Timor West or East

Basically are the very same place except the East is a new country by it self now,
Both are under developed and having less attention.
Both are great places to live but because of its minimum development things are rather not too comfortable to live on.
The most obvious thing is medical facilities and poor hospital equipment.

I am a pilot and my wife was a stewardess, neither of us is close to known as a medical expert.
One time, both of us were the best choice to a girl who is going to give birth to a baby.
Well we did act like one (like a doctor) and we did deliver the baby.
Do not laugh but I did tie the umbilical cord with a rubber band and cut it with a scissors which is suitable to cut nails (well it was made to be a nail cutter).
The closest hospital was some 30 to 35 minutes away and it was rather unfortunate that one of the spark plug of our car was malfunctioning. The car was progressing slowly and running like a snail (it was felt so slow and with all the blood in the car we felt that the car was barely moving).

Both of the mother and the baby were arrived in the hospital safely and the baby was put into the incubator.
It felt that our burden was over as soon as we saw the hospital.
The baby was rather unfortunate as it was born prematurely and only weighs about 495 grams (too small).
The system inside the body can not function normally by it self and can not sustain for long (that was what the hospital/ the doctor said.)
Three day later the baby was dead, even though continuous oxygen support was given and it was inside the incubator all the time.
An ambulance is some thing that is not every one can afford and if it is available would simply cost about half a month of some one's wage ( too expensive for the local people, even though it will be very cheap for you ).

Another case during our yearly annual leave of mine and the kid's school breaks which was very sad to our family and the child's mother (a widow) as we lost another child to an illness.
The boy's name was Johannes Bana, he was suffering from Hydrocephalus (his head was so big as you can see in the picture)
The local people believe that is was a bad curse rather than an illness (the average Timor education level are very low)
When some one (Mr. Gasper / a neighbor) brought this boy to us, he was unconscious and his eyes went white.
The condition was lasting for about 2 hours before he regains his consciousness,
Every time his brain was active he went very panicky, screaming and unconscious again

My wife and I sent this boy to the local hospital in Kupang city but after some checking was done the doctor said that he needed to be operated (surgery). The local hospital (government’s hospital) said that we need to do it in Denpasar (Bali Island) as the local hospital is not able to perform such surgery (because there isn't any specialist doctor, the equipment nor the operating theater is available locally).
We sent Johannes to Bali by a ship ( high speed ferry ) by our self ( my wife , my self , our 3 children , the boy's mother and two assistance persons were going to Bali and brought Johannes to the Sanglah Hospital ).

The ferry's journey was 26 hours from Kupang city to Bali and the reason was because Johannes was not able to travel by plane as his head will be giving him unbearable pain as the pressurization changes with heights as the plane goes up and down).
My wife and I went to the hospital my self and enrolled Johannes for his medical check and later on for the surgery.
The surgery was done on August the 24th 2002 and the tube (to connect or to drain the brain's fluid) was paid by Captain McCully (a pilot friend in Singapore Airlines) as his humanitarian donations.
It was a successful surgery and after his wounds are recovering we sent Johannes back to Timor (by a ferry again).

Praise The Lord that the fee for the surgery was waived by the doctor who performed the surgery as he was an orphan him self during his up bringing (that was a big saving he made for us or the orphanage and of course it was God's blessings).
As what the doctor (the hospital) said that Johannes needed a good rest and not to do hard activities.
He was happily living inside our orphanage until the time when his mother took him home to their village for their family gathering.
Every one in their village were happy to see him got cured and so many of them said to be carrying him and hugging him which without their knowing displaced the location of the tube or the drainage that was installed in Johannes.

Three days later Johannes and his mother returned to the orphanage and found out that Johannes was suffering from high fever and pains again. An infection has been developed and the skin around the operated are when the surgery was performed turned red and getting bigger and bigger.
With poor or no medical knowledge, the villagers were suggesting the mother to chew some kind of a leaf and put it on that effected area (this would certainly worsen the infection as the germs and dirt covering the effected area).

My wife and I were in Singapore and for my wife she was just got back from 3 months staying with the orphanage. She flew back to Timor with one night transit in Bali (the connection flight was missed by some 40 minutes even if we are departing with the earliest plane from Singapore).
She brought Johannes to the local hospital again for an advice.
The local hospital once again given up and recommended us to sent Johannes to Bali for another surgery. One of our assistance and Johannes mother brought Johannes to Bali while Peggy departed a day later by plane ( she was rather tired after her sudden trip from Singapore and making sure that the orphanage is ok ).
Peggy (my wife) and a pastor friend picked them up at the port in Bali and straight away brought Johannes to the hospital which he was admitted and rescheduled for another surgery after some confirmation with Johannes's medical conditions.
This pastor friend was devoting his time and energy for looking after Johannes the best that he could.
He visited the hospital in between his duties and conducting prayers for Johannes with his congregation during the Sunday service in his church.

Another surgery was performed 2 days later and Johannes was with life supports equipment after wards.
Some complications were occurring and another surgery was performed again few days later.
His conditions were down hill and after staying in the Intensive Care Unit ( I C U ) for 33 days , our Johannes died ( he was 10 years old ).
As we all know that God has his own timing for all of us human being.

Johannes mother cannot be blamed as she never attended any school and she is on her own.
The local people also can not be blamed for their poor education and was led by the wrongly believed of curses and made up stories as an escape from their lagging in knowledge.

Johannes mother was helping us running the orphanage and she told us that she was happy to be given more chances of looking after the orphan’s children. She was assigned to look after 3 minors on her own in our orphanage.
She is currently with her own again at her own village doing farming as she was always saddened to see the other children playing while she has lost hers.

Knowledge about health and sanitation is a must to be improved in Timor (the same thing should be taught in many of the islands around Timor).

During the dry season many infants died in this region, why?
At that time as they do not have enough water, many of the children they do not wash their hands after playing out side or returned from the school went straight away for food.
The same thing before they went to bed they do not wash or clean them selves.

How can we clean our self without water?
Many people living within an environment which sanitation is barely existing and the worst of all that they do not have the knowledge of how to live clean nor not aware of sanitatioSanitation is very important , we must have enough clean water to do the cleaning .
For many of them the water is just enough for cooking and drinking and they have to walk for a long distance to get it .
Many wells were made but no maintenance afterwards; the mechanical parts can not last forever and needed to be replaced. Without having the funds many wells are not in use anymore (very sad).

In our orphanage we have to buy water even just for watering the garden.
In one week we purchase about 2 to 3 trucks (8000 litters for each truck).
Our location is in the area which water does not exist. We have a well but it was too deep to get the water up manually ( 37 meters ) but we are still trying to save some money to buy a strong water pump ( Artesian) and bring the water up for the orphanage use ( it will cost about 11 000 USD for the installation ) .

Budi bringing some water to mix the cement (left) and posing with Peggy during the progress of building the orphanage (right).

Education is another headache for the region.
If I have enough money (I am dreaming at the moment) I would invest my money to build and to manage schools. .
Most males are attending school until finished primary school , out of 100 males will be about 80 % are finishing the primary school but only about 30 % will be finishing the middle school then may be about 30% only will get through the high school.
For female out of 100 females will be about 10 % only finishing the high school (the percentage going to the university will be much less).
Big figure has been showing for pregnancy before married and most of them are young girls.
Divorce figures are not big but the figure of poor family is always big.
Many people are living in the stage just living in survival and decent life is far beyond the reach.
Many children whom are potentially good for studying are not able to do so as they do not have the funds needed for their studies (sad).

I have bought some land which hopefully one day I will be able to build a clinic and a school for some of them. It will be great if I can make them into reality.
Please do pray for us.

Tassya posing in front of the orphanage in 2001(top left)
The orphanage has turn to greener place (top right)
Christian and Peggy proudly showing the orphanage’s mango first harvest, after planting some 2 years back only.