Since its independence in May 2002, Timor-Leste has made significant progress in expanding its economy and improving its standards of living through various efforts such as rebuilding public infrastructures and institutional frameworks. Today, Timor-Leste, with around 1.3 million people, is a peaceful nation. However, the aftermath of decades of conflicts and other factors like natural disasters persists, as shown by the poverty measure with the national poverty line. Though it has been on the decline, in 2024, 42% of families in Timor-Leste are living in poverty according to the United Nations. Among them, children are the most vulnerable group when it comes to poverty. Fortunately, some efforts are underway to eliminate child poverty in Timor-Leste.

Poverty

According to Timor-Leste’s own country-specific measurement of multidimensional poverty, young children have the highest multidimensional poverty rates, meaning that the children do not have enough access to quality education, health care and nutrition.

Education

According to UNICEF, only 20% of children who are of the age for preschool are enrolled in school and 70% of students in the first grade do not meet basic learning standards. Moreover, educational institutions face challenges due to insufficient necessities as well such as bathrooms and drinking water. 

To address this room for improvement, UNICEF has been working with the government to formalize quality standards for preschool and basic education and an Early Childhood Development Policy. Additionally, UNICEF also advocated for Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Education to establish the Basic Law of Education in 2008, the  National Policy Framework for Preschool Education in 2014, the Basic Education Law in 2010,  the WASH in Schools Guidelines in 2016 and the Inclusive Education Policy in 2017. These efforts for improvements in education and equity will contribute to a higher rate of quality education along with an increase in individual earnings. This will eventually contribute to solving poverty and increasing domestic product per capita in Timor-Leste.

Child Labor

Instead, many children in Timor-Leste work as child laborers to make a living for their families and to buy necessities. According to the United Nations, one child named Ano from Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste, spends nine hours daily selling popcorn and other snacks to subsidize his family’s income. This is not just a problem surrounding one child. UNICEF and ILO jointly announced in their report that around 10% of 5-12 aged children in Timor-Leste work to support their families.

The government of Timor-Leste acknowledged the issue of child labor by ratifying Convention No. 182, an international agreement in 1999, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 2003 with a goal of eliminating any form of child abuse. Other organizations such as UNICEF have also worked to advocate for child rights and eliminate child labor in Timor-Leste.

Nutrition

Food deficits and malnutrition are also problems in Timor-Leste. The World Food Programme (WFP) reported that around 47% of the children five years old and under are stunted and 8.6% of children are suffering from malnutrition. Additionally, 23% of women from age 15 to 49 are anemic, which means they do not have enough red blood cells needed to distribute oxygen to the body’s tissues.

To combat malnutrition, WFP has provided technical support to the government of Timor-Leste to produce fortified food filled with minerals and vitamins for vulnerable families. It has also developed an efficient supply chain management system to ensure that the food reaches households that need the most assistance. Subsequently, in 2022, WFP provided fortified rice to approximately 79,000 children in more than 400 schools in Timor-Leste  through a school program.

Health Care

Due to low access to health care systems, maternal and under-5 mortality rates are the highest in Southeast Asia. In terms of vaccination, a UNICEF report from 2016 indicated that only 49% of children (12-29 months) had obtained all of their vaccinations. Moreover, about 88% of health care facilities in Timor-Leste lack emergency care for women and newborns. These problems are mainly due to limited workforce, supply chains and public financing.

In order to save the lives of children by improving health care systems, many organizations and governments have carried out various efforts. USAID endeavors to expand health care across Timor-Leste and improve the support of infants, children and women. USAID assisted the Ministry of Health in facilitating health promotion sessions including hygiene and nutrition education for 11,317 people. UNICEF also seeks to strengthen health care worker networks and workforces in Timor-Leste along with advocacy for vaccination programs. By 2025, its goal is to increase the number of skilled health care professionals during birth from 55% to 70% and reach 150,000 people at health care promotion activities and health care facilities.

Looking Forward

It was a short period after Timor-Leste became a sovereign state in 2002. Since, there has been a continuous effort made by governments, various organizations and individuals to mitigate the problem of child poverty in Timor-Leste and improve the lives of children. When these collective actions worldwide support its long-lasting growth in Timor-Leste, child poverty in Timor-Leste will gradually decline with more children living the fulfilling lives they deserve. As Helen Keller said, “Until the great mass of the people shall be filled with the sense of responsibility for each other’s welfare, social justice can never be attained.”

– Sein Kim

Sein is based in Bellevue, WA, USA and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr