The Rector of the National University of Timor LoroSa’e (UNTL), Dr. João Soares Martins, and U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Mr. Tom Daley will join CARE’s Country Director, Mr. Peter Goodfellow, to launch an initiative to reduce gender-based violence (GBV) and improve health outcomes in rural communities through support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and implemented by the HATUTAN Education and Nutrition Program.

On August 15, the HATUTAN program will celebrate an agreement with the UNTL Department of Community and Social Inclusion and the Department of Community Development for the placement of 172 final-year UNTL students to undertake practical fieldwork in 20 rural villages of Ainaro, Ermera, and Liquiçá. Students will stay in villages for two months conducting practical components of their studies, linking learned theories with field practice. The groups will collaborate with village residents to identify needs in the following areas: prevention of gender-based and domestic violence, and raising awareness of the linkage of improved sanitation to community health and disease prevention. Their work reinforces the Government of Timor-Leste’s investment in human capital and HATUTAN’s initiatives to strengthen community health and prevent GBV.

The HATUTAN program is funded by the U.S. government through the United States Department of Agriculture, and coordinated by the U.S. Embassy in Timor-Leste. HATUTAN is a five-year program implemented by CARE, Mercy Corps, and WaterAid, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of State Administration, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, and Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport (MoEYS). The Program is guided by a memorandum of understanding between MEYS and CARE and seeks to improve literacy outcomes for preschool and primary students while increasing the use of health, nutrition, and dietary best practices in schools and communities.