Spotlight on Manatuto District – Reaching Remote and Isolated Communities

**Nota: ita bele mós lee testu ne’e iha lian Tetun iha RHTO nia Blog.

There are many communities in Timor-Leste which are distant, and far from services such as health posts. Reaching these places is difficult because of the condition of the roads. People with disability face extra challenges when travelling to and from remote communities, given the lack of accessible transport options.

But these challenges are not stopping RHTO from visiting distant communities.

As the national Disabled Person’s Organisation in Timor-Leste, RHTO has a presence in all 13 districts. Travelling to rural communities to share information about the rights of people with disability, and to link people with disability to services and support, is a key element of our work.

Recently RHTO’s District Officer for Manatuto, maun António Januario, made plans to visit a very remote community: suco Fatuk-Makerek in Laclubar Sub-District.

According to the 2010 Census data, 5.67 per cent of the total population in Laclubar Sub-District are people with disabilities. The people with disability in Fatuk-Makerek are particularly disadvantaged. Because the village is so far away from the district capital of Manatuto town, and even Laclubar town is hard to get to, people from the community sometimes travel instead into Manufahi district if they require services. People with disability from the community would have to ride horses to be able leave the village. Many are unable to, and therefore have never accessed services they need, such as rehabilitation.

So, when António wanted to visit Suco Fatuk-Makerek, he faced big challenges. It was not possible to use cars or motorbikes. To walk would mean sleeping one night on the side of the road. António’s alternative solution was to hire a horse to make the journey.

António set out at 5.30 in the morning to make the long trip to Fatuk-Makerek. The journey involved crossing a big river, and climbing mountains. But, the effort was worthwhile. In the community, maun António was able to meet with a number of people with disability, including people with physical impairments, and people with vision impairment. António also met with the Aldeia Council, and provided general awareness training to community members.