Two-year-old Luis with his mother, Isabel.

‘When my children are hungry they are crying ... I need to cook a quick soup ... but it doesn’t last long and they are hungry again ... Sometimes they cry until they fall asleep.’ – Isabel

Natalina is 13 and dreams of becoming a teacher. But her education is suffering – she misses school because she works to help feed her family.

CARE is assessing children in rural Timor-Leste to identify malnutrition.

Hunger Appeal

In Timor-Leste, 58 per cent of children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition. It's an alarming statistic.

Poor families often eat only rice and cassava, with very few vegetables,
and are not getting the nutrition they need.

Saving children from malnutrition

Two-year-old Luis* is the youngest in a family of six living in rural Timor-Leste, and he’s severely malnourished.

Life is hard for Luis’ parents, who work gruelling hours. But they barely make enough money to feed their family, who must survive on just rice and a few vegetables each day.

Thankfully, CARE is monitoring Luis’ weight and ongoing nutrition to make sure his condition improves. We’re also working with Luis’ family to improve their nutrition so that the future looks healthy for the entire family.

Feeding a future

Many families in Timor-Leste have limited access to health facilities and a poor understanding of health and nutrition. Rural communities often survive on subsistence farming, which leaves them vulnerable to malnutrition.

CARE is working with these communities by:

assessing children, pregnant and breastfeeding women to identify malnutrition
implementing sustainable nutrition programs
monitoring children until they reach a healthy state.

You can make a difference!

By supporting CARE’s work you can help protect communities, and children, most at risk from malnutrition.

Your donation can give families a healthier future that’s free from hunger.

Together, we can break the cycle of hunger and poverty.

$111 - can provide tools and seeds for veggie gardens

$240 - can help mothers provide nutritious meals for their children

$586 - can teach a village new farming techniques

Helping is easy.

Or donate by calling 1800 020 046

Donations over $2 are tax deductible.