Timor-Leste: Working with communities to increase safety and adequacy of houses

According to World Bank’s poverty survey almost 50 per cent of the population in Timor-Leste live in poverty. For many people in-country access to shelter, safe water and basic sanitation, food and other resources is not reliable. This hinders communities from living in a safe, healthy and secure environment and sustaining their livelihood. This situation, coupled with natural hazards, such as regular floods, landslides, droughts and occasional earthquakes increases the vulnerability of the communities and negatively impacts their resilience.
The Cruz Vermelha de Timor-Leste works together with vulnerable communities to increase their access to safe water, improved sanitation and empower them with knowledge to facilitate better health outcomes, reduce disaster risks and create sustainable livelihoods. Implementing these projects has enabled the National Society not only to build community safety and resilience but also develop its capacity to work effectively and efficiently in programming, advocacy and delivery of services.