DILI, 30 July 2025 (TATOLI) – The Council of Ministers has approved a draft Decree-Law presented by Vice-Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion Céu Brites to establish the Conditional Health and Nutrition Allowance for Pregnant Women, Breastfeeding Mothers, and Children aged 0 to 3 living in socially vulnerable conditions.
This new social protection mechanism aims to combat chronic malnutrition and promote maternal and child health by providing mixed support consisting of adequate food and a quarterly financial incentive of US$ 25, quarterly.
“The program will be implemented initially as a pilot project in the municipalities of Covalima, Ermera, and the Oe-Cusse Ambeno Special Administrative Region, regions identified as having particularly high levels of child malnutrition,” the Government said in a statement.
The subsidy is intended for women and children in situations of proven socioeconomic vulnerability, and its granting is conditional on meeting minimum requirements for prenatal, postnatal, and child development monitoring, including regular health center visits, up-to-date vaccinations, and nutritional counseling sessions, in accordance with technical standards approved by the Ministry of Health.
The statement said that the program will be managed and monitored by the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion, in collaboration with the Ministries of Health, Finance, State Administration, and the National Institute of Statistics of Timor-Leste, and may also receive technical support from development partners.
The legislation also provides for the creation of a dedicated social database and an independent evaluation of the pilot project after 36 months of implementation, with a view to its eventual expansion nationwide.
TATOLI
