DILI, 04 july 2022 (TATOLI)- The Government of New Zealand (NZ) together with Oxfam and Ra’es Hadomi Timor Oan (RHTO), today offered a Safe resilient house for Persons with Disabilities (PWD), Antonio do Rego in Lahane Oriental, post-Administrative of Nain Feto, Dili municipality.
The Ambassador of New Zealand, Philip Hewitt, said that since Timor – Leste was hit by floods on April 4, 2021, many houses were damaged, and at that time, New Zealand in collaboration with Oxfam and RHTO went directly to visit the houses destroyed by the April 4 floods and committed to supporting them.
“Our commitment to building a Safe Resilient House for Persons with Disabilities has now been realized, although it is a bit late. New Zealand together with Oxfam and RHTO has committed to building 5 units of Safe and Resilient Houses for Persons with Disabilities in Dili. Construction of the first house has been completed and today it has been inaugurated, while the other 4 houses are still under construction,” New Zealand Ambassador to Timor – Leste, Philip Hewitt told reporters at Lahane Oriental, Dili this Monday.
Ambassador Hewitt added that the SRH will help people with disabilities feel more secure living with other communities in an inclusive manner.
“Therefore, I take this opportunity to thank Oxfam together with RHTO partners and local governments for working together to build an SRH according to their needs to live a safer and more resilient life,” he said.
Country Director of Oxfam, Fausto Ximenes Belo, informed that the SRH for PwD could be implemented based on financial assistance from the New Zealand Government through its Embassy in Timor – Leste.
“According to data collection from our partner RHTO, there were 5 houses for people with disabilities that were destroyed during the flood on april 4, and these houses are built this year through the collaboration between Oxfam, RHTO, and New Zealand. Today we inaugurated one house and handed it over to Disabled, Antonio do Rosario. We hope that the other four houses will be handed over to the flood victims in the near future,” he said.
He explained that the Safe Resilient House measures 7×9 meters. The house has 2 rooms, 1 living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom with a total fund of $7,000 from New Zealand.
The head of Lahane Village, Trindade do Amaral Pinto Baptista, appreciated the support of SRH for people with disabilities, and asked Antonio do Rosario and his family to take care of the house and use it for a long time.
“On behalf of the Lahane Oriental community, I thank the Ambassador of New Zealand and his partners who have helped build the SRH for the disabled Antonio do Rosario and his family, we hope the support will also be provided for the other disable person”
In the same place, Director of Civil Protection Ismail Babo said, more than 30,000 houses were damaged by the April 04 flood, 48 people died and 12 bodies of other victims have not been found to date, therefore the Government’s efforts with international partners and other local NGOs including Oxfam and RHTO is committed to assisting communities including persons with disabilities in Timor – Leste.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor : Nelia B.
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