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 Home Overseas Projects East Timor Project News
Help needed for East Timor Nurses
09 June 2006
The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) and Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA are running an appeal to assist nurses in East Timor.
ANF Federal Secretary Jill Iliffe with nurses in East Timor
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Due to 3 months of conflict that occurred in East Timor the day-to-day lives of nurses was severely distrupted.
Luis Lobato, the President of the East Timor Nursing Association (AETL) described the sitaution nurses face in a letter he recently wrote to the ANF: "Nurses and midwives had their homes destroyed and burnt down and many have had to take refuge in safe places."
The ANF are providing support to nurses in East Timor by helping them rebuild their houses. Over 40 nurses and midwives had their homes destroyed.
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, Union Aid Abroad's 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:
- repairing any damaged infrastructure or equipment;
- replacing stolen or damaged goods; and
- restarting their programs.
The nurses of East Timor are once again facing a difficult and distressing situation and they need your help.
Please donate generously to the ANF East Timor Nurses appeal.
- Phone: Call the toll free number 1800 888 674 and donate over the phone using a credit card, please let the operator know that the donation is for East Timor nurses.
- Click here and donate using the secure donation form. Select Section C One-off donation - "East Timor: Nurses Appeal" from the drop down menu on the form.
History of the ANF and the East Timor Nurses Association
The ANF signed an historic agreement with the East Timor Nurses Association (ETNA) on 24 May 2001. In signing this agreement the ANF signaled an ongoing commitment to help the people of East Timor rebuild their country. At the time of the agreement there were 1,874 nurses in East Timor and at least one third were unemployed. The ANF has provided resources to fund three full time positions for ETNA. In 1999/2000 the ANF raised $300,000 worth of medical supplies.
Funds raised by nurses in Australia allowed ETNA to purchase a 4-wheel drive to visit nurses working in outlying and remote regions of the country. ETNA changed its name at the last national conference to Associacao Dos Enfermeiros Timor Leste (AETL).
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