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Reading opens up a future brimming with possibilities.
Yet, for 9-year-old Tomás, who had struggled with reading ever since he could remember, his chance of finishing school didn’t look good and his future seemed uncertain. This is a common reality for children living in rural Timor-Leste, where only 37% of children can read compared to 96% in urban areas. This literacy gap casts a long shadow, often limiting opportunities for education and employment.
Recognising the importance of literacy in children’s development, ChildFund in Timor-Leste launched a one-to-one afterschool reading program to enhance reading skills among primary school students. ECALO (Every Child Achieving Literacy Outcome) focuses on providing dedicated, individual support that makes all the difference for children like Tomás.
“All this time, Tomás was struggling, not because he couldn’t read, but because of his speech difficulties. It took him a long time to read a word or two out loud.”
Alfredo, ChildFund Volunteer
For Tomás, this difference came in the gentle guidance of Alfredo, a local volunteer trained by ChildFund. Alfredo noticed Tomás’s quiet struggle with reading wasn’t due to a lack of understanding, but an undiagnosed speech impairment. His stutter made each word a mountain to climb, leading to frustration and silence.
“I asked him if he struggles with speaking, and he admitted that he did. All this time, he was struggling, not because he couldn’t read, but because of his speech difficulties. It took him a long time to read a word or two out loud,” said Alfredo.
Alfredo’s patience and tailored approach were transformative. He used techniques learned at ChildFund trainings to encourage Tomás to take deep breaths, slow down, and use word cards to help him piece sentences together.
And it worked.
With each session, Tomás’s confidence grew, and his literacy skills improved. His frustrations began to fade, replaced by the joy of reading.
“I enjoy reading with the facilitators. They help me understand and read better,” Tomás told us as he happily flipped through the pages of a book that he was reading.
Tomás happily flipping through the pages of a Tetum children’s book.
Inspired by their child’s progress and with support from the ChildFund volunteers, his parents became active partners in his learning journey. “My mum and dad also help me with my reading at home. We usually read together at night, using the books given to us by the facilitator,” added Tomás.
Every child should have the chance to read, to learn and to dream big. ChildFund in Timor-Leste’s powerful, community-led reading program gives children like Tomás the personalised, one-to-one attention they need to achieve their full potential.
The Every Child Achieving Literacy Outcomes Program is delivered in partnership with the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).
Every child deserves to be protected against preventable, life-threatening diseases.
Yet, every year countless children are going without access to the vaccinations they need to have healthy childhoods. It is estimated that 20 million children continue to go without access to life-saving childhood vaccinations each year. This is despite immunisation being one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions in the world saving 6 lives every minute since 1974.
There has been significant progress across the world in closing the gap on childhood vaccinations; however, for children in the world’s most marginalised communities, vaccinations are still not always available, accessible, or affordable. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the largest sustained backslide in childhood immunisation in 30 years with 67 million children missing out on routine childhood vaccinations. Concurrently, we’ve seen vaccination hesitancy grow throughout the pandemic leading to a decline in public perception on the importance of childhood vaccines in many countries.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a staggering22 million children missed their first measles vaccine in 2023. This can lead to a range of serious complications, including ear infections and pneumonia, as well as long-term health problems, including blindness and deafness. For some, contracting measles can even lead to death.
Vaccines help save lives. But a single-shot is not enough. The future of immunisation means not only reaching millions of unvaccinated children, but protecting entire communities. What does this look like? A world where grandparents are vaccinated against influenza, babies from malaria and RSV, pregnant mothers from tetanus, and young girls from HPV.
This World Immunisation Week, join us in promoting the importance of vaccines to protect people of all ages against life-threatening but preventable diseases, such as diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and measles. Donate today to support all children living in poverty to access life-saving childhood vaccinations.
A health crisis on Australia’s doorstep
Australia’s closest neighbour, Papua New Guinea (PNG), has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the region. In recent years, the country has seen the re-emergence of previously eradicated diseases such as polio due to critically low vaccination rates and the emergence of vaccine resistant strains of the virus.
Low vaccination rates in PNG are a result of a variety of factors, including:
Long distances between rural communities and health centres alongside high transportation costs making it difficult for people living in remote communities to access health facilities.
An under-resourced health system, which has led to staff shortages, long wait times and inadequately trained staff.
The reliance of remote communities on government-led mobile outreach programs that are often impacted by funding shortfalls, broken vehicles, or low vaccine stocks.
How ChildFund is helping to improve childhood immunisation rates in PNG
When I heard that the ChildFund team were coming to my village, I was excited and immediately rearranged my daily chores so that I could attend the mobile clinic. This was a great opportunity for my family and I to receive medicine, especially for my youngest child, Kila, to get immunised.
Mrs Abadi, a mum of nine living in a remote village in Central Province in PNG
ChildFund’s Mobile Health Clinics have had a profound impact on the ability of people living in remote communities to access much needed healthcare facilities. The clinics provide a one stop shop for a variety of health services, including vaccinations, maternal healthcare, and tuberculosis treatment, enabling people in remote communities to receive the healthcare they need without travelling long distances to nearest health clinic.
Since 2022, ChildFund Papua New Guinea in partnership with the Provincial Health Authorities in Central and Northern Provinces has delivered 16,545 vaccines to children living in remote and rural communities. ChildFund PNG has also trained 257 volunteers on how to provide vaccinations for preventable and treatable diseases like tuberculosis, polio and COVID-19.
For women like Mrs Abadi, who lives with her nine children and husband in a remote village in Central Province in PNG, ChildFund’s mobile clinics are a lifeline. Previously, she had to travel long distances to the nearest health facility to ensure her family got the healthcare they needed.
“In the past, it was incredibly difficult for me to bring my children to the Kwikila Health Facility due to the poor road conditions and the unaffordable transport fares,”
“When I heard that the ChildFund team were coming to my village, I was excited and immediately rearranged my daily chores so that I could attend the mobile clinic. This was a great opportunity for my family and I to receive medicine, especially for my youngest child, Kila, to get immunised,” Mrs Abadi shared.
Mr Abadi added that the ChildFund team also shared information on different health topics, some of which were new to her and would help her to keep her family safe and healthy.
“I am grateful for the outreach health services that provide immunisations, as I know that this has been instrumental in keeping Kila safe from the sicknesses I hear about in awareness messages from ChildFund,” Mrs Abadi added.