Volume Seven October 2012

Welcome to the Spring edition of the Alola Australia newsletter.

Our feature article tells the inspiring story of Alola’s maternal and child health program in Timor-Leste and some of its challenges and achievements over the past ten years.

The maternal and child health theme is continued with some wonderful stories about how friends and communities across Australia have given their support to this important work through the very successful 2012 MILK campaign.

This and much more, we hope that you enjoy the read.

The Alola Foundation Maternal and Child Health Program

One of the most important and effective ways that the Alola Foundation supports women and children in Timor-Leste is through its maternal and child health program.

Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Program goals are:

Increase community and health professional’s knowledge and awareness of key maternal and child health issues;

Increase nutritional status of children under two years old by promoting good feeding practices, including exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and complementary feeding with local food from six months onwards;

Promote and support initiation of breastfeeding for newborn babies including skin to skin care with their mothers at health facilities; and

Promote the safe motherhood initiative and birth spacing through community-based networks and health facility-based programs.

In order to achieve the goals of the Alola Foundation and to contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (No.4: Reduction in Child Mortality and No.5: Improve Maternal Health), the Alola Foundation has focused the MCH Program in two main areas:

Health facility-based programs; and

Community-based programs.

In 2011, the MCH program maintained its strong focus on promoting infant and young child feeding, safe motherhood initiatives, newborn care and birth spacing as well as hospital play room activities including breastfeeding support, maternity packs distribution and integrating the community management of acute malnutrition with the infant and young child feeding program.

An overview of MCH program

activities over 10 years

Health facility-based program activities

Infant and young child feeding training for health professionals

Optimal infant and young child feeding means exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, and extended breastfeeding for two years and beyond along with nutritional complementary feeding introduced after six months of age. This is the most effective child survival strategy. It reduces under-nutrition and helps in growth and development. With a high prevalence of stunting amongst children under five, it is crucial to raise awareness of the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and nutritional complementary feeding to prevent malnutrition and ensure children’s development opportunities later in life.

The Timor-Leste Ministry of Health through the Nutrition Department with the Alola Foundation supports capacity building of Timorese medical practitioners, midwives, nurses and nutritionists. 259 health professionals have attended an integrated course on breastfeeding, complementary feeding, infant feeding and HIV–counselling. Participants came from the Hospitals, Community Health Centres and Health Posts in Timor-Leste over the ten year period. The training is aimed at enabling health professionals to: support mothers to initiate breastfeeding early;

diagnose and help mothers if they have breastfeeding difficulties or nipple or breast conditions;

help mothers breastfeed/breastmilk feed sick and low birth weight babies;

help mothers learn tube feeding;

help mothers prepare and provide safe replacement feeds if she has chosen in a difficult situation like HIV to feed her baby artificial baby milk; and

help mothers to learn about adequate complementary feeding and associated feeding techniques.

At the end of the course the participants reported that they were more confident in promoting breastfeeding in preference to commercial sector promotion of artificial baby milk and baby foods.

Distribution of maternity packs and promotion of the safe motherhood initiative at the community level

In 2006, the Alola Foundation initiated the Maternity Packs Project which provides packs containing baby clothes and mother’s clothes with health promotion materials to attract, encourage and motivate every woman to use health facilities when giving birth, starting at Dili National Hospital and Baucau and Oecusse Referral Hospitals.

According to the UNFPA and the Timor-Leste Ministry of Health 2004 Demographic Health Survey (DHS) the maternal mortality was very high in Timor-Leste with an estimated 660

maternal deaths per 100,000 live births of which only 10% of all mothers used heath facilities. This meant that mothers were assisted by a health worker at only 1 in 10 births. However, this situation has improved with the introduction of Maternity Packs and the Safe Motherhood Program promotion lead by Community-based groups in Health Facilities. Based on the DHS in 2009/10 there has been an increase from 10% to 32% of births occurring in health facilities. The Alola Foundation has recruited the 10 members of the Dili, Baucau, Maubisse and Oecusse Mother Support Groups to work at the hospitals as Hospital Liaison Officers and one midwife as newborn care project officer. They have a clear objective to deliver maternity packs to mothers. Besides that the hospital liaison officer also provides support to the newborn care program that has been implemented in the maternity room, including promotion of skin-to-skin contact, initiation of breastfeeding and provision of assistance to mothers who have difficulty breastfeeding. The program provides information and comprehensive assistance to eliminate barriers to breastfeeding during the mothers and babies stay at the hospital.

In addition, they provide information and contact details for breastfeeding counselors and MCH Community-based groups that are available in the mother’s community so that mothers can seek help immediately if the mother has breastfeeding difficulties when discharged from hospital.

More women are giving birth in a health facility as a result of the Alola Foundation distributing Maternity Packs and the support and encouragement of community-based groups to give birth at a health facility because it encourages and helps mothers to access health facilities. Based on evaluation of the Maternity Pack Project from 2009 maternity packs were not distributed at Dili Hospital as mothers said they did not need the maternity pack with clothing. They still receive information about the breastfeeding support they can receive from the community-based groups in their suco (village/suburb) once they are home.

Community-based program activities

The Alola Foundation has expanded the community–based groups into 10 districts of the 13 districts of Timor-Leste. This translates to 77 villages out of the 442 villages that exist in Timor-Leste. Bobonaro/ Maliana, Manufahi/ Same and Cova Lima/Suai districts are the three districts where this is yet to happen as this is subject to donor interest and support.

The establishment of the community based program was initiated through consultation with local authorities; identification of suitable program locations; introduction and promotion of the program to community members; training on participatory problem analysis approach for the village facilitators; participatory problem analysis workshops for the community members; workshops on regulations and socialization of the regulations to the community; and finally, the inauguration of each group as health group.

Existing areas of community based groups established from 2003 to 2011

Note: numbers refer to the total of the group/village (77 villagers)

Community based groups are a grassroots mechanism for the dissemination of key health messages such as the importance of breastfeeding, complementary feeding, safe motherhood, newborn care and birth spacing to women and families across Timor-Leste. The program also trained approximately 2000 community-based group members in infant and young child feeding, basic safe motherhood and birth spacing and the community management of acute malnutrition. As soon as they receive training the community-based group members provide information on danger signs during pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum health and the benefits of

breastfeeding/infant and young child feeding to pregnant and lactating women. In 2010, the Alola Foundation’s MCH program integrated Mother Support Groups and the Suco Hadomi Inan ho Oan Program (SHIO) which literally means ‘the village loves its mothers and children.’ SHIO encourages community leaders to take responsibility for registering pregnant women, developing safe delivery plans, and addressing access issues for antenatal, delivery and post natal care. SHIO members also support activities run by the Ministry of Health in their suco (sub-district) on monthly basis.

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The intention was to extend SHIO networks and integrate infant and young child feeding and the community management of acute malnutrition into the SHIO networks. Currently we call this work Community–based Groups (MSG/SHIO) and both programs are combined to promote information, provide training and services across Timor-Leste. “Based on interviews conducted by staff with mothers, the mastitis cases happened when mothers delivered at hospital on Saturday because Alola’s staff only work from Monday to Friday, so the mothers didn’t receive any breastfeeding information immediately postpartum. Then when the mother was discharged by a doctor from hospital and went home, limited breastfeeding resulted in engorgement and mastitis. This situation resulted in a suggestion from the Director of Oecusse referral Hospital that all

mothers that deliver on Saturday and Sunday should meet with Alola’s staff on Monday to receive breastfeeding information

before they go home.”

Achievements 2003-2011

• Exclusive breastfeeding rate has increased from 31.7 % to 52 %;

• Childbirth at a health facility increased from 10 % to 22 %;

• 5 infant and young child feeding counselling centres have been established;

• 2 play rooms have been set up at Dili National Hospital and Baucau Referral Hospital where families can relax and receive breastfeeding support; and

• 77 community based groups have been established in 10 districts.

Note: As of 2012 the two play rooms at the hospital have not had funding extended to support the employment of the playroom worker at each of the two playrooms in Dili National Hospital and Baucau Referral Hospital. This funding is $85 per playroom per month and provides a much needed service for families as it provides a place for children under five years old to play while they are in hospital receiving treatment and for parents to receive information and support about breastfeeding and complementary feeding.

In 2011, 6,457 children accessed the Hospital Play Rooms. This included 2,823 children at Baucau Hospital and 2568 children at Dili National Hospital. An additional 2,145 parents and family members received breastfeeding counselling at Dili National and Baucau hospitals.

Our supporters and volunteers

Tall Poppies

In September Tall Poppies Creating Opportunities Inc. hosted their annual film night with the screening of “The Sapphires” raising $1000 which

was donated to Alola Australia.

The Tall Poppies Committee comprises seven women who work in the Education and Health sectors and who believe that even modest amounts of financial aid can make a difference to people living without basic human rights of adequate food, shelter, employment, education, security and freedom.

For Tall Poppies, a donation to Alola seemed an ideal opportunity to support an organisation already making tangible achievements in this area.

Janet Hunt

Janet Hunt is a Canberra-based supporter of Alola Foundation who recently held an afternoon tea for the MILK campaign.

“It was really fun”, Janet said. “I baked a few cakes the day before – something I rarely have time to do, and I just invited about a dozen friends I knew would be around that weekend at $10 a head.”

It was all organised within a week thanks to emails, and was a great success, with many friends being more than generous, so she raised about $300.

Janet has worked with local NGOs in Timor-Leste and is inspired both by Timor-Leste’s needs and its achievements to date in maternal health.

2012 MILK Campaign success stories

Thanks to Alola’s supporters and the fantastic efforts of a number of dedicated teams of volunteers, the 2012 MILK campaign has been a great success. The campaign raised awareness and over $35,000 to support the work of Alola with women, children and their communities to improve infant and maternal health. This kind of support is invaluable. The 2012 MILK campaign was officially launched by the founder and chair of Fundasaun Alola Kirsty Sword Gusmão in Canberra on 23 July 2012 in a breakfast event attended and enthusiastically supported by the now Patron of Alola, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC CVO Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. The launch was followed by a morning tea hosted by the Ambassador of Timor-Leste His Excellency Mr Abel Guterres and his wife Mrs Ana Paula Mok Guterres at their residence.

An amazing group of women were responsible for organising the 2012 MILK campaign launch and morning tea events in Canberra. Our very special thanks go to Helen Kenneally and Helen Tchong, Dorren Culliver, Di van Meegen and Libby Lloyd.

Thank you also to the many people, small groups of friends and supporters from NSW, Western Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory and the Maternal and Child Health Nurses across many municipalities who joined in to support the women and children of Timor-Leste as part of MILK. It seems that many an afternoon of wonderful company, tea and scones or something a whole lot fancier has been enjoyed for this campaign.

A very special thank you to Jill Forsyth, whose passion and energy has made the vision of MILK a very successful reality. The Melbourne MILK team led by Jill was supported by Toni McMullen with additional help from Kerryn Lawry, Amanda Anderson and Vanessa Little. Invaluable campaign

design and promotion assistance was again provided by Haystac, thank you Lucy Williams and the Shannon Company, thank you Sharon Bullen.

Jill Forsyth, Kirsty Sword Gusmao, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce

and His Excellency Mr Abel Guterres

In Timor-Leste, MILK provided the perfect opportunity to celebrate the achievements of Alola’s maternal and child health program and to promote healthy baby and breastfeeding practices across many districts.

Eating cake for fun and Alola in South Australia

Our small friends of Alola group in South Australia had discussed all sorts of creative ideas for joining in the MILK campaign and promoting the work of the Alola Foundation. Then we heard that the Stamford Plaza in Adelaide held high teas. High tea has become quite fashionable recently although it sounded a bit expensive and indulgent for us. Like a lot of activists, our background has been in organizing dinners, film nights and public meetings (all that cooking, serving and doing dishes!) But the suggestion that staff in an attractive venue would do all the work including packing up was too good to resist and we decided to branch out.

We used an online ticketing system and were delighted to sell 150 tickets. The great thing about holding a Sunday afternoon treat was that we were able to draw from new groups of people, as well as from regular supporters. Dr Amelia Barreto from the Maliana area who works in community health and training spoke about the health situation for women and children in Timor-Leste. There were many nods of understanding and support as she gave facts and figures as well as anecdotes about cultural issues.

Many of the East Timorese university students joined in and helped out with the sale of handicrafts as an addition to the afternoon tea. The sale of handicrafts through Alola’s economic development program provides a direct source of income for the women in

Timor-Leste who make them. Thanks to the generosity of the Stamford Plaza and several donors, tickets, a raffle and silent auction we were able to forward $2,000 to Alola. Sounds as if this is something we should repeat next year, although we hear that cocktail parties are also fun!

Upcoming events

Rotary Garden Designfest – supporting Alola

The fifth sensational Rotary Garden DesignFest will take place on the weekend of November 17 and 18, 2012 exhibiting around 25 superbly designed gardens by some of Melbourne's most acclaimed garden designers. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to the charities listed on the Garden DesignFest website. Alola is one of these.

So you can take part in two ways. If you live in Melbourne or will be visiting in November, you can visit the gardens which are situated in the north, east and southern suburbs. Or you can volunteer your time for Alola. The greater the number of Alola volunteers we can supply, the greater will be the donation that Alola will receive.

Gardens Open: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm – 17 to 18 November 2012

Tickets:

Single garden entry tickets $8.00 purchased at the garden gate.

All garden entry tickets $35.00 can be purchased on-line by visiting the Garden DesignFest website or at any of the 25 gardens.

Volunteering:

If you would like spend some time volunteering at one garden for a few hours during the Garden Designfest weekend on behalf of Alola we would be very grateful.

Contact Christine Perkins on friends@alola.org.au or ph: 0437 983 070 if you would like to support this

initiative.

Keep in touch

Visit our website www.alola.org.au for regular updates and further information. Recent additions include:

Updated fundraising information and request form (go to the section on How to help – volunteers)

Coming soon:

2012 Annual dinner photo album See Vanisha’s regular website updates on Alola Australia’s Facebook.

To keep in regular touch ‘like’ Alola Australia on Facebook.

Alola Australia newsletter production team

Editors:

Wendy Mayne, Sue Lee, Christine Perkins

News from Fundasaun Alola:

Timor-Leste - Alita Verdial, CEO and Angelina da Costa Fernandes, Manager Maternal & Child Health

Contributors:

MILK

National campaign - Jill Forsyth

South Australia – Crystell Halliday

Canberra – Helen Kenneally and Helen Tchong

Our volunteers and supporters

Tall Poppies – Emma Morrissey

Janet Hunt

Alola Annual Dinner The annual Alola dinner hosted by the wonderful Leonie Graham and her staff at Butleigh Wootton has become one of the highlights of the Alola fundraising calendar. This years’ event held on an almost balmy (for Melbourne) evening in September was enjoyed by over 100 people, including many new and long standing friends, some who had traveled long distances including our very special visitors from Timor-Leste. Long time friend of Alola, Sian Prior was a most fabulous MC for the night. Dulcie Soares and Izoe Pereira performed their beautiful songs. Paul Caine performed excellently as the auctioneer helping to raise the bids on Timorese handcrafts and collectables, some very special wines and a generously donated day of sailing on the bay.

Our guest speakers were Alita Verdial the CEO of Fundasaun Alola in what will sadly be her last dinner as CEO as she will leave Fundasaun Alola to further her studies next year. With Alita was Ema de Sousa the manager of Alola’s education program and very talented story teller. If you were not able to be there on the night, then I am sorry that you are unlikely to ever hear Mem Fox’s ‘Hattie and the Fox’ children’s story read quite like this anywhere, unless you take part in Alola’s teacher training program in Timor-Leste perhaps. However you can see the video created to showcase the importance and achievements of Alola’s scholarship program which was launched on the night by visiting Alola Australia’s website www.alola.org.au .

Dulcie and Izoe; Alita and Sue; Christine, Vanisha and Yasuko; Ema; and Sian

‘Strong Women, Strong nation’ ‘Feto Forte, Nasaun Forte’

Support Alola with a donation To make a donation you can: Make a direct deposit to Alola Australia. Our bank details are:

Alola Australia, ANZ Bank Collins Place, Melbourne Victoria BSB: 013 030 Account number: 482 087 363 Swift code: ANZBAU3M Reference: donation [your surname]

So that we can acknowledge your donation please send an email to friends@alolafoundation.org with your details and amount of deposit. Send a Cheque: Cheques should be made out to Alola Australia Ltd and mailed to PO Box 382 Abbotsford 3067 VIC. Australia Donate Online via Paypal : visit our website (www.alola.org.au) and click the ‘Donate Now’ button. Donate by Credit Card: Complete the following form and mail to our PO Box. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Credit Card: Visa or Mastercard Card Number _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Expiry: _ _ /_ _ Name on Card: ........................................................ Signature: ................................................................. Amount $ ............................... Email Address: .................................................. Address: ................................................................................... ...........................................................................................................................P/Code:................................ Important Privacy Notice: Alola Australia complies with the provisions of privacy legislation and does not pass on personal information to any third party except if required to by law. Alola will retain the information provided on this form, where appropriate, and use it only for the purpose for which it has been given. If you do not wish to receive updates from Alola please tick here