East Timor

Violence intensified in East Timor following a referendum on August 30, under the auspices of the United Nations, in which nearly 80 percent of voters rejected special autonomy within Indonesia, and thus supported East Timor's independence. Thousands of people were reportedly killed, and houses, offices, shops and churches were looted and set on fire. Between 400,000 and 500,000 people fled their homes. Of these, between 150,000 and 200,000 people are estimated to be in West Timor, while most of the remainder have been hiding in the mountains of East Timor.

These people are waiting in line to receive tarpaulins and household kits from CARE. CARE is working with other agencies to distribute similar materials to more than 13,000 families in Dili.

International peacekeeping forces entered East Timor on September 20, and have secured progressively wider areas of the territory. By early October, some 100,000 displaced people felt it safe to return to Dili, the capital city, from the surrounding hills. The U.N. has begun an airlift program as a first step in bringing home the people displaced in West Timor. CARE is assisting displaced or returning people in Dili and other secure areas throughout East Timor, as well as in West Timor. In conjunction with other humanitarian groups, CARE has distributed rice in Dili to more than 70,000 people. CARE is distributing plastic sheeting and other materials for temporary shelters, cooking utensils and water buckets. Provision of emergency shelter is a crucial need in the short term as the wet season, with its daily tropical downpours, is about to start. Many houses have either been completely destroyed or have no roofs.

CARE's team of emergency experts includes a nutritionist who is working on programs to make sure that vulnerable people, particularly mothers and children, receive a balanced diet. Other members of the team are working with the East Timorese to construct shelters and repair or restore water supplies and sanitary facilities. CARE also is procuring more seeds and tools from the region for a major program to help farmers get their rainy-season crops planted as soon as possible so they will have food next year.

This young boy in Dili is enjoying some rice given to him by CARE. He now lives in a shack near the Dili harbor since his family's home was burned in the days following the referendum in East Timor.

CARE has been working in Indonesia since 1967 and in East Timor since 1994. CARE's original emergency food distribution in East Timor began in June 1998, after the area had been badly hit by drought and economic crisis in 1997 and 1998. CARE also distributed food crop seeds and tools to help rehabilitate agriculture, and implemented community development and education programs, including a scholarship program to keep children in school while their families tried to overcome the difficult conditions.

CARE manages wide-ranging programs throughout Indonesia. Since the 1980s, it has concentrated on development work in the areas of water supply and sanitation, primary health care and the environment, with an emphasis on working with and through local partners. CARE launched an emergency program to distribute food to areas at risk of widespread hunger following the economic crisis in 1997, and developed new programs to promote small-scale enterprises, agricultural rehabilitation and the strengthening of civil society.

If you have questions or comments, please click here and fill out our feedback form. Thank you.