ChildFund Timor-Leste is supporting farmers in the Lautem municipality to learn sustainable farming techniques as a part of the COVID-19 economic response plan. Farmers are learning about irrigation, organic pesticides and fertiliser and how to identify different types of diseases.

Five groups of farmers were selected to take part in the program. Working with local partner, Fraterna, ChildFund delivered training over the course of six months in sustainable and resilient farming.

The farmer field school explored drip irrigation, multi-crop production and crop diversification, compost fertiliser making both dry and wet kinds, plastic mulch techniques, soil, pest and disease identification. 

After learning about these techniques, the farmers are planting cabbage, lettuce, eggplant, tomato, spinach, water spinach, banana, and papaya trees. Most group members have created their own gardens and are applying what they learned. The project is also supplying farming equipment and helping the farmers install sustainable irrigation systems.

“At the farming school we don’t really do any book work, we put what we learnt directly into practice. We all work together to learn to make compost fertiliser,” said Hermenegildo, a farmer who attended the training in August 2021.

There are, 11 women and three men in this group. All of them attended farmer field school once a week. Now they share the responsibility of growing the vegetables and the crops in a communal area that are then equally divided amongst themselves.

Maria, is also a member of the group. “Before I attended the school, I did not know how to grow vegetables with different methods. But since I came to this training, I learned how to prepare soil and make compost fertiliser and it has helped megain valuable knowledge.”

The group meets regularly to plan and schedule farm work. Hermenegildo hopes that they will be able to harvest extra food to sell in the local markets.

 “Our plan for the future is to find more space to grow vegetables. If we have extra vegetables, we’ll sell them,” said Hermenegildo.

By learning these new skills, farmers can yield more sustainable crops to help them be self-sufficient through the dry season and put healthy food on the table for their families. They can also sell the extra vegetables at local markets to supplement the household income.

This project, implemented by ChildFund, is funded by the Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP). Along with teaching new farming techniques, the project is distributing food packages, hygiene kits in schools, seed kits and food storage in selected households.

Access to clean, safe water is one of the most basic and essential human needs. Without it, providing quality health care is made more difficult and often leaves those most vulnerable at risk.

During COVID-19, clean, safe water in remote communities in Timor-Leste has been more critical than ever to prevent the spread of the virus and other diseases.

ChildFund Timor-Leste has been working with local health professionals in Lautem municipality, in the eastern part of the country, to distribute water tanks to health posts in villages.

Health professionals at Pitileti health post in Lautem have been using a water tank to collect rainwater for handwashing and hygiene. Over the last few years, the tank has started to break down and has been leaking. There has also been a shortage of water in the community due to drought conditions wearing down water pipes.

As part of its COVID-19 response, ChildFund has been distributing water tanks in remote communities in Timor-Leste, and replaced the run-down tank at Piteleti with a new one. ChildFund also set up handwashing stations in the community to help prevent the spread of the virus.

Dr Aquino Ligoria, who has worked at the Pitileti health post for the past seven years, says the water shortage is noticeable in his community but Pitileti health post has been able to access water thanks to a water system that was set up with the help of ChildFund several years go.

“ChildFund helped to establish a well in the mountains and water pipe to ensure water could reach the health post,” he says. “It has supported the health post. The community collaborated with local authorities so the health post can have water, and now after seven years of working here, we have clean water.

Apart from the water shortage, he shared other challenges they are facing in the community. He said that there is a shortage of medics, and the community lacks an understanding of the importance of hand hygiene.

As part of the COVID-19 response, ChildFund distributed handwashing posters, COVID-19 prevention banners in schools, and hygiene kits. “I believe a poster, or a handwashing sticker could help remind people about the importance of handwashing.”

Despite these challenges, he is hopeful that programs like these will help him provide better care to his patients.

ChildFund is working with local health workers like Aquino to make sure they have reliable access to clean, safe water so their health posts can offer the best care to their community. The program also supported people facing economic hardship because of the virus, distributing food packages, hygiene kits and cleaning materials for schools.

The project is supported by Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP) and ChildFund alongside Plan International Timor-Leste to implement the AHP COVID-19 response in the Lautem municipality.