By Kylie McBride, WOW! summer intern

Paul Joicey, a native of Newcastle, England, is World Neighbors area representative for Southeast Asia programs, and leads the teams that are responsible for developing and managing those programs located in Indonesia, Philippines and Timor Leste. He recently spoke with WOW! about the current situation in Timor Leste.

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WOW: When visiting Timor Leste, what most impacted you related to women and their lives there?

 

Joicey: I think the thing that always hits me the hardest in Timor Leste is the lack of participation, and lack of involvement, in key areas of public life, and in the lack of ability to challenge their husbands’ decisions. The women are always so busy, especially when we, the “guests” arrive. It’s the women who have to make the coffee, cook the food, clear and wash the dishes, etc., at the same time they are looking after the children while we get to sit down with the men. And then the women who have prepared the food get to eat whatever is left over, after the guests and the men have eaten. If they have some time left over, then we get to talk with them. I think this [is what most impacts me], plus the general physical condition of most of the women—usually thin and almost always with a small child or baby with them.

 

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What do you think is the greatest obstacle to improving the high infant and maternal mortality rates and to decreasing the fertility rate?

 

Big question! Lack of availability of essential maternal and child health services; lack of availability of water and sanitation facilities; just not enough food. So there is chronic malnutrition; low social position of women; lack of information and knowledge about basic health issues; high vulnerability to infectious disease.

 

What prevents so many children from attending secondary school?

 

For one, secondary schools are often far away. There are costs involved with school—both direct costs in terms of having to buy things for school, but also opportunity costs associated with lost labor time if older children are in school instead of working to grow crops or earn money.

 

Where do you see Oecusse being in five to ten years?

 

I think that much depends on the political situation—there is now a new president, and parliamentary elections [recently occurred]—if the country can unite and accept their new leaders, then there will be optimism for the future. But if not, there is danger of continual instability and a return to clan-based violence. Hopefully, the fledgling governance systems will develop into responsive and democratic local government that is capable of meeting the basic needs of the people.

 

For Oecusse, there is talk of a “soft border” regime with Indonesia, where trade could happen much easier across the international border. This will undoubtedly be beneficial for the isolated area of Oecusse. I would like to think that Oecusse could move closer towards the achievement of food security and experience fewer crisis months every year. I would like to see more involvement of women in public life as community leaders and stronger groups at the community level. I also hope to see current levels of land degradation and forest loss reversed and the physical condition of critical watershed areas restored and protected.

 

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Paul Joicey leads World Neighbors work in Southeast Asia to empower local communities to address critical natural resource, livelihoods and health issues in a holistic way, while also strengthening local institutions and challenging gender bias. He is currently studying for his masters in public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He has lived in Indonesia since 1999 with his wife, Kate, and two daughters, Ella and Anna.

Read more . . .

Donate Now!

Overview of the Situation of Women in Timor Leste

World Neighbors in Timor Leste

Learn More and Get Involved

A WOW! e-Brief

Work of Women @ World Neighbors

July 2007

 

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