Recent elections in Timor-Leste have caused the restriction on travel to unsafe areas, due to the threats of violence, on the mainland have necessitated AAI to reassess new locations as part of our expansion of the Oilex Community Rural Healthcare Project. Based on a request by the Timor-Leste Ministry of Health AAI have focused operation on the remote Island of Atauro located 30km north off the coast of Dili.

This remote area has been under-serviced in terms of healthcare since the Indonesians vacated the Island in 1999. Even compared to current Timor-Leste health standards Atauro suffers more in terms of lack of resources including adequately trained staff, functional healthcare facilities, medical supplies and equipment.

Many population centres on the island are only assessable by boat and AAI have commenced a project in conjunction with the Atauro Sub-District Health Service (DHS) to support mobile clinics to these remote communities. AAI and DHS staff have now began regular mobile medical clinics providing healthcare in locations that have not had regular or functioning health services for nearly 10 years.

A major health concern on the island is the lack of suitably available water craft to quickly respond to emergencies and evacuate patients to secondary healthcare facilities that are only available in Dili. AAI are now working on a project to gain funding to support vital health water operation capabilities on Atauro Island.

Click here to read more about our Timor Leste program.

In February 2007, AAI completed a highly successful series of courses to prepare humanitarian workers for overseas missions. The courses included an Introduction to Humanitarian Assistance Operations, Hostile Environment Awareness Training, Cultural Awareness and Psychological First Aid training. A number of students from these courses have now been deployed on humanitarian missions with AAI to Timor Leste. As a result of the demand for humanitarian training, AAI will soon be implementing online courses from its website.

Click here to read more about AAI Training on our website.

AAI's regional South-East Asian office was put on alert in September in response to the massive earthquakes off the coast of Sumatra. Fortunately loss of life and destruction was minimal allowing Indonesian authorities to decline requests for assistance from the international humanitarian community wishing to respond to the disaster. Local response networks were able to cope with the aftermath and the emergency was quickly under control.

This recent disaster highlights the importance of AAI's current project on Java which includes construction of three earthquake resistant healthcare clinics, devastated by last years Jogjakarta earthquake, and an associated community engagement initiative aiming at disaster preparedness activities covering both community responses and damage mitigation through earthquake resistant construction training for local builders.

Click here to read more about our programs in Java, Indonesia.

AAI has now proudly published a high quality journal design as a focal point and reference source for the professional humanitarian. Titled “The Humanitarian Journal”, this publication contains articles on such issues as the UN Cluster System, NGO's and the military, preparing for a mission and Australia 's new White Paper on Overseas Aid. AAI would like to thank the efforts of its many contributors.

Click here to access an electronic copy of The Humanitarian Journal.

AAI's “volunteer” of the Quarter has been awarded to Dave Fuller, new Site Manager in our Timor Leste project. Dave is a long term resident of Indonesia and usually remains on standby to assist AAI in responses within Indonesia. Last year Dave was the first AAI member to respond to the Jogjakarta earthquake providing vital support for our medical teams arriving shortly after Dave's emergency assessment. Dave managed the Jogjakarta field office until the emergency situation came under control.

In Timor-Leste Dave has been able to consolidate the operations administrative and logistical functions to very effectively build the capacity of the project. Dave has quickly been able to assess possibilities of new projects within Timor-Leste and has completed the ground work for future program expansion.

International Staff On The Move

Staff leaving Timor this quarter included; John Cindric, Site Manager, completed 4 months and was able to provide affective support during the initial phases of our project; Emma Clements, volunteer Project Nurse deployed to Timor on short notice after an urgent request enabling us to maintain continuity in our mobile outreach services; Crystal Brown, Project Nurse in Timor-Leste, completed six months with us and was instrumental in the development of our health information management. We can not underestimate the pressures of working in remote areas for extended periods of time and it is a remarkable achievement for these staff to have completed their contracts.

New staff coming into the Timor Project this quarter include; Marion Brand, Health Coordinator and Penny Sizer, Project nurse. Both bring to the project a wealth of experience having many years of senior nursing in remote areas of Australia as well as internationally. Marion and Penny have been outstanding in providing vital healthcare services to isolated communities on the remote Island of Atauro. Dave Fuller, usually on stand-by for emergency response, has commenced the Site Manager position in Timor-Leste and plans to stay in location as long as required.

In Indonesia Michael Gloeckle will be completing his 3 month contract as Construction Manager for our three earthquake resistance healthcare facilities currently under construction. Also leaving will be Corrie Waddell after completing her volunteer assignment as the Community Engagement and Training Manager. They have both preformed remarkably well in establishing the foundations of what will be a very successful initiative. We hope to see them all soon on other AAI operations.