Facing up to El Niño with CERF support

Timor-Leste, Ermera.  Agostina and her husband grow vegetables like cassava and taro in their home garden, providing essential food for their household. Agostina also sells sweets in the local market to get by.

In 2023 El Niño severely affected their community. The rains were delayed, and when they did come, flash floods disrupted the planting season. Her family’s crops failed, even as food prices were soaring.

“There was no rain, the soil became dry, and the crops couldn’t bear fruit because there wasn’t enough water,” Agostina explains.

Even before this, Timor-Leste had one of the highest rates of malnutrition-related stunting: 44 per cent of families in the area faced severe or moderate food insecurity; and more than half of them experienced water scarcity.

Agostina’s neighbour, Esperança de Castro, a housewife and mother of three young children, faced similar struggles. Providing nutritious meals for her children became a daily challenge.

“I was afraid because I know how badly children can suffer when they don’t have enough good food to eat,” says Esperança. She remembers how her eldest child was diagnosed with malnutrition four years ago, and spent over three weeks in the hospital recovering.

With funding from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the national government and UN partners launched urgent interventions in six of the worst-affected municipalities, including Ermera, directly reaching over 45,000 people.

The weather event intensified food insecurity, water scarcity, and malnutrition, especially by Spring this year. The CERF allocation January 2024 aimed to reduce the worst impacts of El Niño-related drought for the most at-risk communities.

Agostina’s family, for instance, received essential food items like rice, pulses, and oil – part of the ‘seeds, food, and multipurpose cash package’ FAO offered affected families. With this help, she was able to use her limited income for other essential needs, like medicine. “This is the first time I have received this kind of support. It’s truly a blessing that has helped us reduce our expenses,” says Agostina.

The funding also helped UNICEF and local partners to run Mother Support Groups and share best practices in managing malnutrition. Esperança found comfort in the support and advice from the group, a community volunteer network that helps mothers and children under five.

CERF funding allowed 165 members of the Mother Support Group to be trained in essential nutrition information that they could then share with others. Agostina learned how to conduct the mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) screening for malnutrition. She can now refer cases to the local Community Health Centre for treatment.

Across the municipalities affected, Mother Support Group members have identified over 1,000 children in need of further nutrition support. Over 10,000 mothers received counselling in support of infant and young child feeding.

“This story of resilience, embodied by women like Agostina and Esperança, shines a light on the strength of communities in Timor-Leste as they confront the severe impacts of El Niño”, observed Funmi Balogun, UN Resident Coordinator. “The collaboration between local initiatives and the United Nations has been crucial in offering both immediate relief and long-term solutions.”

For more information on the CERF Allocation in Timor Leste.