili residents who had fled back to their hometowns in the districts. Their exodus also displaced district residents who in turn fled up to the hills in anticipation of more trouble. Reports from districts called for assistance but help was not getting out as roads were blocked after the May violence. Gradually as the security condition stabilised, humanitarian workers began to distribute food to the districts, hauling tonnes of food in big trucks. Yet the situation is far more complex than food distribution. UNICEF made its first assessment trip to

BEYO

Baucau in mid-June and reported on the large number of displaced students there (see Baucau story). A rapid assessment of districts completed in July by UNICEF and four local partners presented a grim picture of the water and sanitation situation outside Dili. Displaced children have also received little psychosocial help. (see Liquica story) Months later, there is still no indication of many people returning home to Dili anytime soon. Therefore aid in all forms needs to go beyond Dili before it can be said to have reached all the displaced and aﬀected.

BAUCAU BLUES Around 25,000 people descended onto Baucau district in May and June. Many from Dili, fleeing burnt and looted homes or threats of destruction in a conflict fuelled by ethnicity, politics and poverty. The influx represents one quarter of Baucau’s population (around 100,000). That is a lot of extra bodies to feed, educate and provide health care for. Around 15,000 people are staying in Bacau town. The rest have scattered to Baucau’s five sub-districts. In town, most are staying with relatives or host families. Others are living in IDP camps, ranging in size from a dozen people to around 350 in Don Bosco primary school. While conditions in the camps are basic at best, the situation for those accommodating entire families is just as worrying. In some homes, a dozen people or more are sleeping in a single room. The markets in Baucau town sell fresh fruit, vegetables and other foodstuffs, but those caught up in the Dili melee have little money to buy. Food shortages and a protein-poor, monotone diet are shoo-ins for malnutrition. In Timor-Leste, where half of all children under five are malnourished,

underweight or stunted, missed meals even for a short duration can push those vulnerable over the brink. On the positive side, basic services in health and education are functioning normally, or more accurately, have not been interrupted by Dili’s troubles. Cuban doctors make the rounds of the six IDP camps several times a week to treat the ill, and a mobile clinic has been deployed to service communities outside of Baucau town. The government has instructed all primary schools in Baucau district to take in every child from Dili and elsewhere. One primary school in town is struggling to cope with an additional 160 pupils. “More than 800 secondary-school students have come from Dili. Of these, 700 are enrolled in school here,” said Rodolfo Henrique Aparicio, the Baucau District Education Superintendent. There are three secondary schools in the town.

Of the 150 teachers who have come in from the capital, 120 are already at work in primary, secondary and vocational schools. Meanwhile, there are shortages of just about everything, from furniture, writing materials to toilets. Sanitation is crippled and there is a lack of food.

June 2006 TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

OND DILI

Rows of damaged properties in Becora, Dili.

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/See

LIVING IN LIQUIÇA A UNICEF-supported assessment in July gave a grim picture of the water and sanitation picture outside Dili. Almost three quarters of the 77 villages surveyed have not received any water and sanitation support from any organisation despite a 10-20% surge in population since late April while 60% of the villages do not have suﬃcient water for their needs. To alleviate the situation, UNICEF has supported the government’s water and sanitation services to collect garbage from Liquiça district and to truck water within Baucau district to places where large numbers of displaced people have gathered and water needs have increased. UNICEF also distributed 800 family kits consisting of pails, soap, jerry cans and puriﬁcation tablets to the the displaced in Liquiça district when Regional Director Anupama Rao Singh visited. Here, there has been a 10% increase in population and most of the 5000 IDPs are staying with their relatives while 25 january 2007

families live in houses around the Liquiça church. They have been primarily assisted by the Catholic Church and Christian NGO CD Bethesda. A local emergency commission says that although they have received water and food aid from Dili, the IDPs feel that there is little attention paid to them otherwise. “I hope that UNICEF will continue to focus attention on us because we lost all our belongings when our house was razed to the ground in April,” said Cipriana Rodina. The 35 year old gave birth to her youngest while seeking refuge in the Don Bosco IDP camp in Dili. She then ran to Liquiça with seven children in tow. Like thousands of others, Ms Rodina is afraid to return home. Beyond the urgent need to treat malnutrition and provide enough clean water, children’s psychological well-being also concerns aid workers on the ground. “I’ve seen ﬁve or six year olds who start shivering and crying when they see guns

on the police patrolling the district or even a kitchen knife,” said Luis Pereira, 21, a volunteer with NGO CD Bethesda. “So we have held some music and dance activities for them but we lack funds and materials.” “Many of the children now live with the memories of violence so initially we have to occupy them and then support a return to normalcy, for example the return to school. If we do identify severely affected children, we’ll link them up to local NGOs specialising in trauma counselling,” said Paul Chantrill, UNICEF Child Protection Officer. A survey of displaced children and their needs is now underway with the Liquica District Education Office. During the month of August which is the school holidays, UNICEF will set up emergency classes for children those who have missed their classes and work towards a “BACK TO SCHOOL” campaign to ensure that displaced children resume their education when the new school year starts in September.

July 2006

Snapshots

First aid, fears later

Home no more

On May 25th, Dr Domingas Bernado was as scared as everyone else when a gun battle broke out between police and military near the UN compound in Dili, where the UNICEF office is located. It sounded as if the bullets were flying overhead as hundreds of UN staff crowded into the centre of the compound for safety. Events came to a climax when a UN-negotiated ceasefire between the police and the military was broken, and wounded Timorese police officers were carried into the compound. People began crying

He used to live a stone’s throw from the office – now his entire family lives in the office. Antonio Anacleto Serra, UNICEF Education Programme Assistant, and his family left their modest home when houses nearby were being swallowed up in flames during the May violence in Dili. “I didn’t want to run away but I had to think of my children and wife,” said Serra. In their panic, they grabbed only their clothes, the children’s school uniforms and a statue of the Virgin Mary. Serra did not expect the looting and destruction of 1999 to be repeated, but it was. Soon after his family was brought into UNICEF’s office, Serra’s home was stripped bare; he lost everything, even the zinc cover on the roof. By then, UN security had shot past Phase 2; international staff were relocated while national staff could return home to the districts. Serra

at the sight of the wounded and soon, the small UN medical clinic was overrun with injured officers. “I remember a UN staff calling me to help but I was still scared and shaking. But once I saw the wounded, all my fears disappeared. It must have been a doctor’s instinct because I was able to help out and treat them despite my fears,” recalled Bernardo, who is Assistant Project Officer for Child Survival and Maternal Health Care in UNICEF’s Health and Nutrition section, and trained in Indonesia as a medical doctor.

Brave Heart

He was a freedom fighter – like many others - in the resistance against Indonesia for almost 15 years and is used to the sounds of gunfire and mortar. So on May 26th when UNICEF staff were unable to return home and had no food, UNICEF driver Marcos Soares volunteered to go out to pick up food for everyone when a brief window of opportunity was given by the UN security team. “I wasn’t afraid at all. I’d been through war and this was civil unrest,” said Soares. So he ventured out with office staff Justino Vieira and Pedro Aquino, and another driver Jose Carceres. Soares saw some people

became one of the few national staff who stayed back to keep the UNICEF office running, along with the Representative and some international staff. “It was like in ’99 when I was with UNAMET and continued working during the [postreferendum] crisis to evacuate UN staff to Darwin,” said Serra. Like in ‘99, food was scarce and everyone had to share. “In the first two, three days, we all had dinner together. I was given a plate of rice and I brought it back to my family. My three boys had two spoons of rice each and were still hungry but I told them we had no choice,” Serra recounted. Now more than six months later, the family still resides in the office, carefully packing away their belongings every morning before other staff arrive. Serra looks forward to the day when security returns to Dili so that he can begin rebuilding his home.

fighting on the street, while others were desperately looking for separated family members. After they had picked up food and were about to return, he saw a group of soldiers with weapons and ammunition strapped across their bodies but Soares was not intimidated. In the initial weeks of the crisis, Soares was separated from his family because he was a target in his village that had also been influenced by the ethnic divide. But after a month staying in the UNICEF office, the 54-yearold decided to go home after he had convinced his village that there is only one Timor-Leste with no east or west. TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Santos

FROM THE FIELD Interview with Alejandro Gonzalez-Richmond Health Project Ofﬁcer

Alejandro Gonzalez-Richmond Health & Sanitation - Project Ofﬁcer agonzalezrichmond@unicef.org

What are the most common health problems for Timorese children? The malnutrition - infection cycle. Malnourished children get infected more easily and infection worsens malnutrition. And for Timorese women? Because of gender inequalities, Timorese women are not taking charge of their own health. Even if they have access to health services, they don’t use the health services as much as they should. The other main problem for women is chronic malnutrition and associated issues such as anaemia and reproductive health problems, including too many pregnancies. So is malnutrition in Timor more about a lack of money or a lack of knowledge? Knowledge – if you have knowledge, then you are empowered to take action to look after yourself. Health services are free in Timor, food is mostly available, even if it is more expensive now than it was during Indonesian times. But there is very little knowledge about nutrition or disease. Food distribution is also an issue – there is enough food in the country as a whole, but some districts don’t have enough and some districts suﬀer food shortages during certain times of the year. So what’s the level of health knowledge like for ordinary Timorese? It’s very low. There is little concept of january 2007

general health and every survey about speciﬁc diseases, whether AIDS, malaria, diarrhoea or dengue, comes to the same conclusion. People don’t know about the causality of diseases, so they won’t see the relationship between the puddle of water out there in the yard, and dengue fever.

supply, and medical and support staﬀ who have been trained. Some indicators are showing improvements as a result of this, for example, there has been an improvement in the infant mortality rate and immunization rates have been improving.

Do Timorese who live in remote areas have worse health than people who live in urban areas? In Timor, you can get to all district capitals and to sub-district capitals and then in many places, the road ends, there is no more road. So you can presume that if an area is isolated physically and geographically, where health services are not available, basic health will be worse than in urban areas. Malnutrition is worse in rural areas and neonatal and infant mortality higher.

What is one area which UNICEF will focus on in the health and nutrition sector in 2007? Improving the quality and availability of health services at the community level throughout the country.

What are the main water issues for people in remote regions? Rural areas are also worse oﬀ in terms of access to safe drinking water and sanitary disposal of waste and this is another reason why basic health indicators are worse. Since independence in 2002, which areas in the health sector in Timor have improved? There has been a lot of investment in the health sector. The health sector now has infrastructure, equipment, drugs in good

During the crisis this year, there was a lot of discussion about unemployment and persistent poverty. How are unemployment and poverty related to health and nutrition? Poverty has everything to do with health and nutrition. In a country like this, which is a market-based economy, if you have money then you have access to things which can improve your health. But people who have to spend all their time just surviving have no time to look after their health. What would you like to see happening in health and nutrition in Timor in ﬁve years time? Health services reaching every community; and people having changed their behaviour at least in the sense that they understand basic sanitation and why it’s important to use health services.

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Lay

Health

Although severely malnourished, Lukas Sarmento is still active. He plays peek-a-boo with the reporter while his father Carlos Sarmento is being interviewed.

SAVING LIVES Stemming malnutrition through nutritional screening.

s little Nevia Nunes huddled close to her mother’s breast, her eyes were half-open, her face a picture of exhaustion. The 15-month-old had cried for a long time before succumbing to fatigue. Nevia was one of the three severely malnourished toddlers identiﬁed at the Don Bosco IDP camp in June. “She was able to walk and stand on her own before the crisis. But since coming here, her condition has worsened,” said her mother Maria Santina da Conceicao. The 28 year old mother of three was also malnourished during her pregnancy, a likely reason why Nevia was more vulnerable.

The family fled to the Don Bosco school when troubles began in late April. Staying at the shelter for two months took its toll on Nevia. Her family sustained her mainly on porridge, and vegetables when they could afford them. Nevia was also living in an overcrowded camp where an estimated 14,000 people had been displaced from their homes. Despite the best efforts of camp coordinators and humanitarian aid workers to keep the camp clean, children were still susceptible to infections and diseases. As a result, coughs, malaria and diarrhoea were common in the camps. “She sleeps with the rest of us on the

ﬂoor here,” said Conceicao. “At night, when the wind blows, it’s cold. And even though we have a mosquito net, she still gets bitten.” Nevia’s mother pointed out their mats which were laid out on a corridor, next to a drain and sheltered by a piece of tarpaulin. Little Nevia was found to be severely underweight and suﬀering from acute diarrhoea. The doctor assigned to the camp referred her to the Dili National Hospital for immediate treatment, which included therapeutic milk provided by UNICEF. Health ministry and humanitarian aid workers feared more children would become malnourished, as the crisis dragged TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

Health on into its third month. Before the crisis, Timorese children were already the most undernourished in the Asia-Paciﬁc region – around 50 per cent of children below years old are underweight and 14 per cent are severely underweight. In response, the Health Ministry, UNICEF and other NGOs began a nutritional screening in late June to identify malnourished children. In one day at Don Bosco, the assessment team saw 300 children. They used a simple strip to measure the midupper arm circumference of the children. Those who appeared to be malnourished had their weight and height taken for conﬁrmation. If their weight for height was low, they were referred to doctors from the Health Ministry for further checks. Two-year-old Lukas Sarmento was given therapeutic milk to increase his weight. “A doctor told me Lukas had very low chances of survival when he was born but we’ve never given up hope on him,” said his father Carlos Sarmento. Although clearly underweight, Lukas was bright and cheerful,

playing peek-a-boo with the reporter while his father was being interviewed. While nutritional screenings such as this can save lives, follow-up treatment in crisis situations are a challenge. “There is an urgency to identify the severe cases quickly, yet at the same time we are faced with the dilemma of whether we can assure them the quality treatment,” said Jennifer Barak, UNICEF Project Officer for Child Survival and Maternal Health Care. Severely malnourished children should be isolated so that they will not be exposed to infections while being treated. But at the height of the crisis, the Ministry’s nutrition officer, Dirce Maria Soares, was doubtful that this could be organised. The National Hospital was functioning with only 60 per cent of its staff while the grounds of the Hospital had been turned into an IDP camp. “We have asked our colleagues at the hospital to prepare for this but they are now coping with limited staff, limited equipment and overcrowding,” said Soares.

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Lay

In June and July, almost 3,300 children in 52 camps in and around Dili were screened and 121 moderately malnourished and 7 severely malnourished children were identified. After the screening, UNICEF distributed corn-soya blend (CSB) and oil and sugar rations to Nevia’s mother and to the parents of other malnourished children. Nevia’s condition had improved when UNICEF staff saw her during their first follow-up visit. In August, UNICEF and staff from community health centres began another round of follow-up treatments, including monitoring children’s growth and development, assessing their diet and educating parents about nutrition.

january 2007

Little Nevia is underweight and suffering from acute diarrhoea.

NOT A PIPEDREAM

Health

UNICEF and partners step in to bring 80,000 people access to safe water and sanitation.

in most of the camps in Dili, giving at least 50,000 people a clean environment. But there was always more work to be done. UNICEF Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Project Officer Bishnu Pokhrel and his team had little time to rest as the camps were filling up to busting capacity in the city by June. UNICEF also had to look into the mounting pressures on water and sanitation in the districts like Lautem and Baucau, where thousands of displaced Dili residents had fled to. Everyday was a race against time to install more latrines, to clean out septic waste and rubbish, and to assist in providing safe water and adequate storage facility. By the first week in May, 24,000 jerry cans were distributed and every person could store at least 3 litres of water per day. By the end of September, 6700 families (in camps and affected communities in the districts) received basic water and hygiene

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Pokhrel

fter the civil unrest in late May in Dili, it was not uncommon to spot trucks with bright blue UNICEF banners on the road. They were the garbage and septic waste collection trucks serving most of the camps for displaced people in the capital. UNICEF had stepped in when the political meltdown brought the city’s water and sanitation services to a halt. Rubbish piled up in camps and septic tanks were filling up fast; the mess threatening to spill out in the overcrowded camps could have severe consequences like an epidemic outbreak. Nearly 80,000 people were living in 60 camps, with at least 17% below 5 years old - the most vulnerable to diseases and infections. With the help of the United Nations Central Emergency Response Funds, UNICEF was able to quickly engage private contractors to address the mounting water and sanitation problem. Initially, the local workers were also fearful to venture out but they were more confident after donning UNICEF caps and shirts, and flying the banners which gave them a sense of security. As a result, UNICEF began handling solid waste and sewerage management

Semi-permanent ‘pour and ﬂush’ toilets and bathrooms at the airport camp where some 5000 displaced people live.

kits consisting of soap, pails, and collapsible jerry cans. In addition, UNICEF provided support to 16 camps in Dili to repair and maintain their water supply while NGO partners like Oxfam were trucking water to the camps. “Safe water and a clean environment are essential conditions to prevent the outbreak of diseases and illnesses like diarrhoea, which could be fatal for young children. So the Emergency Funds really allowed us to respond quickly to meet the needs and save lives, especially of children amongst the thousands gathered in overcrowded conditions,” said Shui-Meng TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

A woman preparing a meal with clean water stored in collapsible jerry cans provided by UNICEF.

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/See

Ng, UNICEF representative in TimorLeste. The emergency funds were also used to construct 500 latrines, giving nearly 14,800 people access to toilets. “Initially, we dug 2 toilets when the number of people kept increasing in the camp. Finally, we could not handle the situation and requested UNICEF to provide us with another 2 toilets which have been really useful,” said Sister Floriana from the Canossiana Sisters Camp in Becora. The bathrooms built by UNICEF relieved the issue of privacy for women and girls. Before they were available, it was common to january 2007

see them taking their showers next to water points fully clothed. “If not, we would have to shower at night somewhere further away,” said Rosa Da Conceiçao Meschado who lived in a camp next to the airport. Without any indication of a political resolution, the water and sanitation team began to plan for the rainy season which would start in November and end in March. Health workers’ biggest worry was that the rains would create a spike in malaria and dengue cases due to clogged up drains and ﬂooded camps. “Keeping the camps clean especially

where people are living in open space or tents is going to be a big challenge. Therefore our focus in the coming months would be to improve the drainage systems and ensure proper environmental sanitation,” said Pokhrel. After so many months on the roads, the UNICEF banners have become wellworn and dusty but the commitment to keep the camps clean remains. UNICEF is also continuing its non-emergency programmes to improve water, sanitation and hygiene in the ﬁve districts as those needs have increased due to the exodus of people from Dili.

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Pokhrel

The measles virus thrives in overcrowded conditions. Transmitted through airborne droplets, the disease can spread quickly, to fatal eﬀect. But a country-wide vaccination campaign in Timor-Leste protected children from the disease for life and helped prevent an outbreak. 38

NO CHANCE FOR

MEASLES By Tani Ruiz

ounds of crying babies ﬁlled the air, but on this particular occasion, the sobs elicited smiles. Timorese parents were happy to hold their screaming children as health workers in Don

Bosco, one of Dili’s largest camps for displaced people, expertly jabbed measles vaccines into one little arm after another. It was the start of a measles vaccination campaign that the Ministry of Health TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

Health

A UNICEF - Health Ministry banner ‘Posto Imunizasaun’ where the inoculation took place.

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Pokhrel

Ministry of Health workers preparing measles vaccine.

conducted with support from UNICEF and other partners. On June 13, the ﬁrst day of the drive, some 1,500 children were vaccinated – including almost 600 at Don Bosco camp. The goal of the campaign was to ensure that all children aged 9 months to 14 years were immunized against the lethal disease. “This one single action has a huge impact in protecting children from an infectious disease that is a big childhood killer, particularly when immune systems are compromised,” said UNICEF’s Representative in Timor-Leste, Shui-Meng Ng, during a round at Don Bosco. Parents appear en masse At mid-morning – after the supplies and cold-chain box used to keep vaccines fresh arrived at Don Bosco – vaccinators from the Ministry of Health quickly set up shop in the centre of the large, crowded camp. Vitamin january 2007

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Ruiz

A girl receives a measles vaccine; comforted by her friends who have also come for the life-saving jab. This is the first day of a UNICEF-supported government campaign to inoculate an estimated 30,000 children living in camps for displaced people in the capital Dili. A supplements (to boost children’s immune systems) and de-worming tablets were laid on tables, syringes were unwrapped and filled with vaccine, and safety boxes prepared. Parents appeared en masse when the drive was announced over loudspeakers. After some initial muddle, proper lines formed for the measles registration. “We have 12 vaccinators at this camp. They will vaccinate 5,000 children in the coming days,” said the head of the maternal and child health unit at the Ministry of Health, Natalia De Araujo. Etelvina, the mother of seven-month-old Joque, was one of the first to arrive. “I’m bringing my baby here so that he doesn’t get the disease. I know that measles is dangerous and I’m very conscious about my child’s health,” she said. Although a coordinated humanitarian effort did its best to provide food, water and sanitation, and health services to Timorese displaced by the

crisis, conditions were still tough for many. But having their children inoculated against measles was one less worry for stressed parents, and a lifetime health boost for children. Enthusiasm among parents was also evident at the other camps where the campaign was being rolled out.

After campaign staﬀ had visited all camps in Dili, they moved to schools, to try and catch children who had missed out on the vaccine in the ﬁrst drive. The campaign then moved out into the districts and by September, 158,512 children had been vaccinated, 76,898 given Vitamin A supplementation and 106,229 de-wormed.

GOT MILK?

Her actions did lead to some confusion on the ground for aid workers. To most people, the name Kirsty Gusmão was synonymous with her NGO Alola Foundation, the Breastfeeding Association and their views on breastfeeding. Ms Sword-Gusmão said she gave the food distribution volunteers an hour’s talk about the beneﬁts of breastfeeding before giving out the milk. She also stressed that the milk must not be given to babies below 6 months, but instead to mothers who should drink the milk. Indeed, in a country where women have an average of 8 babies, often in quick succession, they tend to be neglected and malnourished. This leads to future generations of undernourished children, who are particularly vulnerable. Therefore, the way out of this “terrible dilemma” according to Kirsty Sword-Gusmão is to focus attention on the nutritional status of women. And then, she said, we can talk about healthy babies.

• Nearly half of all Timorese children under 5 are too short and underweight for their age. • Bottle feeding leads to diarrhoea, which can be deadly for babies, if the water used for making formula milk is unclean or the bottle not thoroughly sterilised.

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Lay

he founder of the Breastfeeding Association in Timor-Leste said if women were given more attention and emotional support, they would be able to breastfeed even, in uncertain times. Ms Sword-Gusmão said that the nutritional status of women must be improved so they can feel healthy and confident enough to breastfeed. This means strong family support to ensure that the mother is fed well and not neglected. But the reality, she admitted, is that even during peaceful times, Timorese women face great pressure to give up exclusive breastfeeding early, due to traditional beliefs. So it was no wonder that many fell prey to the view that their milk was inadequate during the crisis with the stresses of living in overcrowded camps and coping with the volatile security situation. The truth is breast milk alone is the only food and drink a baby needs for the first six months; breast milk gives babies immunity against viruses, bacteria and diarrhea. Experts also say that stress does not affect a woman’s ability to breastfeed. Despite this, the woman’s own belief (influenced by those around her) can be a powerful psychological impediment. When Ms Sword-Gusmão visited IDP camps she was overwhelmed by requests for milk powder for children. “It was a terrible dilemma I was presented with everywhere I went, top of the list, milk, everywhere I went,” she said. “Do I have the right to be preaching ‘you must breastfeed and therefore I won’t listen to you’? The reality is you’re not [breastfeeding] and therefore should I deny your child the milk?” The staunch believer of breastfeeding finally made the tough call to distribute milk powder for older children, in the capacity as First Lady to the President of Timor-Leste, Xanana Gusmão. “I was prepared to bear it if there were negative consequences,” she said.

Plenty, according to Kirsty Sword-Gusmão.

TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

Snapshots

Milking

the opportunities

hen the troubles in Dili reeled out of control, many Timorese fled to the districts for their safety. Instead of sitting idle, some turned the situation to their advantage. Take Maria Imaculada Guterres and Angelina Fernandes from the National Breastfeeding Association who fled to Baucau district. They succeeded in getting the Baucau Referral Hospital accredited as a Baby-Friendly facility for promoting, protecting, and supporting mothers to breastfeed. The association had trained hospital staff in 2004 and 2005 on the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.” While seeking refuge in Baucau, the two conducted a refresher course and prepared the hospital for UNICEF and WHO to verify if the hospital is indeed Baby-

Friendly. “When we came in 2004, there were many mothers using bottles to feed their to formula babies,” said Fernandes. “But after our repeated trainings, the staﬀ are now more skilled in counselling mothers and we don’t see any Volunteers from the Mothers Support Group with maternity packs made by bottles being used here Alola Foundation, which are given to new mothers. The packs include items like now.” Breastfeeding baby clothing, sanitary pads and a health poster. UNICEF works with the group is a critical step to and Alola Foundation to promote mother and child health. eliminate malnutrition in children. Nearly half of Timorese Friendly Plaque on the Baucau Referral children are malnourished and stunted Hospital making it the second hospital in for their age. On 4th August 2006, Timor-Leste to actively promote exclusive UNICEF and WHO conferred the Baby- breastfeeding.

Sharing Stories She is barely 20 years old, but Francisca Fatima is already a mother. Her baby was born premature, weighing less than one kilogramme and had to be put in an incubator. Ms Fatima fed her baby formula milk on the ﬁrst day and then began breastfeeding. But after three days, she could not produce enough milk because she had not learnt how to express milk properly. With help from hospital nurses, she learnt how to express milk. By that time, the excess milk in her breasts led to engorged breasts and an infection. Nurses advised her not to stop breast feeding however, as the infection would not harm the baby and feeding would also help Ms Fatima to recover faster. At that time, her baby was too small to suckle all the milk he needed so she expressed milk into a cup. Breast milk can be kept up to eight hours at room temperature without going bad. Ms Fatima used a spoon to feed the baby instead of a bottle because unclean baby bottles can cause illnesses like diarhoea. Her husband also agrees that nothing is better than mother’s milk and is supporting her to breastfeed exclusively for the ﬁrst six months of her baby’s life.

january 2007

Gina dos Santos delivered her second child by caesareansection. She gave her baby boy only breast milk for the first five months and he was never sick, but the 35-year-old still felt that her milk was not sufficient. Her friends encouraged her to eat and drink more, but the 35-year-old turned to baby formula. When he started drinking formula milk, he suffered from diarrhoea. Dos Santos brought him to hospital and stopped giving him formula when she realised it was the formula that made him fall ill for the first time. Now she breastfeeds again and complements his diet with baby food. She says she would now advise her friends to drink lots of water and eat properly, so as to breastfeed well.

Cora Lopez’s twin babies arrived 3 weeks early and had to be placed in incubators for two weeks. The 33-year-old only fed her babies breast milk and although they were gaining weight, she still felt that her milk was not enough. With guidance from hospital staﬀ, she learnt how to express milk more eﬀectively. When her milk dried up, she drank water and with this tip, Ms Lopez found that she was able to breast feed two babies without any trouble.

FROM THE FIELD Interview with Peter Ninnes Education Project Ofﬁcer

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Santos

Peter Ninnes Education - Project Ofﬁcer pninnes@unicef.org

What was the main impact of the crisis on school children? For students in Dili, it would have probably stopped you from going to school for two months. In the longer term, we’ll see a spike in the number of students who have to repeat and an increase in the drop-out rate as a result of the crisis. What about for the education sector as a whole? Planning in general was put out of kilter. It’s difficult to plan when everything is in a state of flux, with children displaced all over the country and teachers missing. UNICEF is now working with the Education Ministry on a Back to School campaign for the new school year. Why did Timor need a campaign like this? Many students missed out on schooling during the crisis and many teachers were not able to work. People are also still concerned about security and hesitant about returning to normal activities, like sending their children to school. So we are encouraging communities to work together to support schools, students and teachers in returning to the classroom. Do schools have a role to play in reconciliation now? Definitely. If people come out of a postconflict situation with psychological scars,

then it doesn’t matter how many clinics or schools you build, people can still come and burn them down. Teachers can take a leading role in teaching and modelling non-violent conflict resolution strategies, and in teaching students how to discuss issues and share different points of views. What is the area of greatest need for education in Timor? Primary school – providing six years of basic education for students. What do you see as one of the biggest ongoing challenges for education in Timor? Improving the quality of teaching. We’re working with the Education Ministry in this area by improving the curriculum and giving teachers guidance in using it. The new primary curriculum includes a much wider range of teaching methods, such as student-centered learning, than most Timorese teachers have been exposed to. How does teaching in a typical primary school today differ from the sort of teaching that would have been delivered five years ago in Timor? In schools which are part of our 100 Friendly Schools project, you’ll see a big difference. The lessons aren’t based so much on writing on the blackboard, with kids sitting there passively. You can see the

students working in groups, the teacher moving among them and there are a whole variety of learning materials in use. What’s the focus of recent UNICEF teacher-training in Timor? Participatory learning. Teachers who try to incorporate some of what we’ve taught them probably find the teaching more enjoyable because they don’t have to spend hours standing at the blackboard, and students are more active. And what’s the role of the parent-teacher associations in Timorese schools? Parents in the districts are a bit hamstrung because of a lack of cash, so parent-teacher associations aren’t about fundraising so much as parents having a say in decisionmaking and providing materials that kids can use in schools – for example, cutting shapes out of old rubber flip-flops to teach students about geometry. Where would you like to see education in Timor in five years time? I’d like to see the primary school curriculum fully implemented, studentcentred learning firmly in place, active parent-teacher associations and Timorese students more confident and articulate. TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

MADE IN

Education

TIMOR

At last, the ﬁrst made-in-Timor primary school curriculum materials for Grade 1 have reached our shores after 3 years in the making.

his school year which started in September, teachers and students finally got their hands on the new teaching and learning materials - despite the civil unrest in the country. It was a mammoth task to distribute 1.7 million pieces of curriculum materials across the country before the rainy season arrived as roads are sometimes washed away. The curriculum was officially launched on 17th October in Dili by the Prime Minister Dr Jose Ramos Horta. It was first introduced to Grade 1 teachers nationwide last year. Led by the Ministry of Education & Culture, the curriculum was developed with the support of the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), technical expertise from UNICEF, and inputs from Timorese educators. The entire curriculum development and implementation cost about US$2 million. The curriculum is unique because it was developed based on the country’s historical and cultural context, while taking into

consideration worldwide best practices. The focus is on childcentred teaching and learning; to complement this, primary school teachers are being trained to engage children to learn actively. The curriculum is bilingual in Portuguese and Tetum; the teaching and learning materials are bright and colourful. Some of the Tetum literacy readers were adapted from the East Timor Studies of Mary MacKillop Institute while others were developed by a team consisting of selected Timorese teachers, principals, university lecturers, NGOs, Education Ministry staff and UNICEF staff. This year, UNICEF is also introducing the new Grade 2 curriculum by merging curriculum orientation with active learning teaching methods. In Timor-Leste where nearly 50% of the people are illiterate, education is a key factor to escape the cycle of poverty. UNICEF’s ﬁrm belief in the value of education is now underscored by its new commitment to develop lower secondary curriculum too.

18 containers of curriculum materials for primary schools in Timor-Leste arrived in the country in mid-September. A container is being moved from the seaport to the airport in Dili where UNICEF has its warehouse.

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Santos

january 2007

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Santos

District Education staff from Baucau chip in to move the heavy curriculum boxes to their district. The Red Kits are ďŹ lled with educational posters and readers for both teachers and students.

A woman plays the babadok (local drum) while a boy carries a baton with blue ribbons. They acted in a short skit by NGO Knua Buka Hatene to demonstrate active learning in the new curriculum in which cultural education is important.

TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

A worker stacks the boxes onto a truck for distribution. Every Grade 1 teacher gets 2 boxes of teaching and learning materials which they are responsible for. The Green Kit contains teaching syllabi and also story books or literacy readers for students.

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/See

Former Education Minister Armindo Maia cuts the ribbon on a stack of curriculum syllabuses for the six subjects in Grade 1.

Prime Minister Dr Jose Ramos Horta, with Shui Meng Ng UNICEF Representative, and Ilda da ConceiĂ§ĂŁo, Vice Minister for Education and Culture, at the launch of the new curriculum in Dili.

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/See

january 2007

Child Protection

Are Timorese children subject to violent discipline in the school and the home?

necdotal evidence has suggested that violence against children in Timor might be a concern, but no one knew the exact nature and extent of the problem. So in 2004, UNICEF, Plan International and the Timorese ministries of Education and Labour began a study into disciplinary practices used on children resulting in Speak nicely to me: A Study on Practices and Attitudes about Discipline of Children in Timor-Leste. The study was launched earlier this year, by Professor Sergio Paulo Pinheiro, the independent expert appointed to lead the UN’s global study on violence against children. It found that Timorese children are subject to a range of disciplinary

behaviour, some of it positive and some of it very harsh. For example, many children said their teachers spoke nicely to them, encouraged them to come to school and praised them for their schoolwork. But more than six out of every ten children said that they had been beaten with a stick by a teacher; and almost four out of every ten children had been slapped in the face by a teacher. Similarly, almost six out of every ten children had been beaten with a stick by their parents, while the same number of parents told researchers that they thought this was acceptable. More than three out of ten parents also though it was acceptable to punish children by twisting their ears and slapping their faces. Interestingly, one quarter of the

parents surveyed said they had also been beaten until they were bruised when they were young. “During Portuguese time, when I was at school the teachers beat children. Sometimes they would kick children or sometimes they would hit children ... Some teachers would throw children out the window at school,” said one primary school teacher. But the majority of parents who had been punished violently when they were children opposed strong forms of physical punishment on children. One of the most positive ﬁndings to come from the study is the common ground between parents and children on the best way of disciplining children. Children said it was very important for TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Asael

SPEAK NICELY TO ME

Child Protection adults to speak to them in a friendly way and almost all parents agreed with this. Similarly, children and adults agreed that giving “moral education” is an important way of teaching children to behave well. “We have to ﬁnd a way not to be too rigid [with children] but rigid enough to guide them in the right direction, and they should be treated as human beings but not in a way to release them from any kind of responsibility,” said one community leader interviewed in Dili. A group of children who spoke at the launch of the report put forward a number of recommendations to the Government, teachers, families, young people and the UN. UNICEF child protection consultant, Joanna Francis said the children also came up with some innovative ideas about how to get their recommendations out to the public,including organising a children’s march to the central government building in Dili, the Palacio do Governo; and holding discussions between teachers and children on violence against children. Their recommendations have now been distributed to the Government, teachers, parents and other children and youth.

Protecting children in a time of crisis In response to the 2006 crisis, UNICEF’s child protection team and colleagues from other NGOs immediately set about establishing children and family support programmes in IDP camps, says head of UNICEF’s child protection project, Johanna Eriksson Takyo. “Child protection focal points, who are responsible for organising play and recreational activities for children were identified and trained in 55 camps across Dili. We also developed leaflets on potential risks in camps and distributed them to parents in all camps. “Through the difficulties of the recent crisis, we’ve been able to develop a good model for engaging volunteers in community-based child protection. This network has the potential to go beyond the camps. “We’re currently talking to child protection focal points about how they can continue to support children and

Johanna Eriksson Takyo Child Protection - Project Ofﬁcer jeriksson@unicef.org

families once they have returned to their communities. In the districts, we’ve also talked to community leaders, families and children about what can be done to promote children’s protection and social well-being outside Dili. “We hope these initiatives will enable us to maintain a greater focus on community-based development for children’s protection over the next couple of years. “Of course, prevention is always better than a cure and the family is the ﬁrst line of defense for children. We need to continue to support families and help parents identify their own resources, so that they can ensure their children’s overall protection and well-being.”

This love will not vanish “The crisis that is happening in our beloved country is aﬀecting every aspect of our lives... We ask the Government to resolve this problem... reconcile with each other ... particularly in regard to the eastwest issue, because we children do not have any concept of east or west. We only know that we are one family and one people... “We know that in this current crisis a lot of young people have turned to anarchy and violence... We ask young people to be models for us and to guide us... When you commit violence, you are also digging our graves – you are creating enemies for us too. So we urge you to stop the violence. Meet, sit down and talk to each other. Hold hands and embrace in order to rebuild this lovely country... our january 2007

simple dream is for peace. “In Timor-Leste, there are many teachers who use violent forms of punishment. They hit us with sticks and yell at us and make us more confused ... We ask teachers to use non-violent punishment ... You have nothing to lose by speaking nicely to us. “To all children, we ask you to listen to your parents and use this time to study. Childhood only comes once and if we don’t take this opportunity now, we will regret in the future. “Children have dignity and need love. We ask parents not to use violence against children. In order to educate children, you need to show love and care ... children will then know in their hearts that they are

loved, and they will believe in themselves. “We ask the UN, NGOs and civil society to sit together to ﬁnd ways of solving these problems once and for all. “Finally, as the children of Timor-Leste, we want to express our frustration. We are fed up. We no longer want to be the victims of violence. We want to enjoy our lives, just like our friends in other countries do... We declare that violence will only stop when there is love – not just words of love – but love that comes from the heart. This love will not vanish... love that starts from each family and goes out to the community, to the nation and to the whole world.” * Extract from a presentation by 15 Timorese children at the launch of the report into disciplinary practices, Dili, August, 2006

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Santos

FROM THE FIELD Interview with Siping Wang Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Project Ofﬁcer

Siping Wang Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation - Project Ofﬁcer swang@unicef.org

What’s the most important contribution that good PME can make to a programme or country ofﬁce? A good monitoring and evaluation system can help us to understand what leads to the problems faced by children and women. Then, we’re able to set up speciﬁc, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bounded (SMART) objectives for a development plan. In this way we’ll know where we are during the implementation of the plan, and learn which interventions work, which don’t work and why. The results of monitoring and evaluation will also give us tangible evidence or data to advocate for women and children, and raise funds to carry out the necessary programmes. What can statistics tell us about a country and about the best way to tackle problems? Monitoring indicators are important to measure achievements made towards goals within a development plan. A good monitoring system will not only describe a problem but will also point towards a solution. We know that the high under1 infant mortality rate in Timor-Leste means that every day, 11 children under the age of 1 die. But if we also know, for example, that the biggest killers are malaria and respiratory infections, we can then focus our interventions on malaria and respiratory infection control.

How have numbers helped in responding to the current crisis? The Timor-LesteInfo database programme (Timor’s version of DevInfo) puts statistics into graphs and maps which can help users visualise achievements and issues, and plan accordingly. The map below was produced by TimorLesteInfo. It tells us that responses to IDPs should focus on Dili and Baucau districts, followed by Liquica, Aileu, Viqueque and Lautem districts. What’s one nice piece of feedback you’ve received from a donor since you’ve been with UNICEF TimorLeste? The Japan Committee for UNICEF is an important donor for UNICEF TimorLeste and we have used some of their contributions in the areas of health, water

and sanitation, community education and child protection. After our first progress report, a staff member in charge of fundraising for the Japan Committee for UNICEF wrote: “Through the progress report, I am firmly convinced that the project [is being] successfully carried out.” Two months later, we received more contributions from the Committee. How does Timor differ from your last duty station? My last duty station was in UNICEF Zambia, which is stable, but the main challenges are the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, taboos about talking openly about HIV/AIDS, inadequate resources to control the spread of HIV/AIDS, and the impact on social and economic development. HIV/AIDS is not the main problem in Timor-Leste but the current civil unrest is a major challenge to Timor-Leste and the UN.

Map produced by Timor-LesteInfo indicating displaced population in Timor-Leste. TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

AFORLIFELINE TIMOR POST D

uring the height of the mayhem in Dili, reporters with the Timor Post were holed up in their office. They were not filing stories, but fending off looters. One of the country’s major media outlets, the Timor Post was forced to close shop for almost two weeks from 26 May – a day after rampant shootings brought things to a standstill in the capital. Because of staff vigilance, the premises escaped harm. But the restoration of security in Dili by international troops was not enough to get the Post back on its feet. Instead, it was a grant from UNICEF that helped to revive the paper. The issue of 9 June was the Post’s first in a fortnight and a cause for celebration. “[The UNICEF aid] will give us a reprieve for two months, to hopefully recover if the situation normalizes,” says Adérito Hugo da Costa, the newspaper’s director and senior editor. That could be a big ‘if’. Half of the Timor Post’s 18-strong staff had left Dili. And how could the paper get money from subscribers and advertisers when thousands had either decamped to shelters or to different districts altogether? But da Costa was determined to salvage the readership it had taken him 6 years to build. “We’re trying to deliver invoices house to house, office to office,” he said.

january 2007

Before the crisis erupted, around 1,200 copies of the Timor Post were printed each day. In June, the number plunged to 750. At least some editions made their way into the masses of camps for internally displaced people. “Our staﬀ are trying to sell the paper close to the camps so people there can access news and read about what is happening,” da Costa said. “One of the things we’re focusing on is the impact of this crisis on women and children, people in the camps, and how they are dealing with limited sanitation, food and other things.” The re-launch issue had a front-page article on how schools in Dili were empty, and how many of them had been looted. The following day’s edition had a report on the situation of displaced people in Baucau district, which is about 3 hours by road to the east of Dili. Baucau, in particular, had seen an inﬂux of people from the capital. The Timor Post and UNICEF have been working together since 2002, two years after the paper’s founding by da Costa. The Post’s journalists have been actively involved in promoting ethical reporting and child rights issues through articles and workshops supported by UNICEF. The two support Journal Labarik (Children’s Newspaper in Tetum) which is a monthly paper devoted to coverage

of children and women. The Timor Post has also trained Labarik’s journalists, while UNICEF has provided financial and technical support. “From 2002, we were financially independent,” said da Costa. “We hope to stay that way.” Local journalists were not spared the violence during the months of civil unrest. Reporters of the public television and radio broadcaster RTTL were attacked after a TV story on the former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri went to air. The office of the daily newspaper Suara Timor Lorosae (Voice of East Timor) was also broken into and staff assaulted. UNICEF has extended financial support to both the Post and Suara to tide them over tough times, with the condition that both agencies strive for fair and balanced reporting. UNICEF has been working with local NGO, the Timor-Leste Media Development Centre, to conduct daily media monitoring on local news since 2005. With the 2007 elections looming, raising the bar on journalism will be critical to ensure that Timorese make well-informed choices.

10 facts about Timor, the world’s newest nation... Snapshots

1 2 3 4 5 6

Timor oﬃcially became a state on May 20, 2002, making it the world’s newest nation... Timor is also a very young country – more than 40 per cent of the country are under 14 years of age, according to the 2004 census

The word Timor comes from the Malay word timur, meaning east...

Tetum and Portuguese are the two oﬃcial languages and Timor has an additional

15 national languages ... Bekais, Bunak, Dawan, Fataluku, Galoli, Habun, Idalaka, Kawaimina, Kemak, Lovaia, Makalero, Makasai, Mambai, Tokodede, Wetarese...

At 2963 metres, Mount Ramelau (or Tata-Mailau which means grandfather) is the highest point in the country, and is the home of some of the ancestors of the Timorese Chinese merchants ﬁrst came to Timor for its vast sandalwood forests. As early as 1436, one Chinese record notes that Timor’s mountains were covered in sandalwood. But exploitation by Indonesian companies decimated the forests and sandalwood is now protected by law in Timor ...

Timor’s organic coffee crop is the biggest single export earner – in 2005 coffee accounted for more than 90 per cent of total exports. But up to 20 per cent of this year’s coffee crop may have been lost this year, because of the crisis ...

At only $400, East Timor has the lowest per capita GDP in the world...

9 10

90 per cent of Timorese are Catholic

though animist lulik practices are widely practised... One of the fathers of the theory of evolution, Alfred Russell Wallace, spent

four months in Dili in 1861 and he said of the Timorese: “The people retain their independence in a great measure...” TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

Snapshots

Breaking the ice

january 2007

Laughter,

the best medicine Filomena Babo lost all her possessions to ﬁre in June but instead of wallowing in self-pity, the plucky Timorese took on an assignment with UNICEF to train adults in camps to interact with children. By October, she and her colleagues had trained 200 adults (child protection focal points) to use drama, story-telling, puppets, songs and dance to inject fun and laughter into camps. But ﬁrst, the adults had to shed their shyness and be willing to be silly and to play. When they saw how Babo lost herself in story-telling, they were half embarrassed, bewildered and wondered if they could do the same. Babo also shared key messages so the focal points could return to their communities and involve parents and caregivers in creating a protective environment for children. They were also given an orientation on child rights and the importance of creating childfriendly spaces where children can meet and play especially during stressful times like emergencies.

Lending a Hand Japan Ambassador to TimorLeste, Kenji Shimizu and his wife, Sonoko Shimizu visited the IDP camp at Police Academy, Comoro in mid-August. They talked to camp residents to get a picture of life in the camps, and to see how Japan’s support has helped UNICEF in its humanitarian response. So far, the US$1.5million grant has been used in water and sanitation, health and nutrition, child and adolescent protection, and education sectors. Family hygiene kits (pails, water scoop, detergent, and soap) were given out during

the visit, as were water containers made locally from rubber tyres. Some children were tickled when Mrs Shimizu put on a yellow Mrs Sonoko Shimizu, wife of Japanese Ambassador to Timor-Leste, duck hand-puppet plays with a Timorese boy using hand puppets. and began playing with a boy who had on a grey supporters of its programmes mouse hand-puppet. These pup- in Timor-Leste. Besides Japan, pets and wooden building blocks Singapore and Canada pitched were also distributed during the in too, while UNICEF National visit. UNICEF’s ﬂash appeal in Committees from Portugal, AusJune was answered quickly and tralia, Sweden, Hong Kong and generously by several countries New Zealand pumped in about – some of whom have been loyal US$1.9million.

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/See

Spotted – laughing children, adults and even Australian soldiers sucking on lollipops at a movie screening. UNICEF and NGO Timor- Leste Media Development Center (TLMDC) began screening cartoons in Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps from July to bring simple entertainment to thousands of children. It not only attracted the tiny tots, but also their curious parents and the international forces on guard. Like a scene from a drive-in movie, the movie goers brought benches, chairs or sat on the ground to enjoy heart warming cartoons like The Ice Age. The cartoon drew peals of laughter from the children who were delighted by the antics of a talkative sloth, a grouchy woolly mammoth, and a sabertooth tiger, as they tried to return a lost human baby to his tribe. One woman remarked to UNICEF staﬀ: “If animals could have such love to help another, why can’t we [Timorese] do this?” referring to the senseless violence that overtook the capital Dili in May and June. Before the ﬁlm show began, TLMDC facilitators warmed up the little tots with some games, and took the opportunity to spread some health and hygiene messages.

Photographers Anthony Asael and Stephanie Rabemiafara dropped into Dili during an uncertain time in August. The pair were on a round-the-world journey to collect drawings, poetry and photos of children from all 191 UN-listed countries, to create the “Art in All of Us World Art Book” (www.artinallofus.org). When the 2 photographers arrived at the Comoro Has Laran IDP camp, they introduced their book project using a world map. They also showed photographs of children taken from around the world. But what delighted the children most was when the photographers taught them how to use a simple digital camera and all 50 children had a chance to snap a picture each. The thrill of using a camera was palpable; so too the joy of posing for one another. A day before, in preparation for this, UNICEF staff and 2 volunteers from the São Jose College had conducted a drawing and poetry session with the children. They drew national icons like the Timorese flag, the crocodile, and the traditional house. Pictures depicting the crisis appeared as well – camps, trucks laden with belongings, and a bleeding map of Timor-Leste. The children’s poems called for an end to fighting and for all to unite for Timor-Leste.

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/Asael

Courtesy of Timor-Leste Media Development Center

ART in all of us

Opinion

A wake up call for us? By Madhavi Ashok

translate for them, I spotted a few lonely Timorese journalists covering the peace rally and interviewing children and women gathered opposite the Government Palace (the main government building). This included the Timor Post journalist. I wondered when the article was going to be published, if Timor Post had been shut down! While the international media used state-of-the-art equipment to beam the looting and the violence across the world, their national counterparts struggled to stay afloat. It was obvious that their articles and the voices of women and children remained unheard and unpublished - drowned out by the din of sensational coverage, demonstrations and violence. The new UN mission has a clear mandate for information decentralisation. This is not new. Successive UN and NGO field assessments come back from districts and repeatedly mentioned the lack of media outside Dili. But this appraisal needs to be accompanied by soul searching by the UN and agencies such as ours. We have to acknowledge that we dragged our feet over whether or not to support community radio stations, when millions of dollars went into arming the police force and setting up judicial systems which failed in the crisis. Together with the local media, we now have a second chance to work out new ways of helping media outlets survive and become professional and sustainable. The revival of the national media and its ability to provide fair and balanced reporting is vital in the run up to the 2007 elections. Timor’s own media outlets have not always provided balanced views and crediblysourced information; they must also acknowledge that they have a big responsibility to provide information which will help people make informed choices. Will the new UN mission, donors, development partners and the Timorese media fulfill this mandate this time? Time is of the essence! Are we ready to respond to this call now? UNICEF Timor-Leste/2005/Caminha

UNICEF Timor-Leste/2006/See

ome of us may never ever experience the pain that I saw around me – my Timorese colleagues and friends confused, angry, sad and uncertain about how to face the future. Once again this country had come under siege and women and children were paying a heavy price. With 24 years of Indonesian occupation and 450 years of Portuguese colonialism behind them, the Timorese tried to fast track their development through the last four years of independence, with support from the UN, development partners and other international agencies. But when the country was rocked by demonstrations in April and subsequent “...what we did not riots, burning and deaths, it was obvious that the Timorese had not only retreated realize was that the to IDP camps and to the districts, but Timorese needed had also retreated into their memories of more time to adapt to 1999 and difficult times prior to that. the rapid changes...” In our last issue in 2005, we wrote that there was a silent emergency happening in Timor-Leste. In a region with large countries plagued by natural disasters, Timor-Leste received scant attention until the problems that began in April 2006. In our last issue we also acknowledged that a silent and positive revolution was happening within the country: through better investment in the social sector and increasing access to education and healthcare facilities. But what we did not realize was that the Timorese needed more time to adapt to the rapid changes within the political, social and cultural fabric of the country. Along with other critical pillars of the nation, the local media also crashed in May. In the days following May 23, as structures and systems started failing and more and more people fled, the media too was badly affected. The national TV and radio broadcaster ran on the strength of a handful of individuals; community radio stations were off-air due to lack of fuel and volunteer support; and print media closed down due to threats. On 1 June at a peace rally held by children, I was approached by the editor of the Timor Post with a plea to help them restart their newspaper, which had been forced to close during the crisis. While foreign journalists had arrived in Timor at considerable expense and were busy hiring local journalists to

The writer served as Communication Oﬃcer in UNICEF Timor-Leste oﬃce from January 2003 to September 2006. TIMOR-LESTE NOW AND THE FUTURE

United Nations Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fund Timor-Leste UN House P.O. Box 212 Rua de Caicoli Dili, Timor-Leste T: +670 3313309 F: +670 3313322 www.unicef.org