Project report overview
- Program positively impacted 4,809 people
- Over 69,000 people indirectly benefitted from the program
- Oxfam worked with 18 partner organisations to implement the CLRDP
- Community groups saved USD $28,000 for investment in their villages and businesses
Background and local context
Ten years on from the vote for
independence, Timor-Leste has secured its political freedom but many of
its people remain among the poorest in the world.
The ‘hungry season’ is an annual reality for most families in Timor Leste. Around 90% of the population doesn’t have enough to eat between November and March each year.
Climate
change is partly to blame. Ever worsening drought-like conditions have
resulted in poor harvests that don’t provide enough food.
Children are particularly vulnerable to hunger: in Timor- Leste, almost 50% of children under the age of five are chronically malnourished — a major cause of child mortality.
Malaria,
diarrhoea and tuberculosis are common childhood illnesses, and many
children simply don’t survive. Even when they do survive, the effects of
malnutrition are irreversible if not treated before their second
birthday.
Project objectives and activities
Help People to save money and access credit
A total of 33 groups averaging 16 members, with 58% being women, received training in savings strategies and bookkeeping. These groups have saved over USD $28,000 and continue to report an increase in capital, with savings being used to establish micro industries (such as food kiosks) in order to improve housing conditions or to send children to school and university.
Protect the local environment
Project activities included training on management of natural resources and water, reforestation techniques to prevent soil erosion and how to protecting water sources like springs. Further training was given on disaster response preparedness, especially earthquakes, landslides and strong winds. Finally a film about screened about the impacts of climate change that led to 307 families diversifying their crops to prevent harvest failure.
Grow more nutritious food and create food storage solutions
A More than 1100 community members from 62 villages received training in food production including seed selection, planting techniques, use of organic fertilisers, sloping agriculture, instruction in land techniques and the creation of demonstration plots.
Trials in intensive rice farming also took place, resulting in a 60% increase in yield. Locally grown produce such as vegetables, sweet potatoes and rice were used by villagers for consumption and sale, thereby boosting nutritional intake and household income.
A total of 120 people received training on post-harvest management, resulting in 32 families using jerry cans and plastic drums to store their food.
Photo: Lorensa da Costa, 28, female community organizer, waters the community Oxfam-assisted vegetable garden.
The morning of Oxfam's visit, Lorensa had sold two of her garden’s rows of kankun (water spinach) for US$16.80. "I am like an important man since I joined the group, because everybody comes and looks for me when they want to buy vegetables."
"It’s very different now, things have changed a lot. After Oxfam came, we learnt how to plant, and after planting we can sell our vegetables for money. With that money we can support our families, we can send our children to school and we can buy food. "
"Since we have been eating fresh vegetables from the garden, I can see that my children’s health has improved a lot."
"Before my daughter was very skinny, but now she is healthy."
"Before my son wouldn’t eat very much. Before in our garden we only had pumpkins, or else the papaya leaf. The papaya leaf is very bitter, and the pumpkin leaf is not very good to eat. My son did not like to eat at all. But now we have our garden, and we can plant many vegetables, he now eats a lot of vegetables.
"There is a big change in my children. The Oxfam project taught us how to cook nutritious food, such as porridge with vegetables and beans, and now my children’s health is very good."
What is covered in the project
In partnership with local organisations, we are working with farming households, including women-headed households, to grow more food, safely store harvests and create a more sustainable environment. We are also working to increase access to savings and credit which provides sources of capital for both women and men members to draw upon in difficult time or to start small businesses. These changes will help vulnerable communities to create positive change in their lives.
Objectives, Aims and Outcomes
1. Grow more nutritious food and create food storage solutions
- Training in sustainable agriculture will be provided to help farmers grow more food by increasing their harvests of staple crops like corn, rice and sweet potato, and we will provide alternative sources of protein like beans and nuts.
- Vegetable gardens will be established to provide extra food during the ‘hungry season’. We will also provide seeds and seedlings to farmers groups that need a helping hand.
- Together with local farmers, we are developing more effective methods to store seeds and grains. Farmers sometimes lose up to 50% of their harvest simply because they don’t store it properly.
- Farmers groups will be strengthened with training and the opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences with farmers from other communities.
2. Protect the local environment
- We will provide farmer training on how to establish sustainable, permanent farms.
- Community education programs will give farmers the opportunity to access information on soil and water conservation techniques.
- Community education will also raise awareness among men, women and children in farming communities of the value of conserving forests for future generations.
3. Help People to save money and access credit
- Oxfam Australia will provide training in group savings and credit cooperatives so people can learn how to save and access low-interest loans to start small businesses like village stores, weaving or trading.
- Communities will be strengthened by the combined effort to save and invest money.
Seedlings stop hunger
Gonzales Mendoza (above) stands smiling in his veggie garden, ankle-deep in dirt.
“After I plant this [vegetable seedling] and it grows, I will harvest
it and sell it,” he says. Thanks to Oxfam Australia, Gonzales is one of
thousands of farmers who have received both training and seeds to help
increase their harvests.
“Before Oxfam came and trained us how to plant vegetables, we didn’t have anything,” says Gonzales.
“Now I harvest the vegetables and use some of the money to buy food
for my family and some of the money I will save for school fees for our
children.”
“What I hope for my family in the future, especially my children, is
to continue working in the garden,” he says. “Every day we plant the
vegetables together … so in the future my children will be able to look
after themselves.”
Background and local context
Ten years on from the vote for independence, Timor-Leste has secured its political freedom but many of its people remain among the poorest in the world.
The ‘hungry season’ is an annual reality for most families in Timor Leste. Around 90% of the population doesn’t have enough to eat between November and March each year.
Climate change is partly to blame. Ever worsening drought-like conditions have resulted in poor harvests that don’t provide enough food.
Children are particularly vulnerable to hunger: in Timor- Leste, almost 50% of children under the age of five are chronically malnourished — a major cause of child mortality.
Malaria, diarrhoea and tuberculosis are common childhood illnesses, and many children simply don’t survive. Even when they do survive, the effects of malnutrition are irreversible if not treated before their second birthday.
Project Partners
Oxfam is both direct implementing this program and working through local partners.
Part of Oxfam strategy in Timor Leste
Oxfam has worked in Timor-Leste for more than 30 years to build better lives for poor rural communities. Over the past three years, Oxfam Australia has partnered with local organisations in the districts of Oecusse and Covalima to create lasting solutions to hunger. So far, more than 13,000 people in Oecusse and Covalima districts have benefited from increased access to nutritious food. Around 60% of households have reduced the length of their ‘hungry season’ and more than 40% of households have reported an increase in income.