A small group of Timorese leaders came together in February 2005, spurred by a vision for the villages within the District of Baucau. This small group focused their attention specifically on the underserved rural areas in Timor-Leste. They shared their expertise, talents, and experiences to create an NGO that would work to help the poor living in these areas. Soon, others from outside of Timor joined to help the initiative. Leadership from FLD held discussions with the Village Chief of Triloka village about their desire to help the community by establishing a health clinic. FLD leadership and the Village Chief negotiated and agreed upon a prominent space for the building of the clinic that is now accessible to several small rural villages in Baucau. This health clinic would come to be called the “Triloka Community Health Clinic.” Thanks to generous funders and hard work from local community members, the clinic was officially built in 2007. FLD continues their work today under the same principle of 'helping people to help themselves.'

FLD original staff members in 2006

FLD staff members aid the refugee population in Triloka, Baucau during the 2006 crisis

Building of the Triloka Community Health Clinic between 2006-2007

 In 2007, FLD leadership met with leadership from the Ministry of Health to sign a Memorandum of Understanding. This was the first step toward officially opening the community health clinic in the village of Triloka.

 In the months following, an inspector from the Ministry of Health and from the Ministry of Finance visited the clinic for their official inspection to grant accreditation. In 2009, the Triloka Community Health Clinic received full accreditation from the Ministry of Health.

Evolution of FLD Since 2005

 Agriculture

From 2006 until 2015, FLD participated in many agricultural activities throughout the villages of Triloka and Ostico. FLD helped the community create a plan for agricultural production in order to improve food security in the surrounding areas. FLD and the community made a plan to prepare acres of land surrounding the community health clinic, in order to plant various fruits and vegetables, and to raise livestock. This food would then be used to feed community members, as access to markets with healthy foods was extremely limited for this community. FLD focused many of its efforts on planting corn, peanuts, cassava, potatoes, and raising livestock. Agricultural aid from FLD ceased in 2015 due to a lack of personnel available to keep the program running.

School of Automotive Mechanics

In addition to improving food availability for the community, FLD opened a school of automotive mechanics called "Centro Treinamentu Mekaniku da Paz"/Mechanics Training Center for Peace (CTMP) in 2010 in order to train community members in peace-building, in how to repair broken agricultural equipment, and in how to approach agriculture from an organic state. In December 2013, the first class of graduates from CTMP graduated with a class of 10 students (7 women, 3 men). In March 2015, the second class of graduates from CTMP graduated a class of 6 students (4 women, 2 men) with a Certificate II Level in automotive mechanics and organic agriculture. Unfortunately, due to lack of personnel to teach the students, the program is currently inoperative. 

 Women's Small Business Development Initiative

In 2011, FLD began a small business development initiative to help women in the District of Lautem (Los Palos) develop a business making traditional Timor tais scarves. The original group of women was made up of five war widows who's husbands had died during the Indonesian occupation. FLD offers the women's group training in business skills, savings practices, and funding for the group's capital expenses. The business is still operational today in Los Palos, and has grown to support over twenty-five women. These women are able to make an income to support their families through this initiative. One of the group's biggest projects was to weave 150 tais scarves for the Melbourne Millennium Chorus group, which was worn by all singers at their annual concert help on August 5, 2012 at Melbourne Town Hall, marking the ten years of independence for Timor-Leste. 

Mobile Clinic

Two years following the opening of the community health clinic, FLD further recognized the need to reach more people in the far-off rural villages. FLD staff wanted to reach people who could not access their health services due to a lack of transportation, poor road infrastructure, and a lack of basic health knowledge. In 2010, FLD decided to begin traveling out to districts that were difficult to access, in order to provide community members with basic health services through the “Mobile Clinic.” In 2009, the Mobile Health Clinic received full accreditation from the Ministry of Health.

Clinical Staff from FLD consulting with patients in 2010 through the Mobile Clinic in the sub-village of Buburaga, in the village of Gariwai, in the Subdistrict of Baucau, in the District of Baucau.

Maternity Clinic

As more members of the community heard about the helpful services provided by the community health clinic and mobile clinic, more patients began seeking FLD’s services from surrounding villages. FLD recognized a need to expand their services to further help the mothers and children of the surrounding community. In 2014, four years after the official start of the mobile health clinic, FLD opened a maternity clinic in the village of Ostico, just northeast of Triloka. The maternity clinic continues to be a major help to rural women in the community, and serves as a point of contact for delivery with a trained healthcare specialist.

The building of the maternity clinic in Ostico in 2013-2014

Medical Laboratory

Two years following the opening of the maternity clinic in Ostico, staff from FLD identified the need for improved access to greater diagnostic capabilities for patients. At the time, the only form of diagnosis available to patients was through microscopic slide readings with one microscope for the entire clinic. With this in mind, and with the help from generous donors, FLD leadership and community members began construction in 2016 on a Laboratory Center with the hope to fill the center with diagnostic machines that are more capable of providing accurate diagnosis and treatment to patients; specifically those suffering from malaria, dengue, and tuberculosis. The building of the Laboratory Center is projected to be finished in early 2017.

The building of the laboratory in Ostico in 2016-2017

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