We liberated the country... ...now we liberate the people of East Timor
About East Timor
The Timor Leste Report
The last time the world read about Timor-Leste, it was in 1999. The world then watched the birth of a new nation literally from amidst the ashes, conflict and destruction.
In this fast-paced world, only events out of the ordinary such as disasters, wars, and political conflicts get attention and coverage. Very little attention is paid to the lives of ordinary people and their daily suffering and struggles if there is no ‘obvious’ emergency, conflict, calamity or death.
Timor-Leste today faces a silent emergency. The statistical evidence is compelling. Timor-Leste has the highest number of babies and mothers dying in the entire East Asia Pacific region; nearly half of the children under five are suffering from moderate or severe malnutrition; only less than a third of its population drinks safe water; primary school enrolment touches only 75% ; and nearly 3 out of 4 persons do not have knowledge of HIV/AIDS prevention.
The world’s newest nation is also a very young one with nearly 50% of its population below the age of 18. There is an urgent need to reach out to all these children and ensure they have a quality life and future, built on the country’s natural resources and the emerging opportunities for the new generation.