Families in Timor-Leste struggling to rebuild after devastating floods during COVID-19 emergency

Madalena says the recent events count as the worst natural disaster she has ever experienced in her many years living in Dili municipality.

The floods and landslides come at a time when Timor-Leste grapples with a COVID-19 emergency.

Critical infrastructure to respond to the COVID outbreak has been damaged, including the national laboratory, the central medicine storage and quarantine facilities.

With children and families living in evacuation centres, there is also an increased risk of COVID transmission.

Erine Dijkstra, ChildFund Timor-Leste Country Director, says: “This is an emergency coming on top of an emergency. Affected families were already suffering economically from the lockdown since the beginning of March, and this disaster has added another level of hardship.

“With much of Dili under water, Timor-Leste is facing new and significant challenges in preventing further spread of the COVID-19 virus.”

ChildFund Timor-Leste is taking part in humanitarian aid coordination meetings led by the Secretariat of State for Civil Protection, with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion, the Red Cross, UN agencies, and other aid agencies to plan and implement emergency response activities.

This includes providing human resources to the assessment teams and providing families with food and non-food items, such as hygiene packs, clothing and bedding. ChildFund will provide additional support as requested.

“I encourage people to reach out for help if they need to,” Madalena says. “We need to stay strong.”