It’s a hot, dry and dusty afternoon in Bulubai village, in Baucau,Timor-Leste, when a team of health and nutrition workers arrives from the nearby Laga Health Centre. The community has turned out to welcome them. A group of women, children and older people sit on plastic chairs in the shade of a metal roof, surrounded by small village houses. The activities begin with a demonstration of how to cook nutritious meals with locally available ingredients, led by Ana Legita Correia, a local woman from the village, who is also a member of the mothers’ support group.

Continue reading “Adriana is treated for malnutrition in Baucau, Timor-Leste” →

It was a stormy evening when the worst flood in recent memory hit the outskirts of Dili, Timor-Leste. Flood waters swept down the hillside of a steep valley, engulfing Casnafar Basic Education Branch School and houses in nearby villages. People living in the area are used to annual flooding, but this was much worse than usual. They quickly abandoned their belongings and homes and climbed the hillside to find higher ground.

Before the night was over, the water had risen above the metal roof of the school buildings. Many family homes were either swept away or damaged beyond repair. The school buildings, which were stronger, survived but everything inside was swept away. When teachers returned, they found classrooms full of stone and sand left behind by the retreating flood waters. It was another two months before students were able to return to school.

Continue reading “Nonia’s school prepares for climate disasters in Timor-Leste” →