United States announces additional $1.5 million funding to support Timor-Leste’s COVID-19 response

9 DECEMBER 2021. DILI, Timor-Leste – Today, the United States—through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)—announced a $1.5 million grant to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to support the national COVID-19 response in Timor-Leste. The funding will support the continuation of essential maternal, newborn and child health services across the country, expand the COVID-19 vaccination campaign for eligible populations, improve infection prevention and control at a number of community health centers, and promote COVID-19 prevention behavior.  

The funding agreement was announced by the U.S. Chargé d’affaires Tom Daley and UNICEF Country Representative Bilal Durrani at a ceremony at the Ministry of Health Office in the presence of the Dra. Odete da Silva Viegas, General Director of Public Health Service, Ministry of Health. 

“The United States is pleased to extend additional COVID-19 support to help Timor-Leste beat back the pandemic,” said U.S. Chargé d’affaires Tom Daley. “Ending the pandemic and preventing and preparing for future global health security threats requires the engagement of all countries and a collective commitment to working together. Timor-Leste can continue to count on the support of the United States in the fight against COVID-19." 

The $1.5 million would help provide personal protection equipment to 71 community health centers and 13 municipal health authorities to replenish supplies, protect health workers, reduce transmission, and contribute to the continued delivery of quality maternal, newborn and child health services. The funds will also be used to supply oxygen concentrators to isolation facilities in Dili, the Hospital Nacional Guido Valadares, and regional hospitals for critical oxygen therapy for severe COVID-19 cases. 

The assistance from the American people will also help improve water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities in 14 community health centers in Baucau, Covalima, Dili, Ermera, and Manatuto municipalities for infection prevention and control and increase awareness of COVID-19 prevention measures and vaccine uptake across Timor-Leste. With this contribution, the total U.S. assistance to help Timor-Leste fight COVID-19 now stands at over $5.9 million and 100,620 Pfizer vaccines through the COVAX Facility.

“This contribution by the U.S. Government comes at a crucial time during the COVID-19 response as we prepare for possible future surges of the pandemic in Timor-Leste, when continued critical services and supplies are required to treat severe cases of COVID-19 infections and save lives, and as we are expanding the vaccination campaign for children aged 12 to under 18 years,” said Dra. Odete da Silva Viegas, General Director of Public Health Service, Ministry of Health. “The funding will promote actions that would contribute to blunting the impact of COVID-19 through prevention, treatment and vaccinations for eligible populations in Timor-Leste.”

This funding builds on the previous joint USAID-UNICEF initiative that benefitted 480,000 people through improved infection prevention and control; provided access to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in 20 community health centers in five municipalities; reached over 650,000 people through door-to-door awareness raising efforts on COVID-19 prevention; and equipped 15 community health centers with infection prevention and control supplies such as portable handwashing devices and cleaning supplies. 

“UNICEF has been leading in supporting the Government of Timor-Leste with all aspects of the COVID-19 response from day one, in the development, operationalization and delivery of the National Vaccine Deployment Plan for COVID-19 Vaccination.” said Bilal Durrani, UNICEF Country Representative. “Our partnership with USAID has helped us reach more than 1.1 million people so far. This funding will help us scale up efforts to reach hundreds of thousands more people with information, improve infection prevention and control, support the treatment of COVID-19 cases, and ensure that children and mothers receive essential life-saving care.”

The funding will contribute to the National COVID-19 response, supported by UNICEF, which has focused on improving access to health services, including essential services for nutrition, routine immunization and healthcare for mothers and children, improving access to distance learning and safer schools, child protection, and social protection. 

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For more information please contact:
Ministry of Health:
Ivo Ireneu da Conceicao Freitas, Head of Pillar 2, Ministry of Health COVID-19: ivoireneudcf@gmail.com
Raul Sarmento, Head of Protocol, Ministry of Health: raulsarmento2@gmail.com 

USAID:
Development Outreach and Communications Team: diliusaiddocs@usaid.gov

UNICEF:
Rukshan Ratnam, Communication Specialist (English): rratnam@unicef.org; +670.77. 231.103.
Antonio Gomez, Communication Officer (Tetun): angomez@unicef.org; +670.77.232.441

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Estadus Unidus anunsia apoiu finaseiru adisional Millaun $ 1,5 hatan ba COVID-19 iha Timor-Leste

9 Dezembru 2021. Dili, Timor-Leste – Estadus Unidus – liu hosi Ajensia Estadus Unidus ba Dezelvolvimentu Internasional (USAID sigla Inglés) anunsia ohin loron subsidiu Millaun $ 1,5 ba Fundus Nasoins Unidas ba Labarik (UNICEF sigla Inglés) hodi hatan ba COVID-19 iha Timor-Leste. Finansiamentu ne’e sei apoia kontinuasaun servisu ensensial sira saude maternal, neonatal no infantil iha país laran tomak, espande ba kampaña vasinasaun populasaun ilejivel sira, melloria prevensaun kontrolu infesaun sira iha sentru saude komunitaria hotu no promove hahalok prevensaun COVID-19.

Akordu finasiamentu anunsia ona hosi Enkaregadu Negosiu Estadus Unidus Tom Daley no Reprezentante País UNICEF Bilal Durrani iha serimonia ida halao iha Ministeriu Saúde ho prezensa hosi Doutora Odete da Silva Viegas, Diretora Jeral Prestasaun Servisu Saúde, Ministeriu Saúde.

“Estadus Unidus iha prazer atu estende apoiu adisional COVID-19 hodi ajuda Timor-Leste hodi funu hasoru pandemia,” dehan Ekaregadu Negosniu Estadus Unidus Tom Daley. “Hapara pandemia no prevene no prepara ba ameasa seguransa saude global iha futuru eziji involvimentu país hotu no kompromisu koletivu atu servisu hamutuk. Timor-Leste bele kontinua konta ho apoiu hosi Estadus Unidus ba funu hasoru COVID-19.”

Orsamentu millaun $1,5 sei ajuda fornese ekipamentu protesaun pesoal ba Sentru Saude Komunitaria 71 no autoridade saude minisipal 13 hodi reabastese suprimentu sira, proteje profesional saude sira, reduz transmisaun, no kontribui ba prestasaun kontinua ba kualidade maternal, infantil no kuidadu saude infantil sira. Fundu sira ne’e sei uza mós atu fornese oxijeniu konsentrador ba fasilidade izolamentu sira iha Dili, Ospital Nasional Guido Valadares, no ospital rejional sira ba terapia oxijeniu kritiku ba kazu grave COVID-19.  

Asistensia povu Amerikanu mós sei ajuda mellora fasilidade bee, saneamentu, no ijiene iha sentru saude komunitaria 14 iha munisipiu Baucau, Covalima, Dili, Ermera, no Manatuto ba prevensaun no kontrolu infesaun no aumenta konsientizasaun kona-ba medida prevensaun COVID-19 no vasinasaun iha Timor-Leste. Ho total kontribuisaun millaun $1,5 no vasina Pfizer 100.620 liu hosi COVAX Facility.  

“Kontribuisaun hosi Governu Estadus Unidus Amerika mai los durante tempu kritiku hodi hatan ba COVID-19 wainhira ita prepara ba posibilidade futuru surtu pandemia iha Timor-Leste, wainhira servisu esensial no suprimentu sira sei kontinua nesesariu hodi halo tramentu ba kazu infesaun grave sira hosi infesaun COVID-19 no salva moris, no ita mós espande hela kampaña vasinasaun ba labarik sira tinan 12 to’o menus hosi tinan 18,” dehan Doutora Odete da Silva Viegas, Diretora Jeral Prestasaun Servisu Saúde, Ministeriu Saúde. “Orsamentu ne’e sei promove asaun sira mak sei kontribui ba hamenus impaktu hosi COVID-19 liu hosi prevensaun, tratamentu no vasinasaun ba populasaun ilejivel sira iha Timor-Leste.”  

Finansiamentu ne’e bazeia ba inisiativa konjunta hosi USAID-UNICEF mak benefisia ona ema 480.000 liu hosi melloramentu prevensaun kontrolu infesaun; fornese asesu ba fasilidade bee, saneamentu no ijiene iha sentru saude komunitaria 20 iha munisipiu lima; atinji ema liu 650.000 liu hosi esforsu konsientizasaun hosi uma ba uma kona-ba prevensaun COVID-19; no ekipa sentru saude komunitaria 15 ho prevensaun infesaun no kontrolu suprimentu sira hanesan ekipamentu fase liman portátil no suprimentu limpeza sira. 

“UNICEF lidera ona apoiu ba Governu Timor-Leste iha aspetu hotu hodi hatan ba COVID-19 hahú kedas iha loron dahuluk, iha dezenvolvimentu, operasionalizasaun no entrega Planu Nasional Distribuisaun vasina ba vasinasaun COVID-19,” dehan Bilal Durrani, Reprezentante País UNICEF. “Ami nia parseria ho USAID ajuda ona ami atinji ema millaun 1,1 to’o ohin loron. Finansiamentu ne’e mós ajuda ami hodi aumenta esforsu sira atu alkansa ema rihun-atus ida-resin ho informasaun, melloria prevensaun no kontrolu infesaun, apoia tratamentu kazu COVID-19 sira, no garante katak labarik sira no inan sira simu kuidadu esensial hodi salva moris.” 

Finansiamentu ne’e sei kontribui hodi hatan ba COVID-19, apoiu hosi UNICEF, ne’ebe konsentra ba melloria asesu sira ba servisu saude, inklui servisu esensial sira ba nutrisaun, imunizasaun rutina no kuidadu saude ba inan no oan sira, melloria asesu ba ensinu distansia no eskola segura sira, protesaun labarik, no protesaun sosial. 

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Ba informasaun detallu favor kontaktu:
Ministeriu Saúde:
Ivo Ireneu da Conceicao Freitas, Kordenador Pilar 2, Ministeriu Saúde: ivoireneudcf@gmail.com
Raul Sarmento, Xefe Protokolu, Ministeiu Saúde: raulsarmento2@gmail.com 

USAID:
Development Outreach and Communications Team: diliusaiddocs@usaid.gov

UNICEF:
Rukshan Ratnam, Communication Specialist (English): rratnam@unicef.org; +670.77. 231.103.
Antonio Gomez, Communication Officer (Tetun): angomez@unicef.org; +670.77.232.441