Mark World Water Day by Making a Difference

Funds raised from the Siemens World Water Day project will be used for two Safe Water Projects in Timor-Leste:

COMMUNITY MEDICAL CLINIC IN BAIRO PITE, TIMOR-LESTE:  The Bairo Pite Clinic (BPC) in Dili was founded in 1999 after the Indonesian withdrawal that saw thousands of refugees returning to the capital with tuberculosis, malaria and malnourishment. Located in Timor-Leste's capital city of Dili, the clinic provides free health care services to the local population and is sited in the Bairo Pite area.

PROPOSED BENEFICIARIES

On average, the clinic sees 300 or more patients per day, with a strict policy that everyone must be seen. The clinic also serves as an inpatient facility and has many patients and families staying on locations. Originally, the clinic was set up to serve the immediate needs of a population affected by the initaial humanitarian crisis. As the violence subsided, BPC adapted and transformed from an emergency medical service to a more comprehensive community health service. Primary health care is a top priority for the BPC and provides a variety of services, such as childhood immunizations, pre-natal care, dental work, emergency services and seeking diagnosis and treatment for the most serious health problems facing the country including malaria, tuberculosis, dengue fever, leprosy and child mortality. The clinic participates in many mobile clinics in the remote and often-neglected mountainous areas, and receives patients from all over the country.

In addition, the BPC operates a medical laboratory, pharmacy, kitchen and laundry. The BPC’s clients are more often than not Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s). Inadequate hygiene conditions within the local population are leading factors in water related diseases such as diarrhoea and pneumonia. The local population are reliant on either contaminated town water supply or unprotected bore water sources which are prone to contamination throughout the Dili region