Most teenagers don’t begin their day by walking down a hill to collect water, feeding pigs or tending vegetable gardens. But for 14-year-old Adriana, who lives in a remote village of Ermera in Timor-Leste, these are daily responsibilities. In a region where malnutrition is common among adolescent girls, Adriana’s physically demanding routine illustrates how important adequate nutrition is to fuel healthy growth.

Growing up in a remote village, Adriana faces long treks to school, seasonal foods and limited access to nutritious food. Yet, her dream of becoming a doctor motivates her to continue her studies. Adriana’s aspirations are supported by the Sustainable, Targeted and Responsive Approach to Optimize Nutrition and Growth, or the STRONG project, funded by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and led by Catholic Relief Services in partnership with the Timor-Leste Red Cross. The STRONG project aims to improve nutrition for up to 1,200 girls and young women across two municipalities.

Nutrition and Education

Through monthly sessions, STRONG, CRS and the Timor-Leste Red Cross work with schools, families, community leaders and health providers to enable girls to improve their nutrition and self-care. Adriana values these sessions.

“When I attend the nutrition session, it helps me to understand more about the importance and benefit of food for my development,” Adriana says. “When I eat good nutritious food, it will help me to grow healthy to support my brain [functioning], so I can learn more and achieve my dream. I want to be a doctor, to be healthy and help others because in our villages there is no doctor,” says Adriana.

“When I attend the nutrition session, it helps me to understand more about the importance and benefit of food for my development,” Adriana says. “When I eat good nutritious food, it will help me to grow healthy to support my brain [functioning], so I can learn more and achieve my dream. I want to be a doctor, to be healthy and help others because in our villages there is no doctor,” says Adriana.

To foster healthy eating habits, the STRONG project provides healthy snacks at school during nutrition sessions.  The STRONG project also shares vital health information through Lafaek, an educational magazine reaching over 500,000 people across Timor-Leste. Named after the sacred crocodile in Timorese culture, the magazine educates communities about nutrition, the risks of anemia and ways to improve diets among other topics.

“The nutrition session with the adolescent girls at the schools has a massive benefit for the girls as they are key for the future. The right time to prevent anemia is when the girls are still adolescents,”

says Liborio Martins, head of program at District Health Services in Ermera.

Anemia, often caused by low iron levels, leads to fatigue and weakness. The nutrition sessions provide girls with information on how to prevent anemia—especially as they begin their menstrual cycles and nutritional needs increase.

“The nutrition session with the adolescent girls at the schools has a massive benefit for the girls as they are key for the future. The right time to prevent anemia is when the girls are still adolescents,” says  Liborio Martins, head of program at District Health Services in Ermera.

Seasonal Income and Nutrition

In Adriana’s family, nutritious food isn't always available. The family’s income from coffee harvesting lasts only a few months each year, so balanced meals are rare outside of harvest season.

“If it’s the coffee harvest season, we have money and can have these types of [nutritious] foods weekly, but if it’s not coffee season, then it might be once every two weeks or once a month,” says Adriana.

Market Access and Malnutrition

Visiting the local market further highlights the challenges of malnutrition. The distance to the market and the high cost of fresh food are additional barriers. Unemployment and a lack of nutritional awareness in Adriana’s community mean inadequate dietary diversity contributing to poor nutrition.

Addressing Malnutrition Challenges

While the STRONG project focuses on adolescent girls and their specific nutritional needs, it is just one of several efforts supported by CRS to improve the overall nutrition levels throughout the population of Timor-Leste. CRS continues to implement several programs and explore additional ways to address nutritional needs and reduce malnutrition, not just for adolescent girls, but also for a much wider range of the entire population.

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