Malnutrition Challenge in Timor-Leste Requires Investment and More Innovative Responses like HIAM Health

Timor-Leste has had many successes in the past decade, but malnutrition rates remain high; the country has the third-highest stunting levels for children under the age of 5 [Stunting is when a child is too short for their age, and is a result of chronic malnutrition]. Only Afghanistan and Yemen have worse stunting numbers. Stunting impairs skeletal growth and cognitive development, meaning the negative effects of malnutrition will last a lifetime. But unlike the other two countries atop the stunting list, Timor-Leste has a great opportunity to address nutrition for a number of reasons: it has extensive financial resources available in the Petroleum Fund; its state of peace and security have been reaffirmed by the recent democratic election; and many organizations are already addressing nutrition issues in various parts of the country. 

Now is the time for the Timor-Leste government to invest in nutrition and make "Nourishing the Nation" a national goal. People throughout the country are ready to bid farewell to UN peacekeepers and welcome economic and social development into their lives. Countries throughout the world are committing to nutrition goals as part of the SUN Movement (Scaling Up Nutrition); hopefully, Timor-Leste will join them. I will not make a long case for investing in nutrition; instead, I will give you one quote: "Its cost-benefit ratio, the economists reckon, is extraordinarily: each dollar spent on nutrition produces between $8 and $138 of benefits" (recent Economist article on SUN movement) and one image:

Child on the right lacked proper care, nutrition, and stimulation  http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTCY/Resources/395766-1186420121500/YDNiii1_Nutrition.pdf

As noted above, many organizations are addressing malnutrition in Timor-Leste. This includes the many international NGOs and donor projects. More interestingly to me, however, are the local NGOs working to improve the nation's nutrition. During a recent visit from one of the Earth Institute centers, the Center for Globalization and Sustainable Development, I had a chance to meet with a number of these local NGOs. A few really stood out in there dedication, including:
-The Alola Foundation, working to improve the lives of women and children. Founded by the Prime Minister's wife, the Alola Foundation has programs specifically addressing mother and child health.
-The Bairo Pite Clinic, which addresses all health needs as best it can (including malnutrition cases) for needy patients. It is run by an American doctor who is quite the local legend. The center is very well-respected, with some patients traveling many days to receive treatment there.

But, being an Aggie-type and a "holistic-approach-er", I was particularly impressed with HIAM Health. HIAM, an acronym that translates to "Together we help each other," is led by its inspirational director Rosaria Martins da Cruz, and the organization deals extensively with malnutrition issues. It addresses treatment, particularly among mothers and children, through supplementary feeding programs and monitoring. But they also address behavior change and preventative measures, so that the patients who leave the center better-nourished will not find themselves in danger of returning as a patient again. This behavior change includes educational instruction in nutrition, cooking classes, and extensive gardening classes. I was able to visit during a gardening session, where the self-taught HIAM Health staff members led various permaculture and organic farming sessions. A few photos from that visit follow:

Educational Art 1: Food Pyramid

Educational art 2: Mosquito Nets

Drip Irrigation: Technical

Drip Irrigation: Home Made

Slow Release Irrigation

Land space a problem for your garden? Not anymore!

Checking the Compost

For the Garden Planning Fans!

And there was more: Moringa trees, seedling trays, seed preparation training, companion planting... It was an impressive garden, and the enthusiastic trainers were good at engaging the student farmers and encouraging them to participate for hands-on learning.


[Each of these programs, despite their great work, remain very small and are constantly in search of funding. Interested in contributing to any of the above organizations? You can donate to HIAM Health here; the Baire Pite Clinic here, and the Alola Foundation here. You can also purchase some fantastic handicrafts made by the women the Alola Foundation supports.]