JUVENTUDE BA DEZENVOLVIMENTU NASIONAL

NUTRITION PROJECT
REPORT
2016

RUA METIAUT
DILI, TIMOR LESTE



































This report was prepared on behalf of Juventude ba Dezenvolvimentu Nasional
(JDN) by Alberto Dos Reis Mendonca, Training Director (+670 76226172)
and Jenny Lauritsen, Organizational Development Advisor, (+670
78245891) in December 2016.

Contact: jdntimorleste@gmail.com
www.jdntimorleste.weebly.com


Table of Contents

SUMMARY 4

INTRODUCTION 4

JDN 2016 PRIORITY: NUTRITION EDUCATION 5

COLLABORATION AND PLANNING 6

WHY CHOOSE TURISCAI ADMINISTRATIVE POST? 6

PREPARATION 7
TRAIN THE TRAINER 7
AGENDA FOR THE NUTRITION WORKSHOP 9
LOGISTICAL PREPARATIONS 9
VISIT TO TURISCAI TO FINALIZE ARRANGEMENTS 9

FUNDING THE NUTRITION WORKSHOP 10

THE WORKSHOP 10

REVIEW AND FOLLOW UP 13

APPENDIX 1: EXAMPLES OF FOOD FOR GROWTH, PROTECTION AND ENERGY 15

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 NUTRITION PROJECT
REPORT 2016
SUMMARY

Recognizing the high rates of malnourishment in Timor-Leste and the effects on the health,
learning and working opportunities of the population, Juventude ba Dezenvolvimentu Nasional (JDN)
discussed, researched, analyzed and responded, firstly by educating ourselves and then by organizing a
Nutrition Workshop for young people in Turiscai, Manufahi Municipality. In collaboration with the
Ministry of Health, WHO and community leaders from Turiscai, we decided on the key message for
the workshop, i.e.:

At each meal eat food from the three essential food groups, i.e. food for growth,
food for protection and food for energy.

Sixty people participated in the workshop, including 21 young women and 19 young men, aged
17-30, from Beremana, Caimauk, Manumera and Luirai Sucos, the Chefe Sucos from Beremana and
Caimauk, 17 JDN members and 2 advisors. The key message was presented and reinforced through
different inter-active activities and songs. Participants discussed what they could do and what
assistance they needed to implement what they learned during the workshop.

The report below outlines the various stages of planning, preparation and delivery of peer-led
nutrition education for young people. It follows the major elements involved in implementing the
workshop, including:

Prioritize Collaborate Plan Prepare Resource Implement Review Follow up

INTRODUCTION

Juventude ba Dezenvolvimentu Nasional (JDN) is a youth led non-government organization that was
founded in 2014 by a group of young people aged 17-24 because we wanted to understand and act on
the issues affecting us and other young people. We also wanted to find ways for young people living
in the Municipalities to share some of the opportunities that are available to us in Dili. Nutrition
education of young people in our age group was prioritized in our 2016 Strategic Plan and became an
important focus for the organization.
 Nutrition Project Report 2016

Members of JDN are either continuing our post secondary school studies, or are working or
looking for work. We meet weekly at the office in Metiaut to co-ordinate leadership development
initiatives that focus on issues of employment, health and nutrition and university student
accommodation. JDN has a Board of nine young people aged between 17-30 who are responsible for
monitoring the implementation of JDN plans, with assistance from three adult advisors.

JDN 2016 PRIORITY: NUTRITION EDUCATION

Nutrition Education was determined as a priority in JDNs 2016 Strategic Plan because of the
problems identified by JDN members, including:
High rates of malnourishment amongst the population.
The health, educational and economic consequences of poor nutrition.
Lack of knowledge about different types of food and their purpose.
Lack of knowledge about how to prepare nutritious food on a low budget.
Lack of money to buy food.
Lack of energy for study, work and other activities because of poor diets.
Research by JDN members identified some of the major issues regarding nutrition, particularly for
women and children. For instance:
More than 33% of non-pregnant women 15-49 are chronically underweight (compared to
25% of men).
Malnutrition, due to lack of iron causes anemia in women, and
The low weight and height of 14% of women increases complications during pregnancy and
delivery1.
Figure 1: Trend in nutritional status of children under 5 in Timor-Leste between 2003 and 2009-10 (TLDHS)2

Children who are born malnourished are

at greater risk of stunting (which is caused
by inadequate nutrition and frequent
bouts of infection during the first 1000
days of a childs life) and wasting (which is
caused when children lose weight rapidly
because of diets that do not meet
nutritional needs).

JDN members also became aware of the effects of poor nutrition on people of all ages in all parts
of the country, as stated in the National Health Sector Strategic Plan 2011-20303, i.e.:

1 RDTL (2011: 40) Timor-Leste Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030, Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Dili, Timor-Leste.
2 MOH (2012: 17) Draft National Nutrition Strategy 2012-2017, Ministry of Health, Dili, Timor-Leste
3 MOH (2011: 48) National Health Sector Strategic Plan 2011-2030, Ministry of Health, Dili, Timor-Leste.

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 Nutrition Project Report 2016

Poor health.
Learning difficulties.
Low educational outcomes.
Reduced productivity.

JDN members recognized that we could make an important contribution towards achieving
government objectives of reducing malnutrition among vulnerable groups by:

Promoting consumption of diverse and locally produced food.

Promoting behavior change communication.
Educating young people to influence mothers, fathers, adolescent girls and senior women,
about the importance of selecting, preparing and consuming nutritious food.

COLLABORATION AND PLANNING

Early in 2016, JDN members decided to organize a nutrition education workshop for young
people in one of the Municipalities, so that we could share some of the resources that are available in
Dili. We researched levels of need for this type of workshop to decide where it would be held.

WHY CHOOSE TURISCAI ADMINISTRATIVE POST?

According to the Demographic Health Survey, 2009-2010, in the Municipality of Manufahi:

44 neonatal babies in every 1000 live births die (the highest neonatal mortality rate in Timor-
Leste).
Almost 1 in 5 children are very small at birth.
Coverage of fully immunized children is 43%.
Under 5 mortality rate is 51%4.
A second reason for choosing to hold the workshop in Turiscai, was that the Suco Chefe of
Beremana suggested to a member of the JDN Board that his suco would like to host the workshop,
because it would benefit the young people living there. He also offered to assist JDN in making the
necessary arrangements for the Nutrition Workshop.

JDN members organized meetings with Dr Olinda dos Reis Albino, the Head of the Nutrition
Department in the Ministry of Health, Dr Arun Kumar Mallik, the WHO Medical Officer responsible
for drafting the Food Dietary Guidelines with the Ministry of Health and the Presidents Advisor on
Nutrition, Ms Heather Grieve. Resources obtained from these sources were used to develop a
training program for JDN members and to design the agenda and materials for the workshop. The
key message for the workshop was adopted from the MOH Food Dietary Guidelines, i.e.:

4National Statistics Directorate (NSD) [Timor-Leste], Ministry of Finance [Timor-Leste], and ICF Macro. 2010. Timor-Leste Demographic and
Health Survey 2009-10. Dili, Timor-Leste: NSD [Timor- Leste] and ICF Macro.

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 Nutrition Project Report 2016

At each meal eat food from the three essential food groups, i.e. food for growth,
food for protection and food for energy.

JDN members then spent several months continuing to seek advice as needed as we carefully
planned and prepared for the workshop.

PREPARATION

TRAIN THE TRAINER

The first step was for us to discuss our own eating

practices and to compare them with the guidelines provided by
the Ministry of Health. Many of us have very little money to
buy food, so we eat a lot of rice and super-mi. We did more
research to learn about nutritious food that was affordable. We
began using these foods to prepare meals that we could share
before our regular meetings each Saturday. From this we learnt
that it is not necessary to eat rice three times a day, in fact we
should eat it once a day and instead eat something different
from the same food group (ai-han energia) e.g. bread and/or
cassava for breakfast and corn in the middle of the day.

We realized that we needed to learn a lot more about how

to eat healthy meals on a low budget, so we began researching
different types of food. Everyone selected one type of food Mery and Andy cooking tempe
that was readily available in Turiscai and we began learning
about it. Each week we presented what we had learned. This
included the following information:

The food group where it belongs, i.e. food for growth,

food for protection or food for energy.
The health benefits it contains.
The effects of not eating food from this food group.
Different ways in which the food could be prepared.
The importance of eating vegetables, fruit and protein
at every meal. Romario and Francisca preparing an egg
curry and stir fried vegetables dishes

We then decided that we would develop pictorial messages about the food we had researched so
that we could present the information in a creative way, as pictured below.

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 Nutrition Project Report 2016

Important information about Reasons to eat Chicken Collating results for research on various foods
rice
Through the process of learning about the health problems caused by poor nutrition, the
importance of a balanced diet, the health benefits of various foods and different ways to prepare them
we were in a good position to prepare the agenda for the Nutrition Workshop. One of the criteria for
attendance at the workshop was a successful result of a pre and post-test that each of us did. The results
of the final test were used to select the team to go to Turiscai. The percentage increase in knowledge
for each of the seventeen trainers, plus the average score, is shown in the graph below:
Figure 2: Increase in knowledge of JDN trainers about nutrition from pre to post-test

Average 24%
Q 39%
P 32%
O 12%
N 17%
I
n M 30%
d
L 13%
vi
i K 28%
d
u J 1%
a
l I 13%
s H 21%
c G 42%
o
re F 38%
s
E 11%
B 3%
C 44%
B 15%
A 40%

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 Nutrition Project Report 2016

AGENDA FOR THE NUTRITION WORKSHOP

JDN members and advisers worked together to develop an agenda that included different and
creative ways of presenting, discussing and reinforcing the key message for the workshop, i.e.:

At each meal eat food from the three essential food groups, i.e. food for growth,
food for protection and food for energy.

Some members wrote a song and accompanying music; others worked in groups to develop a
presentation with questions to be discussed in small groups and two different inter-active activities
were developed to ensure that all participants were encouraged to participate in sharing the knowledge
they gained at the workshop. These activities are described in the workshop section below.

LOGISTICAL PREPARATIONS

All JDN members were involved in making the arrangements for us to travel to Turiscai and
deliver the workshop. We worked in small groups to:
make protocol arrangements;
prepare promotional materials;
develop a budget;
design and compile booklets for participants;
prepare all workshop materials, and
arrange transport and accommodation.
VISIT TO TURISCAI TO FINALIZE ARRANGEMENTS

A week before the workshop, three JDN

members and two advisors travelled to
Turiscai to meet with the Head of the
Administrative Post, the Suco Chefe of
Beremana and the Head of the Turiscai
Community Health Centre. We confirmed
where the workshop would be held, how
many participants would attend and who
would prepare the food and snacks. The Suco
Chefe of Beremana agreed to invite 5 young
women and 5 young men aged 16-30 from
his suco and to contact the Chefes from
Caimauk, Luirai and Manumera Sucos to
invite the same number of young people Meeting with Sr. Julio Gudinho L.Ec, Administrator of Turiscai
from their sucos. Administrative Post to discuss preparations for the Nutrition
Workshop

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 Nutrition Project Report 2016

FUNDING THE NUTRITION WORKSHOP

Funding for the workshop was a big

concern, because JDN has relied to date
on donations from friends in Australia
and from two of its advisors. These
donations were used to purchase food and
items needed to prepare for the workshop
as described above, and to pay monthly
operating costs. At the end of July we
received a generous donation of $1,200.00
from the Viatour Family in Belgium,
which enabled us to make concrete plans
for the workshop. This funding was used
for major items required to implement the
workshop, including workshop materials,
food, water and transport.
Sra. Marianne Viatour with JDN members who received the donation
from the Viatour family and friends

THE WORKSHOP

Sixteen JDN members and two advisors travelled

from Dili to Turiscai by angunna and motor-cycles the
day before the workshop to finalize preparations. We
met with staff from the Administrative Post and
Community Health Centre, cleaned and set up the venue
and reviewed all areas of responsibility. On the day of
the workshop, 40 participants from the sucos of
Beremana, Caimauk, Luirai and Manumera plus the Suco
Chefes from Beremana and Caimauk were registered.
Registration
The Suco Chefe of Beremana, Sr. Orlando Soares
and JDN President, Sr. Justaquiu Fabiano Lasi opened
the workshop. Sr. Orlando thanked JDN for organizing
the workshop in Turiscai and talked about the
importance of good nutrition for the community there.
He said he wanted to learn about nutrition at the same
time as all the other participants. Sr. Justaquiu
welcomed participants and spoke about the objectives of
JDN. He said we wanted to have the workshop in
Turiscai as a way of sharing information and resources
with young people living in the Municipalities. Opening ceremony with Suco Chefes from
Beremana and Caimauk and JDN President

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 Nutrition Project Report 2016

W hat is good nutrition?

Two JDN members presented the reasons why

young people need education about good nutrition,
using the research we had done about malnutrition and
its effects. The presentation focused on why we need to
act as a community to address these problems and
emphasized the foods that are necessary for good health,
i.e.
1. Foods that help us to grow Presenters explaining the key message
2. Food that protects our bodies from disease, and
3. Food that makes us strong5

The key message, At each meal eat food from the

three essential food groups, i.e. food for growth, food
for protection and food for energy was explained.

Information on 16 different types of food was

presented using our research and prepared costumes.
We demonstrated what would constitute a balanced
breakfast, mid-day meal and evening meal by eating food
from the three main food groups at each meal. Members
of JDN dressed as a particular food, i.e. vegetable, fruit,
meat, tofu or rice. Each person presented the particular Presentation on the health benefits of eggplant,
nutritional value of that food and why we should eat it. tomato, oranges and tempe
Particular attention was paid to vegetables and the
important vitamins and minerals they give our bodies as
opposed to eating instant noodles that have no
nutritional value and are in fact harmful to our health.

Participants then worked in small groups that were

facilitated by JDN members, to discuss the questions
below. Feedback is also included:

1. Do you eat food for growth, protection and energy

each day?
Over half the eight groups responded that they did Participants listening with interest to the
presentation on various foods and their benefits
not eat food from each group every day. The main
reason give was that they live far from the market and
there is no transport to get there.

2. W hy dont you eat these foods?

The main reasons were: lack of money to buy
vegetables because a lot is spent on cultural celebrations;
lack of availability; seasonal conditions; poor soil; and
lack of information which limits the possibility to grow
vegetables.

5 Examples of food for growth, protection and energy are included in Appendix 1.

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 Nutrition Project Report 2016

Feedback from SGDs presented by participants

3. Is there anything you can do to change this?

We need to work hard and also, reduce the financial impact of traditional cultural practices.
We need to be motivated to do something about improving the situation, e.g. growing our own
food and talking with local authorities about how to solve the problem.
We will share the information we have learned with other young people.
We need to consume goat, chicken and tahu and if we can we should produce them in Turiscai.
We should also find a way to produce fish here.
We should cook meals using a variety of food for protection from diseases, for growth and for
energy.
We need training from government and NGOs so that we can learn how to grow the different
foods that we need.
We want to get seeds from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries so that we can
plant more food.

4. How can the community support you to do this?

Information, education, different ideas and support is needed from suco and aldeia leaders and
from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
We should give information and education to the community about how to eat well and how to
produce their own food.
We need material support, ideas and opinions from the community.
We need to help each other by sharing rice and seeds. We need to work together to do farming
and to plan for the future.
We need to work hard to get good results and have good food.
We must reduce the price of some foods, e.g. local chicken now costs $30.00 and we cannot
afford to buy it.
We need to learn more about organic fertilizers, so we can develop our own fertilizers.

Following a healthy snack using traditional foods, we

formed two groups and introduced an activity called
Tornedo. Participants were asked to take a card from the
board and ask participants the question on the card. All
participants were encouraged to answer the questions and
received a small prize when they gave the correct answer.
The questions focused on helping participants remember
the key messages of the workshop. Most of the answers
to the questions were available in the participants
materials and on the poster on display at the workshop. Tornedo Activity: reinforcing key messages

The second inter-activity was called Memory Ball. Once again

participants were divided into two groups and formed two circles. One
person threw the ball to someone in the circle and asked her/him a
question related to the information received during the workshop.
When the person answered correctly they threw the ball to someone
else, asking them another question. This game aimed to help people to
reinforce what they have been learning during the workshop.

The final activity was a Lucky Door Prize. Each participant was
given a number when they arrived. All numbers were put in a box and

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 Nutrition Project Report 2016

The Lucky Door Prize winner is one was drawn out. The lucky owner of that number won a fogaun, a
presented with the fogaun low energy, economic cooker that is considered eco friendly.

In the closing ceremony, the Beremana Chefe Suco congratulated

JDN on volunteering their time to provide a dynamic learning
opportunity that he found very beneficial. He said that he would like
young people in the remaining seven sucos in Turiscai to have the same
educational opportunity.

JDN members then introduced Nutrisaun diak, futura diak a

song that reiterated the key messages of the day by emphasizing the
importance of eating a range of foods to have a balanced diet. The
song enabled everyone to get involved as the chorus was easy to learn
and gave participants a chance to enjoy the music and singing. We
also sang Batar Teman in the local Mambai language. It was a fun Sr. Soares, Chefe Suco, Beremana
way to end the workshop. closing the workshop

After a shared lunch also prepared by local women, we cleaned up the site and returned home.
Some of us travelled five hours to Dili by angguna or motor-cycle; many of the participants had a long
walk to their homes.

Preparing for the closing ceremony JDN members about to return to Dili

REVIEW AND FOLLOW UP

After the Nutrition Workshop in Turiscai JDN members reviewed the preparation and
implementation process and discussed follow up options. We recognized many strengths, including a
high level of participation by all present; participants had many opportunities to absorb and repeat the
key messages; there was a balance of female and male participants. We also discussed how we could
address gaps including simplifying the language in the presentation; producing a small video to record
the event; starting the workshop on time.

The most important success was that 40 young people in the target group, including 21 women
and 19 men participated in the workshop. Informal feedback about what they had learnt and enjoyed
at the workshop included:

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 Nutrition Project Report 2016

I learnt a lot - I have never had an experience like this before (17 year
old female student from Caimauk)
I have participated in many trainings but I learnt a lot more this time
through the many different activities (Suco Chefe, Beremana)
Now I want to learn how to grow vegetables with the young people who
participate in Unite, Develop, Serve (20 year old NGO founder from
Manumera)

JDN follow up to the Turiscai Nutrition Workshop will include:

Initiating discussions with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries about the
availability of education and resources for people in Turiscai.
Looking for ways to provide immediate financial and practical support to assist young people
in Turiscai to buy seeds and soil to establish a small vegetable garden.
Seeking funding to deliver at least four Nutrition Workshops in other municipalities in 2017,
including responding to a request to deliver the workshop to womens craft groups in Dili.
Continuing education of JDN members and colleagues about how to eat well.

Participants enjoying the closing ceremony

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 Nutrition Project Report 2016

APPENDIX 1: EXAMPLES OF FOOD FOR GROWTH, PROTECTION AND ENERGY

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