 |
 |
Project Spotlight
|
Welcome to Givewell's Project Spotlight. Each month we highlight a project for which a charity is currently seeking funds. We also provide details on how to give directly for this project.
Background Information: The Australian Foundation for the Peoples of Asia and the Pacific Limited (AFAP), a non-profit organisation based in Sydney, was established in 1968 and incorporated in NSW in 1983. AFAP manages development programs in Asia, Africa and the Pacific. Through creating partnerships with in-country NGOs in each of the communities with whom AFAP works, AFAP promotes self-reliant poverty alleviation community development. Sustainable capacity building programs include: health, institution building, education, literacy, agriculture, environmental protection, hospital rehabilitation, village improvement, disaster relief and rehabilitation, and small industry development created from the aspirations of the indigenous people. Project Objective: Improve healthcare services for women and children in Timor-Leste The ‘I Am Woman’ HAU ABUT) CD which was produced by Paul Stewart, is the latest music compilation created by the Dili Allstars to raise awareness of the plight of Timorese women and children and to contribute desperately needed funds toward improving their health. All proceeds from the sale of the CD will assist the Bairo Pite Clinic to provide vital healthcare services for the women and children of Timor-Leste. According to the World Health Organisation, in Timor-Leste of every 1000 live births, 90 infants die before their first birthday and approximately 136 children die before their fifth birthday. Malaria and dengue fever are endemic with many children also suffering from diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections and malnutrition. With the birth rate being one of the largest in the world, as the population growth rate soars to more than 2% comes an increase in infant mortality and a decrease in life expectancy. The Bairo Pite Clinic, an In-Country Partner of AFAP, plays a significant role in providing vital services to improve healthcare for the people of Timor-Leste. Bairo Pite Clinic Located in the capital city of Dili, the Bairo Pite Clinic was established by Dr Dan Murphy in 1999 to serve the immediate needs of a population affected by the humanitarian crisis. As the violence subsided, the Clinic has adapted and transformed from an emergency medical service to a more comprehensive community healthcare facility. Today, the Bairo Pite Clinic remains one of the most highly visited health clinics in the country, seeing an average of 300 patients per day cared for under the leadership of Dr Dan Murphy by thirty-two Timorese staff and three permanent international volunteers. With in-patient wards for children and adults suffering from tuberculosis, malaria, malnutrition and dengue fever, the Clinic also provides a variety of services including; counselling, childhood immunisations, antenatal and post-natal care, dentistry, laboratory testing and nutrition for in-patients. The Clinic also manages a busy emergency department and outreach service to remote regions. Improving Healthcare for Mothers, Babies and Children The Clinic is grossly under-resourced with all areas in dire need of repair. None more than the facilities for mothers and babies which provides prenatal and antenatal care for up to 300 women per month and vaccinates approximately 3000 babies annually. The Clinic facilities are so basic that the floor in the delivery room is cement, and despite the tropical heat, the room feels cold. There are no strong pain killers, no spinal anaesthetics, no sterile gowns or drapes, no oxygen machines and minimal birthing equipment for complicated deliveries. There is also a skills shortage. Although staff deliver hundreds of babies each year (which may not survive otherwise) they lack training in best practice. The maternity ward is a cramped 2 bed room with the beds barely a metre apart, babies are weighed on outdated scales in a dilapidated back room alongside children there to be vaccinated. Even in these basic, under resourced and overcrowded facilities and with the odds against them, because of the Bairo Pite Clinic these mothers know that their children will have a chance of survival. What will be the project outcomes? Funds raised from the ‘I Am Woman’ National Mother's Day Appeal will be used for the refurbishment of the clinic’s facilities for women and children. They will help to improve antenatal and postnatal care through funding the training of midwives in best practice healthcare service delivery and community education programs in the remote regions of Timor-Leste. Can donors/grant makers give directly for this project? Yes. If so, how? Purchase the ‘I Am Woman’ CD online at www.afap.org or donate. All donations over $2 are tax deductible and can be made via: 1) Phone: (02) 9906 3792 2) Email: info@afap.org 3) Online: http://www.afap.org/afap_online_donation.php 4) Mail: Post a cheque to: PO Box 12, Crows Nest, NSW 1585 Previous Project Spotlights
|
 |
 |