Nutrition Program – 2021 and beyond
An important program still in its early development stages.
A major opportunity to address very significant needs of vulnerable Timorese people.
Timor-Leste is the most undernourished country in Asia and was recently listed as the second ‘hungriest’ nation in the world on the Global Hunger Index.
The key problems are:
- One in four: One quarter of children are still afflicted by acute malnutrition.
- Missed opportunities: Detection of acute malnutrition at health facilities remains patchy.
- Slipping through the cracks: Many children are lost to follow up from feeding programs.
- Unsupported: Nutrition workers lack ongoing training and support.
- Supply chain: Essential supplies such as therapeutic foods are frequently unavailable.
We are seeking gifts or grants ranging from $7,500 up to $46,000 to fund various expansion aspects of the current successful program.
The Demographic Health Survey (2016) reported that for children under the age of five, 46%are stunted (very low height for their age), and 24% are wasted (very low weight for their height). This means almost half of Timor-Leste’s children will suffer the life-long physical and mental consequences of undernutrition, and a quarter are at immediate risk of dying from complications of malnutrition.
Acute childhood malnutrition triggers a wicked cycle. By preventing children from achieving their physical and mental potential, it afflicts their whole life course and perpetuates poverty and malnutrition for generations.
What has the Maluk Timor team achieved to date?
Monthly meetings for Nutrition Health Workers – Maluk Timor’s Nutrition team has been running monthly Nutrition Health Workers’ Forums in Dili, facilitating improved communication between different centres, sharing of ideas, resolving of mutual problems and peer-to-peer teaching. Guest speakers and clinical tutors are also invited by the team to contribute to up-skilling activities.
What is the team working to do next?
Train health care workers on the management of malnutrition
- Provide comprehensive up-skilling training packages, field-based technical assistance and mentoring to ensure acutely malnourished children are identified and treated, families are counselled on feeding practices, and services run effectively. We are expecting to achieve high standards of community management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) practices, and to develop leadership and teaching capacity in the nutrition programming sector.
- Strengthening connections between the National Hospital (HNGV) and nutrition services in the community
The team is in the early phases of a collaborative project with the with the HNGV paediatrics department to improve discharge planning processes for children admitted to HNGV with severe acute malnutrition, including targeted education of families and staff. This aims to ensure successful follow up at community health center (CHC) level, as these children are extremely vulnerable after discharge from hospital.
How can donors support?
Financial or in-kind support for any of the items below:
| USD | AUD | |
| Improvements to existing facilities | $30,000 | $46, 000 |
| Salaries of five full time staff per annum | $25,000 | $38,500 |
| Fieldwork and training costs per annum | $8,000 | $12,000 |
| Resources and supplies per annum | $5,000 | $20,000 |
| Monitoring and evaluation – to improve the program | $4,000 | $7,500 |
| Program implementation costs – per annum | $8, 000 | $12,000 |
If any of these interest you – Maluk Timor can provide more detail.
You can make contact with us by e-mailing [email protected] or [email protected]
or calling Helen Moorfoot on 0413 172 443 or calling Jeff Buchanan on 0400 868 207