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Programs: Improved Health

 

IMPROVED HEALTH PROJECTS


Maternal and Child Health

Child Spacing

Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza in Timor-Leste


 

 

HEALTH PROGRAM SUMMARY

Photo of children holding bednets.
“To reduce the incidence of malaria, a total of 85,101 insecticide treated bednets were distributed to all children under five in the six worst-affected districts and to all the families living in IDP camps around Dili.”

Child Health and Priority Infectious Diseases

USAID is providing technical support to the Ministry of Health to strengthen and extend effective child health interventions throughout Timor-Leste in order to decrease infant and child mortality rates and reduce the impact of priority infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and dengue. Our two implementing partners, BASICS and Immunization Basics, have joined forces as TAIS (Timor-Leste Asistencia Integradu Saúde or “Timor-Leste Integrated Health Assistance”) in order to achieve rapid and significant results. TAIS works to build capacity at all levels of the public health system, particularly focusing on improving services at the sub-district and community levels. Core interventions include malaria, pneumonia, and diarrheal disease prevention, control, and treatment; nutrition; and complete immunization for vaccine-preventable childhood diseases, all consistent with the top health priorities and policies of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.

TAIS works to strengthen and improve the delivery of interventions through existing health facilities in a way that ensures ownership, sustainability, and capacity building. In partnership with NGOs such as Catholic Relief Services and CARE, TAIS assists the Ministry to strengthen essential preventive services as well as clinical and community management of childhood illnesses, particularly addressing access, use, and quality of services. In each district and sub-district, TAIS works with elected and traditional leaders to utilize local health data for improved planning and delivery of health services, stimulate community involvement in health programs, and advocate for improved maternal and child health behavior, and promote best practices for health services utilization by the community.

Maternal Health and Newborn Care

USAID's Child Survival and Health Grant is focusing on strengthening best practices in maternal health and new-born care throughout Timor-Leste, working principally with nurse-midwives at health centers, as well as with local NGOs, church groups, and communities.

Our implementing partner Health Alliance International supports the Ministry of Health to improve quality, access, and utilization of antenatal, delivery, postnatal/newborn care services, and increase appropriate home care and care-seeking practices by mothers and other community members.

Child Spacing

USAID is helping the Ministry to raise awareness of good family planning and reproductive health practices, including child spacing. Behavior change communications materials are developed in such a way as to best inform individuals and couples on their choices of family planning methods, as well as the interval for child spacing that best secures the health of the infant and mother. Health workers are trained to provide information, education and counseling regarding different methods of family planning and referrals for certain methods and their potential side effects. Health Alliance International is USAID’s leading implementing partner in this area.

HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control

USAID, in partnership with Family Health International, supported the development of Timor-Leste's first national HIV/AIDS program and its proposal to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. As a result of USAID’s technical assistance, the Global Fund entered into a five-year, $9 million partnership with the Ministry of Health to combat HIV/AIDS.