Crisis? I walk for almost a whole day in Dili town.

Are things fine in Timor? I was back in Timor from 18 sept to 27 sept. and I must say that Dili is relatively calm. As you can see from the pictures, there is no problem walking in the streets in the day. Although I heard stories of troubles coming from IDP camps(mostly during night time), I didn't see any during my visit. Dili is brighter at night because there are street lamps now. The night picture was taken near the cathedral before going into Bairo Pitte, a supposedly 'hot' zone but troubles are sporadic and I had a safe trip home at 10pm - no problems.


Food is abundant in the grocery stores and supermarkets and the streets are really busy.
I was quite surprised that there are traffic jams in Dili!(maybe it is the traffic lights or the overcrowding of cars(from the UN) on the roads). Even till the early evening, the streets are busy with activities. I hope I have allay your fears if you are thinking twice about going to Timor. It is relatively calm with sporadic night troubles in 'hot' zones like Comoro. Ask a UN police if you're unsure which areas to avoid at night. Generally, I would say it is safe to travel in Timor.

Go to www.byjason.org/timor/index.html for more info on my recent trip that includes a trip to Hope Orphanage in Gleno and some faces of children at IDP camps, Dili town and Liquica.

Marungi (Moringa) - Ita hatene?

Moringa Oleifera is a tree with highly nutritious leaves, flowers and pods, and it is known as Marungi in East Timor. Although the Moringa tree had been used successfully to combat malnutrition and high infant mortality rate in Africa, particularly Senegal, there appears to be either a lack of information or interest in the use of this tree in the health sector of Timor. I could be ignorant but in my seven months in Timor working with a large international NGO, I have not heard of the success or the consumption of its leaves as a means to alleviate the high infant mortality rate in Timor. I find it strange that this tree is not fiercely promoted to combat the many malnutrition cases and high death rates of babies and even mothers.

My web search on Timor NGOs yielded only one result of an organisation that uses the moringa tree. The organisation, Mary McKillop East Timor, has a community health program that features the Moringa tree as a rich source of nutrients and prepares the leaves for food supplement uses. The nutrients of the moringa leaves can be summarised by this:
7 times the Vitamin C of Oranges
4 times the Vitamin A of Carrots
4 times the Calcium of Milk
3 times the Potassium of Bananas
2 times the Protein of Milk
3 times the Iron of Spinach

The tree grows very quickly, is drought resistant, pest resistant, highly nutritious and readily available in the local market. Besides eating the leaves, pods and flowers, the seed gives a high quality oil(Ben oil) when pressed. Many parts can be used for medication and the seeds can be used to purify water. So why the lack of moringa promotion and usage? I have no anwers to this. If only someone will champion the use of it and see Timor's infant mortality rate dropped like flies as in the case of Senegal. If you happen to be working in an NGO in Timor(especially with interest in the health & agriculture sector), ask around, spread the message and champion the fall of malnourishment and high infant mortality rates.

Links of particular interest:
Combating Malnutrition with Moringa
Supplementation for pregnant and breast-feeding women with Moringa
Details of Moringa Leaves' Nutrients
Usage and cultivation of Moringa Tree
Excellent resources for Moringa Tree

Links Update

Hello all, I just updated some East Timor links. Timor Cartoon is one very refreshing place to go to, and the cartoons are cool and will really crack you up. Other links offer some latest happenings in Timor especially on the recent presidential elections. Well, I will be visiting Timor-Leste somewhere in June and looking forward to meeting up some friends there again. I hope something will come out of this trip and I'll love to be back in Timor again. Hau sei fila fali Timor- Leste.... hein hau!

It's almost a year

It's almost one year since I left East Timor abruptly. Bringing with me only few clothings, I thought I will stay in Bali for 2 weeks before returning. Never did I expect myself to stay out of the country for almost a year. Thanks to bloggers like Diligence and Tumbleweed and other news sources, I have been able to keep up with what's going on in Timor. Things are just as volatile as it was almost a year ago where the country was in a mess and it seems to have deteriorate. Whatever it is, I will be back one day and I will say "Hi!"to the children at Hope Orphanage again, and I will say "Hi!" to the students I have taught, and I will say "Hi!"to my friends who are there once again, and I will continue my life's journey in my beloved Timor once again. Atemanha!