The civil disturbances that rocked Dili in May and June prompted more than 70,000 Dili residents to seek safety in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs). With international forces on the ground, the security situation in Dili has stabilized, but until the underlying problems are solved, few people are willing to return to their homes. The camps have become their temporary homes, and USAID has responded to their needs immediately with $150,000 in emergency grant funding through its Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA).

This USAID support allows CARE to work directly with more than 24,000 IDPs and camp organizers at 19 camps in Dili and two camps in the neighboring town of Liquica to improve conditions. In addition to helping camp organizers learn more about effective camp management, CARE's work focuses on:

• ensuring that camp residents have adequate shelter, water, and sanitation facilities

• providing health screenings to identify and minimize the risk of disease outbreaks

• helping the camps identify vital issues for health promotion and establish and manage areas for food preparation and hygiene separate from areas for washing clothes and dishes

• identifying key issues for child protection and making camps safer and more suitable for children, in cooperation with the government's Division of Social Services

• working with the Gender-Based Violence Working Group to arrange trauma counseling to help individuals cope with the impact of the events that have interrupted their lives.

CARE's work is linked closely to the coordination efforts of the government of Timor-Leste, and particularly the Ministry of Labor. OFDA support will ensure that CARE's activities continue for two months in conjunction with the efforts of other donors and humanitarian aid organizations, including the Timor-Leste Red Cross, to assist the 150,000 IDPs across the country.

OFDA is the office within USAID responsible for facilitating and coordinating US government emergency assistance overseas. OFDA provides humanitarian assistance to save lives, alleviate human suffering, and reduce the social and economic impact of humanitarian emergencies. In Timor-Leste, OFDA works through the USAID Timor-Leste mission to support its strategic objective of improving the health of Timor-Leste's people, especially women and children at greatest risk.