As the youngest nation, Timor Leste has one of the highest child and infant mortality rates in the world.  MILK’s work in Timor Leste involves primary health care, education, maternal/infant care and disease prevention programmes.  The people of Timor Leste have dire needs, but the political and social instability in Timor Leste makes it extremely difficult for strategic humanitarian efforts.

The unrest in Timor Leste in June 2006 left thousands of people displaced and struggling for survival. As always, those who suffer most are the innocent -- women and children who have been subjected to the daily trauma of violence and the lack of shelter and food.  MILK launched a public appeal (MILK Timor Leste Appeal) in Singapore in June last year to help the people of Timor Leste by meeting immediate humanitarian needs such as food and medicine.

The work in Timor Leste remains challenging but we will continue to save lives and give hope to the Timorese in their arduous journey of nation building.  MILK supports immunization programmes through rural clinics in partnership with Café Clinic Timor and enhancement of mothers' support group, health education and promotion of assisted births through capacity building at Alola Foundation.

* Clinic Café Timor: Clinic Café Timor (CCT) is a free primary health programme within the coffee farmers’ cooperative and existed initially to offer health services to coffee growers and their families in mountainous areas. Through a joint partnership involving MILK, CCT and the Ministry of Health, these primary health care services are also extended to non-coffee growers living in remote areas.  Collectively, we support 11 fixed clinics and 4 mobile clinics which serve about 200,000 patients every year.

 * For long term sustainability of the programmes, MILK believes in the development of competencies of the local people. Hence MILK supports the training of CCT nurses who will return to the clinic and supervise the other nurses working in the clinic.

* Alola Foundation: The funds raised from the MILK Timor Leste Appeal were channeled towards the Alola Foundation, a charity dedicated to improving the lives of women and children in Timor Leste and an active partner of MILK. The Alola Foundation provides services and programs in areas such as advocacy, employment, education, maternal and child health and humanitarian assistance.

Milk assists in the following areas:

1. Hiring co-ordinators to support women's groups to identify needs, counselling and disseminating health messages.

2. Supporting widows of the police, military and others killed in the unrest with financial assistance and necessities.

3. In the Maternal and Child Health areas:

4. Nutrition program for pregnant and breast feeding mothers.

5. Assisted birth for safe delivery: Many of the women did not go to hospital for delivery for fear of hostile attacks or their inability to afford delivery fees and transport or a sense of shame from being unable to provide their new-born babies with appropriate clothing.

6. Network of women committees were set up to plan for safe delivery facilities (assisted by skilled birth attendants) and to give practical assistance.

7. Maternity pack program is an effort to reduce the infant mortality rates by providing babies and mothers with warm clothes and blankets. It was later enhanced to include additional items to cope with the circumstances of child birth e.g. sanitary towels etc.