The Order of Malta’s Embassy in Dili has heeded the request of the President of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta to help tackle the nation’s most pressing social issue: malnutrition during the critical first 1,000 days of a child’s life. The long-term consequences of infant malnutrition are stunting, often accompanied by physical and cognitive impairment.

47 per cent of the population is affected to a greater or lesser degree by stunting, one of the worst rates in the world.

The President announced in 2022 at the commencement of his presidential term that one of his two priorities during his time in office was The First 1000 Days, a program to ensure proper nutrients to mothers and new-borns from the baby’s conception to age two. If successful, this will transform the health and wellbeing of the whole population (which is about 1.3 million).

The Order of Malta’s Embassy had worked on a similar program in 2021 with the support of the Grand Hospitaller, Dominique de La Rochefoucauld-Montbel. Mr. Dalton Fogarty has now completed detailed plans to use the resources of the Order of Malta’s medical clinic located in Comoro, Dili in tackling malnutrition and its devastating impact on child health.

The great challenge remains the lack of ready access to nutritional supplements for distribution. The two keys are providing immediate medical assistance through the distribution of nutritional supplements to mothers and new-borns in Comoro; and promoting long-term education on proper dietary habits. The latter has begun with as simple a step as “cooking classes” for the local women.

These combined efforts will focus on addressing the urgent needs of the Comoro community, where there are areas with some of the worst health outcomes in the country. In doing that, the Order of Malta hopes to export that model to other parts of the country similarly in need of urgent help.