27 January 2004

Dili, Timor-Leste: When one mentions the name of the world’s newest state, Timor-Leste, the one thing that immediately comes to mind is the civil strife that engulfed the country in 1999, as the people chose independence. The unrest has left behind deep scars, not just physically, but also on people’s souls. Timor-Leste, like most post-conflict states, faces enormous social, economic and political challenges. As the people face these challenges a bright ray of hope shines across the country. This beacon of hope is of a civil society, supported by concerned citizens contributing to local volunteer organizations.

Children in Timor-Leste.Civil society is often described as the space between citizen and state, where the will of the people is manifested and mobilized outside of official duty. A civil society, is as extraordinarily diverse as humanity itself. By reflecting its roots, people unite to advance mutual interests, which in turn unlock the potential in the empowerment of citizens, allowing them to have the freedom of choice, and by doing so, shape their destiny.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Senior Deputy-Resident Representative Haoling Xu said expanding the capacity of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and many other organizations will be spearheaded by UN Volunteers. “The use of local volunteers is expected to enhance possibilities for national capacity development and human resource development by strengthening the pool of experts and knowledge, which remains in the country, “ he said. Joint UNV – UNDP civic education projects and CSO support are further examples of how two UN organizations have worked well together. “They have raised our partnership to a new level, as UNV is providing not just volunteers but also substantive knowledge and management expertise,” he added.

The UN Volunteers programme first Timor-Leste initiative began in the lead-up to the Popular Consultation process, which led to the vote for Independence on 30 August 1990. Since then some 3,000 UN volunteers from more than 100 countries have worked with various authorities in the country to develop a foundation, which will one day fully support the development capacity of the people of Timore-Leste. Most of the 250 UN Volunteers currently in Timor-Leste work with UNDP programmes and projects., however 14 volunteers are working with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the national Government to help with the 2004 census.

Everyday, the people of Timor-Leste work to overcome poverty and poor health. The poor infrastructure in all sectors, as well as weak institutional capacity in both the public and private sectors need to be addressed. To address these challenges people must be mobilized to involve them in the development of their nation. Timor-Leste is not just the newest nation on the planet but also a nation of young people. According to the 2002 Timor-Leste Human Development Report, 44% of population is less than 15 years of age. As a result, there is a huge challenge in making the shift from Emergency / Relief operations to Reconstruction / Development. Health care and education must top the country’s development agenda. Both infant mortality rate (88 deaths per 1,000 live births –MICS survey 2002) and maternal mortality rate (380-800 deaths per 100,000 live births) are unacceptably high.

In order to address the challenges of reproductive health care as well as pediatric and maternal health issues, there is a need to create solid long-term partnerships between civil society and development partners. It is against this backdrop that UNFPA, UNICEF and UNV in July 2003 came together to map out a common strategy on how to strengthen community health awareness. UN Volunteers programme has served as a catalyst to raise awareness about infant/maternal health and HIV/AIDS, support UNICEF and UNFPA to strengthen capacity of health institutions at the district and sub-district levels, and link communities to health services and vice versa.

However, one key problem is that the population does not use the health facilities already available. The reasons why are numerous; lack of awareness about the importance of health care, socio-cultural fatalistic perception of death, long and difficult travel to the facilities and the lack of specialized health services. Health facilities are generally under-utilized, and are unable to meet the needs of the communities due to poor planning.

UNFPA, UNICEF and UNV can help bridge this gap, through community mobilization and participation. Furthermore, these three UN agencies have come together to strengthen and identify new forms of partnership to place the issue of maternal and reproductive health in the hands of the people. Paraphrasing a publication entitled Timore-Leste: Ita Iha Nebe Ona Ohin Loron, translation; Development is a Community Responsibility.

‘We must be made responsible for our own development. This responsibility must not be taken from us. The government, the United Nations agencies, donors and international NGOs must give us this responsibility to manage our own development. They must give us the chance to make mistakes and learn from our mistakes. They should help us to be self-reliant and not always wait for support.’

Each agency continues to build upon its expertise. UNFPA draws from its global experience in reproductive health care, UNICEF on its maternal and child health expertise, in conjunction with UNV’s niche in community mobilization and participation. Additionally, UN agencies facilitate and support capacity development for Timor-Leste communities. This initiative builds on existing structures, such as Pastoral da Crianca under the auspices of the Catholic Church and District Health Services of the Ministry of Health. UNFPA working with UNV and the local communities is to assist in the establishment of maternal waiting homes, near local midwives. The waiting home would be operated and managed by the communities based on the traditional spirit of self-help and mutual aid. UNICEF through its ongoing work with Pastoral da Crianca will also support through community volunteers to record the progress of the infants/children, as well as provide nutritional education. The UN Volunteers programme through its global experience in community mobilization and participatory processes will help create awareness in communities to use the waiting homes, which could also serve in postpartum recovery.

The people of Timor-Leste do appreciate external support but also cherish the ability to capacitate them to take control of their needs and to set their priorities. This is very well reflected in the words of a community facilitator: “There are two kinds of assistance. First is material assistance. Second is assistance to build our knowledge and skills. Both are important to improve our quality of life. But the second one is more important”.

When one mentions the name of the world’s newest state, Timor-Leste, the one thing that immediately comes to mind is the civil strife that engulfed the country in 1999, as the people chose independence. The unrest has left behind deep scars, not just physically, but also on people’s souls. Timor-Leste, like most post-conflict states, faces enormous social, economic and political challenges. As the people face these challenges a bright ray of hope shines across the country. This beacon of hope is of a civil society, supported by concerned citizens contributing to local volunteer organizations.