Clinic Cafe Timor 09 kit arrivals. Kate Graham mother of Kristen Graham bringing kits with her on a visit.
Timor Leste
Project Overview
Timor Leste is a destination that the BKFA has supported with clean birth kits since 2004.
There is an obvious need for a clean birth kit when the maternal mortality rate is 660:100,000 live births.
The Ministry of Health has a policy of encouraging all births in a hospital. It is obviously a safer option than a home birth. They have not recommended the use of our birthing kits as they may encourage birthing at home. In reality 90% of women deliver at home, 10% with a midwife or doctor at home and the remaining 70 - 80 % with a TBA or family member at home.
Organisations we are currently working with are;
1. Clinic Cafe Timor
2. Marie Stopes International
Participating Organisations
Since 2004, 7540 kits have been sent via several smaller organisations
The Clinic Cafe Timor initiative, is a development programme within CCT funded by USAID and by CCT profits gained largely from fair trade premiums, demonstrates the benefits to disadvantaged communities from fair trade practices. Clinic Cafe Timor offers primary level health services to the coffee farmers and their families in the remote mountain coffee growing districts of East Timor. The programme currently reaches 115,000 in rural and coastal Timor. Historically, these families have been poorly serviced or isolated from mainstream health services. Following an introduction of the birthing kit in 2007 and training of all their midwives, they distributed kits in 3 pilot areas in rural and remote regions of the Ermera district. The midwife educates the women and provides a kit at 36 weeks. Pilot areas are very remote, mountainous and some villages a 6km walk from clinic in steep terrain. 2000 kits have been supplied in the past 2 years.
Marie Stopes International (http://www.mariestopes.org/)
The partnership with Marie Stopes International in Timor Liste is relatively new. They are currently awaiting arrival of the pilot program. Once these kits safely arrive and BFKA can be sure that the transport method is sound, further kits will be sent on as needed.