Australian Aid International, a Melbourne-based NGO helping to deliver essential health services in Timor-Leste may have to end its operations. AAI provides medical assistance on Atauro Island (off the coast of Dili), where two-thirds of deaths are caused by communicable disease that are essentially preventable if programs such as AAI's continue. AAI's funding will end this month.

Click here to read AAI’s latest media release.

At the request of the Asian Disaster Risk Reduction Network(ADRRN) www.adrrn.net, in collaboration of AusAID, AAI conducted a Disaster Risk Reduction Workshop for Timorese Government officials, local and international NGO’s in Dili. The workshop was facilitated by Dom Bowen, AAI’s Information and Security Manager.

Click here to read AAI's final report on the DRR workshop in Timor-Leste.

Director of Operations, Frank Tyler and Global Medical Director, Larry Stock MD, recently conducted the regular series of war trauma surgical training on the Thai-Burma border. Reporter Janet Wells followed the training team into one of the most dangerous and longest running conflict zones in the world.

Read Janet’s story on the incredible medics that AAI and partners Global Health Access Program (GHAP) train.

Click here to read more about AAI's operations on the Thai-Burma border.

AAI have recently been acknowledged in two research papers. The first is a peer reviewed journal article written by GHAP regarding the trauma training and trauma management program on the Thai-Burma Boarder that was recently published in the UN electronic publication: http://www.human-resources-health.com/content/7/1/19

The second was a research project on community knowledge, attitudes and practices of malaria in Timor-Leste, written by a US volunteer Doctor Kelli McCartan. Click here to read this latest piece of research.

AAI’s English Teaching Project on the Thai-Burma Boarder is seeking volunteer teachers for one to three month placements. Positions are open to volunteers who do not necessarily have formal teaching qualifications. Candidates must however, have relevant skills and experience in the areas of international development and have tertiary qualifications.

Click here to find out more about volunteering for this position.

Timor Leste

Health: AAI’s five-year healthcare project on Atauro Island has recently lost funding after only completing two years of the project. AAI have been conducting a rural health project which provides support and assistance to Ministry of Health (MoH) by conducting activities in areas such as mobile medical and outreach clinic support, health promotion and capacity building of local healthcare staff.

Click here to read AAI’s latest monthly report to the MoH.

Water: A lack of clean drinking water on Atauro Island is a major humanitarian concern as the Island population struggles to access water for daily survival. AAI are addressing the problem by partnering with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to provide a SkyHydrant water filtration system for the Community Health Centre in the main township of Villa.

Click here to read more about AAI’s clean water project.

Hosptials: AAI continues to support the Hospital of Hope - Timor-Leste (HOHTL) www.hospitalofhope.org

The HOHTL is currently planning to build a world-class training hospital to provide free healthcare and support the Timor-Leste Ministry of Health. A suitable suite has been approved by the Timor-Leste Government for the location of the hospital and lease of land. AAI provide an operational project management service for the HOHTL.

Click here to read more about the HOHTL.

Click here to read more about our Timor Leste Program

Jogjakarta, Indonesia

In Indonesia AAI is focusing on project planning in areas of water and sanitation, livelihoods and Disaster Risk Reduction. We are also continually improving our emergency response capabilities for our Indonesia program. Our Java office remains the regional headquarters for AAI and is integral for emergency responses within South-East Asia region.

Click here to read more about AAI in Indonesia

Thai/Burma Border Region

Medical Training: Increased security concerns for the Karen medics resulted in a number of changes in the conduct of the war trauma surgical training courses. Director of Operations, Frank Tyler and Global Medical Director, Larry Stock MD, recently returned from the regular series of war trauma surgical training on the Thai-Burma Boarder.

Educations: AAI's important education initiative for the Burmese refugee population in Mae Sot which had been suspended due to security concerns for the refugee population will be recommenced this year. We will begin to identify, train and co-ordinate volunteers who will teach English Language skills to the refugee students in schools at Mae Sot. AAI volunteers will now form an important resource for the school program of the refugee community.

You will be aware that AAI has long supported health education by running trauma medical courses for health workers in Mae Sot and the education project will supplement our support to the disadvantaged Burmese refugee community. The Burmese refugees live in exile in Thailand , without access to health facilitates or education resources unless agencies, like AAI, assist them.

Help us assist by supporting these projects. We are seeking donations to support program costs and appropriate volunteers who can travel to Mae Sot to assist.

Click here to read more about AAI's work on our website.

AAI Staff movements in our current programs

Headquarters

Marc Preston, CEO, is again in Australia and has been working on corporate sponsorship initiatives to obtain future funding for AAI's vital assistance programs.

Frank Tyler, Director of Operations, travelled between Timor-Leste , Indonesia , Thailand and Burma during this quarter. Currently, Frank is in Melbourne and will be returning to South-East Asian next month.

Nathan Mullins, International Program Manager, is currently in Australia and he been working on program development initiatives.

Paul Piaia, the AAI Web Manager, continues to contribute his time to support AAI's website and advises on business management.

Dom Bowen, Information and Security Manager, travelled to Timor-Leste to conduct DRR training. Dom is now back in Australia and managing AAI's Sydney office.

Timor-Leste

Penny Sizer, Health Coordinator, and Nairana Da Silva, Project Nurse, have just completed an outstanding health project at our Timor-Leste program. Penny heads home to Australia for a well-deserved break and Nairana will continue to support AAI as our Timorese Country Representative. The volunteer doctor, Tanya McKenny also completed her two-month placement working on Atauro Island.

Indonesia

Eva Pitaloka continues to manage our regional office in Indonesia while AAI are establishing new projects.

AAI is currently organising the next round of Humanitarian Training courses to be conducted in both Melbourne and Sydney in the middle of the year.

It is essential that all volunteers wishing to register with AAI complete the Introduction to Humanitarian Operations course prior to being selected for a position. However, if courses are unavailable this will not disadvantage you in applying for possible positions with AAI. We encourage you all to continue to apply for positions as they became available.

The next Introduction to Humanitarian Operations Courses are planned for June and July 2009 in Melbourne and Sydney. Click here to find out more about this course and to enrol.

On 22 May 2008, the General Assembly held an informal thematic debate on human security, honoring a commitment from the World Summit in 2005 to further discuss and define the notion of human security.

Human Security and how it relates to humanitarian operations.

The debate cemented a broad consensus on the need for a new culture of international relations that goes beyond fragmented responses and calls for coherent, integrated, and people-centered solutions. Member States recognized the added value of the human security concept in this regard and emphasized the concept's comprehensive approach in responding to old and new insecurities, ranging from persistent hunger and poverty to armed conflicts, environmental degradation, food insecurity and human trafficking. By focusing on the security of individuals and communities, human security acknowledges the inter-linkages between these threats and uses a multi-sectoral approach that brings together the three pillars of the United Nations system. As such, human security strengthens efforts to improve security, development and human rights and allows for earlier and better coordinated responses among Member States, international organizations, UN agencies, NGOs and civil societies.

A humane world where people can live in security and dignity, free from poverty and despair, is still a dream for many and should be enjoyed by all. In such a world, every individual would be guaranteed freedom from fear and freedom from want, with an equal opportunity to fully develop their human potential. Building human security is essential to achieving this goal.

In essence, human security means freedom from pervasive threats to people's rights, their safety or even their lives.

Human security has become both a new measure of global security and a new agenda for global action. Safety is the hallmark of freedom from fear, while well-being is the target of freedom from want. Human security and human development are thus two sides of the same coin, mutually reinforcing and leading to a conducive environment for each other.