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 Home News General
Help needed for East Timor Nurses09 June 2006The ANF is running an appeal to assist nurses in East Timor
The recent conflict in East Timor has severely disrupted the day-to-day lives of nurses. Madalena Soares, a nurse in East Timor and member of the East Timor Nurses union, Associacao Dos Enfermeiros Timor Lester (AETL), recently relayed the distressing situation to the ANF.'Nurses bring their families with them to the hospital in the hope that food will be available for everyone but the hospital only provides one plate of food for each nurse. Some nurses have already left workplaces to go to refugee camps. We need some help to encourage them to stay and to make sure they are safe,' she said.What began as a strike by about 600 soldiers from the East Timor military in March, developed into widespread civil unrest at the hands of opposing factions of the East Timorese security forces, as well as unemployed and disaffected youth. The current unrest brings back memories of the terrible trauma of the Indonesian occupation and the violence and destruction caused by the pro-Indonesian militia after their independence ballot in 1999. Elisabeth Lino de Araujo, the Union Aid Abroad local office manager described how the collective trauma of the events in 1999 is affecting people in the current situation. 'This has been a political problem, but it's the people who suffer. People here have worked so hard since 1999 to rebuild their houses, to rebuild their lives, and they have sacrificed so much. They are not ready to leave the refugee camps, they don't want to risk losing any more.'The ANF would like to provide additional support to AETL, to help rebuild infrastructure and restore confidence. Support from Australian nurses can help make this happen. Through Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA, the ANF will be able to quickly respond to the needs of nurses in East Timor, by providing essentials and replacing equipment which has been stolen or damaged. Monetary donations are desperately needed in order for the East Timor Nurses Association to provide much needed relief to nurses so they can continue their work. In the long-term, AETL is likely to need to need assistance in the following:
Contact Details Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA Ph: (02) 9264 9343 Fax: (02) 9261 1118 office@apheda.org.au |
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