Midwives East Timor Australia is a non-profit organization that aims to support midwives in East Timor with education, resources and equipment so that maternal and neonatal outcomes can be improved in East Timor.  Each year, we have visited East Timor since 2005, and the length of the visit has been from 1-3 months.  We also partner with non-government organisations that are working with the Timorese Ministry of Health to capacity-build the Timorese Midwives and reduce both the Maternal & Neonatal Mortality rates.

 

1 in 35 Timorese women will die from pregnancy related complications – many of them preventable. In Australia the rate is 1 in over 13,000 (UNICEF)

 

In 2010 we provided a 4WD Maternity Ambulance to Remexio in Aileu District so that the pregnant & labouring women can have a trained midwife at their birth.  We are fundraising for more of these vehicles for other districts.

 

We have provided many other resources like dopplers to listen to the fetal heart; blood pressure machines; an ultrasound machine for use in pregnancy and manikins for use with teaching midwives.