Maternal and Child Health Team roll out New Programs and Training for women in Timor-Leste

The last 12 months has been a time of restructuring for the Alola's Maternal and Child Health Team. The MCH team is now divided into two principal teams one, the National Breastfeeding Association, headed by Maria Gutterres and the Women’s Health Safe Motherhood program, headed by Angelina Fernandes.  Both are working as counterpart Acting Maternal and Child Program managers while Veronica Corriea, is seconded to work with the University of New South Wales and the Department of Statistics on a health seeking behaviour study.  She is working as the senior researcher with data specialist, Diana Glazebrook from the Australian National University.   This research, which is looking at service provision and users in Timor-Leste is vital for shaping the Ministry of Health’s strategic plan for 2009/10. 

Two new nurses have been recruited to work in health promotion with our Health promotion advisor, Karen Hobday.  Karen conducted the evaluation of the Mother support Groups in 2007 and has stayed on to assist with implementing its recommendations.  She is instrumental in guiding the team to work towards the Ministry of Health’s behaviour change communication strategy for infant nutrition.  The two new health promotion staff Aquelina Imaculada formally with Medicos de Mundo and Lilliana Pires will work together across both programs to implement community training in women’s health and nutrition.  These positions were also created to facilitate the integration of community groups with the Ministry’s new community mobile clinic model Sistema Integradu Saude Communidade (SISCa).    

2008 also saw the maternity packs project move to Alola’s economic development department who now produce the packs for MCH  who supply them to the hospitals.  The plan is to expand the maternity packs project in 2008 to other hospitals, including Liquica district where the safe motherhood project is established.

Read about our initiatives including comprehensive training in baby feeding and nutrition across the across the districts, Suku Hadomi Inan no Oan and more. Please read down and learn more about the efforts to improve the health of women and children of Timor-Leste.

Follow links to find out about all our program areas:

National Breastfeeding Association of East Timor (Klibur Susu Ben Inan Nian ba Kosok Oan)

The Infant and Young Child Feeding Training in Timor-Leste

Maternity Packs

Program introduced during 2006 crisis

Mother’s Milk film used in communities

Suku Hadomi Inan no Oan - (desa siaga)

Research on maternal mortality in East Timor

Maternal & Child Health Contacts

Tanya Wells Brown
Maternal and Child Health Program Manager (International)
Phone: +(670) 3323 855 mob: +670 732 9402

Maria Imaculada Guterres & Angelina Fernandes (While Veronica leads Health Research Project)
Acting for Maternal and Child Health Program Manager (National)
Phone: +(670) 3323 855

Click here to read about Veronica Correia's visit to Australia for studies and learn more about Suko Hadomi Inan no Oan.