United States announces additional grant of US$400,000 to UNICEF for expansion of joint support to national COVID-19 response

20 JULY 2022. DILI, Timor-Leste – Today, the United States—through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)—announced an additional grant of $400,000 to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to expand joint support to Timor-Leste’s national COVID-19 response. The announcement was made by USAID’s Mission Director, Ms. Zema Semunegus, and Acting UNICEF Country Representative, Emmanuelle Collet, during an event to mark National Health Day in Ainaro municipality. 

The $400,000 USAID grant will help expand ongoing interventions including continuation of essential maternal, newborn, and child health services across the country; COVID-19 vaccination campaigns for eligible populations; and, improvement of infection prevention and control at additional community health centers (CHCs). 

"Today, I am honored to announce $400,000 in COVID-19 assistance from the American people.  To date, USAID has provided $6.8 million to UNICEF and the USAID Health System Sustainability Activity to support the national COVID-19 response in Timor-Leste. The funding has focused on risk communication and community engagement, infection prevention and control, and expansion of water and sanitation capacity in high-risk communities. Other critical efforts included strengthening data collection and analysis to improve the overall COVID-19 emergency response. The funding also supported the continuation of essential maternal, newborn, and child health services across the country. This fund also expanded COVID-19 vaccination campaigns for eligible populations while improving infection prevention and control at several community health centers," said USAID Mission Director Zema Semunegus. 

Since 2020, USAID and UNICEF have worked with the Ministry of Health on the improvement of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities in 30 CHCs in five municipalities and raised awareness on COVID-19 prevention and vaccine uptake, including through the deployment of community engagement coordinators in every municipality. USAID also provided infection prevention control (IPC) packages in 15 health centers. Improvement of WASH facilities in 13 CHCs in five municipalities is ongoing. 

“The support provided by USAID and UNICEF has been critical to our COVID-19 response effort, helping prevent the spread of COVID-19, treating those infected by the virus, and ensuring the continuation of essential health services by keeping health workers safe during the pandemic,” said Dra. Odete Maria Freitas Belo, Minister of Health. 

“Our joint actions are key to keeping children and families safe from COVID-19 and other diseases, while strengthening the health system so that it is better able to sustain crises, and to respond to the needs of Timorese people, particularly women and children,” said Emmanuelle Collet, Acting UNICEF Country Representative. 

With this funding, the total contribution to UNICEF to date for the COVID-19 response in Timor-Leste to date amounts to $2.9 million, including in four tranches of $500,000 provided in 2020, $1.5 million in 2021, $500,000 in May 2022, and $400,000 in July 2022. 

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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

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Estadus Unidus anunsia doasaun adisional husi US$ 400.000 ba UNICEF ba espansaun apoiu konjunta atu hatan ba COVID-19

20 Jullu, Dili, Timor-Leste – Estadus Unidus – liu husi Ajensia Internasional Dezenvolvimentu (USAID sigla Inglés) – anunisia ona ohin loron doasaun adisional $400.000 ba Fundus Nasoins Unidas ba Labarik (UNICEF sigla Inglés) ba espansaun apoiu konjunta nasional Timor-Leste atu hatan ba COVID-19. Anunsiu ne’e fó sai husi USAID-nia Ditora Misaun, Sra. Zema Semunegus, no Enkaregadu Reprezentante País UNICEF, Emmanuelle Collet, iha ambitu selebrasaun Loron Nasional Saúde iha munisipiu Ainaro. 

Doasaun $400.000 ne’e sei ajuda espande hela ona apoiu intervensaun sira inkluindu kontinuasaun servisu esensial maternal, neonatal no infantil iha país laran tomak; kampaña vasinasaun COVID-19 ba pupolasaun ilejivel sira; no hadiak prevensaun infesaun no kontrolu adisional iha sentru saude komunitaria (CHC sigla Inglés) sira. 

“Ohin loron, hau honrada tebes atu anunsia doasaun $400.000 asistensia ba COVID-19 husi povu Amerikanu. To’o ohin loron, USAID fornese ona millaun $6,8 ba UNICEF no USAID-nia Atividade Sustentabilidade SistemaSaude apoiu atu hatan COVID-19 iha Timor-Leste. Finansiamentu ne’e foka liu ba komunikasaun risku no involvimentu komunidade, prevensaun infesaun no kontrolu, no espansaun kapasidade bee no saneamentu iha komunidade sira ho risku aas. Esforsu krítiku sira seluk inklui fortalesimentu kolesaun no análize dadus hodi mellora hatan jeral emerjensia ba COVID-19. Fiansiamentu ne’e mós apoia kontinuasaun servisu esensial saude maternal, neonatal no infantil iha país laran tomak. Finansiamentu ne’e mós espande kampaña vasinasaun COVID-19 ba populasaun ilejivel sira, hadiak prevensaun no kontrolu infesaun iha sentru saude komunitaria balun,” dehan Ditora Misaun, Sra. Zema Semunegus.

Hahú husi 2020, USAID no UNICEF servisu hamutuk ona ho Ministeriu Saúde kona-ba melloramentu fasilidade bee, saneamentu no ijiene (BESI sigla Tetun) sira iha sentru saude komunitaria 30 iha munisipiu lima no konsientizasaun kona-ba prevensaun COVID-19 no implementasaun vasina, inklui liu husi implementasaun involvimentu koordenador kumunitaria sira iha munisipiu ida-idak. USAID mós fornese pakote prevensaun kontrolu infesaun (IPC sigla Inglés) iha sentru saude 15. Halao hela melloramentu fasilidade BESI iha Sentru Saude Komunitaria 13 iha munisipiu lima. 

“Apou fornese ona husi USAID ho UNICEF mak esforsu hatan ba COVID-19 ne’ebe kritiku, ajuda prevene propagasaun COVID-19, trata ema sira infetadu husi virus, no garante kontinuasaun servisu saude esensial sira, liu husi mantein profesional saude sira seguru durante pandemia,” dehan Dra. Odete Maria Freitas Belo, Ministra Saude. 

“Ami nia asaun konjunta sira mak xave atu matein labarik no familia sira seguru husi COVID-19 no moras sira seluk, no iha tempu hanesan fortalese sistema saude atu bele hasoru krize ne’e ho diak, no hatan ba populasaun Timor-Leste nia nesesidade sira, partikularmente feto no labarik sira, dehan Emmanuelle Collet, Enkaregada Reprezentante País UNICEF. 

Ho finansiamentu ne’e, total kontribuisaun ba UNICEF atu hatan ba COVID-19 iha Timor-Leste to’o ohin loron hamutuk millaun $2,9 ba faze haat hahú husi $500.000 iha 2020, millaun $1,5 iha 2021, $500.000 iha fulan Maiu 2022 no $400.000 iha fulan Jullu 2022. 

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Ba informasaun detallu bele kontaktu:
Ministeriu Saúde:
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