The Disaster READY program in Timor-Leste is supporting disaster preparedness and helping communities adapt to the changing climate.

Disaster READY is supporting women’s participation in disaster preparedness and response in Timor-Leste.

In Timor-Leste, AHP NGOs participating in the Disaster READY program include CARE Australia, Oxfam Australia, Plan International Australia, World Vision Australia and CARE Australia, along with their local partners.

Disaster risk in Timor-Leste 

One of Australia’s closest neighbours, Timor-Leste is a small and mountainous country with a population of 1.3 million people. Flooding is the most frequent disaster impacting Timor-Leste, and the country is ranked 16 on the 2021 World Risk Index. Communities are particularly vulnerable to flash-flooding caused by monsoonal rains. Subsequent landslides and erosion are only enhanced by the country’s steep topography and widespread deforestation. Climate change is already impacting the people of Timor-Leste, and climatologists predicting the weather in Timor-Leste will become hotter and drier, leading to harsher and more drawn-out drought conditions, causing heavier and more erratic rainfall, and increasing flooding and landslide hazards. Disaster risk reduction (DRR), disaster preparedness and response are recognised as important by the Government of Timor-Leste.

Timor-Leste program overview 

In Timor-Leste, Disaster READY partners recognise the unique disaster risks and subsequent hazards communities face, and work to implement inclusive community-based disaster risk management. Teams ensure that people living with disabilities, women and children are involved in disaster planning and that their different needs are being met. Activities include community-based hazard mapping, the development of action plans, analysing local knowledge and data on weather predictions and support for local early warning systems, and resilience-strengthening through infrastructure upgrades, such as improving and securing water supplies. Female representation has increased in village and municipal disaster management committees and emergency preparedness training provided for schools, local health services, churches, and community disaster management centres. Activities are designed and implemented to increase local resilience to hazards in Timor-Leste, such as drought and floods, with particular focus on health and livelihoods.

Disaster READY Achievements

As of October 2021.

Reached a total of 29,924 people.

24% children.

46% women and girls.

2% people living with disabilities.

There are new or updated Disaster Plans in place in 63 communities, 52 schools and 242 Aldeias (villages) since the start of Disaster READY.

Disaster READY Timor-Leste field stories

Field Stories
Building safer schools through disaster management in Timor-Leste
Building safer schools through disaster management in Timor-Leste

In Timor-Leste, the lack of clean water in schools puts children at risk. This is further exacerbated for kids living in disaster-prone communities. Disaster READY’s Disaster Management Committees are driving locally-led solutions to help keep these children safe.

"I used to earn around 60 dollars in a week from the produce but now I am able to earn between 200 and 300 dollars!"
"I used to earn around 60 dollars in a week from the produce but now I am able to earn between 200 and 300 dollars!"

In Timor-Leste, Disaster READY Partners are supporting small scale farmers like Marilia to improve farming techniques while also mitigating against disaster.

Ripples of change for Doroteia after water access improvements
Ripples of change for Doroteia after water access improvements

When her village gained improved access to water with support from Disaster READY, Doroteia was able to become a businesswoman, selling her produce at market.

Low-tech, cheap, but effective: protecting Terejinha’s home from a swelling river
Low-tech, cheap, but effective: protecting Terejinha’s home from a swelling river

Terejinha worried about the river every wet season, wondering if it might sweep away her modest home and everything in it. Through Disaster READY, Timor-Leste partners devised a solution.

After a 450 year wait, Halimea village has clean water on tap
After a 450 year wait, Halimea village has clean water on tap

Residents of Halimea village in Timor-Leste say they have had problems with water access for 450 years. But all that has changed after support from the AHP Disaster READY program.

Managing hilly land for climate resilient food in Timor-Leste
Managing hilly land for climate resilient food in Timor-Leste

Through the AHP Disaster READY program, Plan International Timor-Leste is supporting training for farmers in terracing, an agricultural technique of shaping sloping land to control erosion.

Clean, close water for health and crops in Bobonaro, Timor-Leste
Clean, close water for health and crops in Bobonaro, Timor-Leste

Through Disaster READY, communities in Bobonaro, Timor-Leste, have been supported to protect their water sources from contamination, improving community health and agriculture.

Colourful flood markers transform river safety in Viqueque, Timor-Leste
Colourful flood markers transform river safety in Viqueque, Timor-Leste

For villages along the Bebui River in Viqueque, Timor-Leste, the river is an important water source. Now, a community-designed early warning system is saving lives along the river during the dangerous rainy season.

Communities better prepared for the wet and dry in Oecusse, Timor-Leste
Communities better prepared for the wet and dry in Oecusse, Timor-Leste

Through the AHP Disaster READY program, three parishes in Oecusse, Timor-Leste, have been supported to install water tanks and access training on community-based disaster risk management.

Disaster READY farming for Timor-Leste’s long dry season
Disaster READY farming for Timor-Leste’s long dry season

With the support of Disaster READY partners in Timor-Leste, farmers like Elda have learned techniques to weather the country’s long dry seasons to improve their food security and livelihood.

Planning for drought, reducing workloads and increasing accessibility - Timor-Leste
Planning for drought, reducing workloads and increasing accessibility - Timor-Leste

Disaster READY: Three communities in Timor-Leste work together to install a water tank and in doing so, reduce the workload of women and increase accessibility for people with disabilities.

Increasing community awareness on COVID-19 prevention in Timor-Leste
Increasing community awareness on COVID-19 prevention in Timor-Leste

Disaster READY: World Vision is supporting remote communities in Timor-Leste to become COVID-19 aware.

Timor-Leste communities lead the way in disaster risk reduction
Timor-Leste communities lead the way in disaster risk reduction

Disaster READY: Prepared communities are safe communities. Read how one woman is supporting her Village Disaster Committee in Timor-Leste.

Village chief being interviewed in Comoro, Dili_Credit Justine Frazier.jpg
Disability awareness raised in Timor-Leste disaster reporting

Disaster READY Timor-Leste partners Oxfam Timor-Leste and ABC International Development delivered Inclusive Disaster Reporting training in Timor-Leste in a attempt to build awareness of disability awareness in media reporting in times of disaster.

Disaster READY: Inclusive disaster preparedness means better disaster preparedness - Timor-Leste
Disaster READY: Inclusive disaster preparedness means better disaster preparedness - Timor-Leste

Plan International and ChildFund, in partnership with local NGO, Fraterna, are implementing Disaster Ready activities at the village level in Lautem Municipality in Timor-Leste. The involvement of people with disabilities has been central to ensuring more inclusive disaster preparedness strategies are in place.

Disaster READY: People living with a disability represented on community disaster management committees - Timor-Leste
Disaster READY: People living with a disability represented on community disaster management committees - Timor-Leste

With support from Disaster READY, a Suco (village) Disaster Management Committee is revitalised with diverse and inclusive representation.

Disaster READY: Preparing for drought - Timor-Leste
Disaster READY: Preparing for drought - Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste is prone to severe droughts, posing health, food security and livelihood risks to much of the population. AHP’s Timor-Leste Disaster READY program works with communities, government and other relevant stakeholders to prepare for drought.