© UNICEF/NYHQ2000-0048/Holmes. With debris behind them in the yard, a boy, seven-year-old Tony de Costa, fills a metal bucket with water while a girl, eight-year-old Notacia Pereira, works the handpump for him, in the Santa Cruz section of Dili, the capital.
As Australians we have become accustomed to seeing Timor-Leste (or East Timor as it is also known) in the media, yet from here it is difficult to comprehend the living conditions faced by these children. Donate now.
Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, is one of Australia’s closest neighbours but kids have a very different experience of school:
- 6 out of 10 schools don’t have toilet blocks or clean water.
- Children, especially girls, don’t attend school due to the lack of sanitation and the burden of chores such as the collecting water.
- Children face greater risk of becoming sick because they can’t wash their hands or access clean drinking water.
An essential part of improving children’s access to clean water and sanitation is through establishing water, sanitation and hygiene education in schools.
UNICEF is working with the government and other NGOs to make more families aware of the importance of having a sanitation latrine, of washing hands to avoid water-borne diseases.
The goals of the WASH (water and sanitation, and hygiene) program are precise, namely to give 6,000 children in 20 primary schools across the country access to safe and reliable drinking water and improved sanitation facilities, as well as training in good hygiene practices.
Please join us in helping our neighbour’s children grow up to be healthy and strong.
You can make a donation online, call us on 1300 884 233, or download our donation form.
Join UNICEF’s monthly giving program - by becoming a UNICEF Global Parent and making a regular donation, you can help build long-term sustainable communities for many children and their families. Find out more about monthly giving or call 1300 134 071.
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