Food, Shelter and Cloth / Refugees and IDPs

PWJ entered East Timor shortly after the intervention of the international peacekeeping force in September 1999, and started emergency relief operations. Those operations include providing for the basic needs and medical care of the people and reconstructing houses destroyed by riots before and after the referendum in August 1999.

Providing for Basic Needs and Supplying Emergency Medical Assistance (Oct/1999)

In the riots preceding and following the referendum, many people lost their houses. This forced people to live on streets and led to lack of basic daily necessities. PWJ distributed rice to 2,000 families in cooperation with World Food Program (WFP) as well as provided mattresses and plastic sheets for 10,000 families to protect them from the harsh weather. PWJ's land cruisers, trucks and other equipment, purchased in Australia and transported to East Timor by the United Nations Air Service, were useful for distributing these items. PWJ also sent one doctor and one nurse from the PWJ office in the province of Papua , in Indonesia, to provide primary medical care.

Reconstruction of Houses and the Rehabilitation of Daily Life(Oct/1999- Oct/ 2001)

It was reported that 80% of thouses in East Timor were destroyed in the series of riots. PWJ supplied reconstruction materials (cement, timber and galvanised iron) to 4,500 families in 18 villages in Liquica Prefecture in an Implementing Partner Contract with UNCHR.

In 2000, we also started supplying fishing and agricultural equipment on a Quick Impact Programme, with the financial support of UNHCR, USAID and AUSAID.