‘After having worked as a midwife at the community  health centre of Passabe in Oe-Cusse  for the past 2 years, I am happy to have been a participant of the Family Planning Training!’, said Domingas da Cunha from the Special Administrative Region of Oe-Cusse.

‘As a participant of this training I got very valuable information regarding family planning. The training has really improved my technical knowledge of the various methods of Family planning, such as the pill, Intrauterine device (IUD), Injectable, etc.’

The training which took place in late April was delivered by trainers from the Timor-Leste National Health Institute who were trained and supported by UNFPA Timor-Leste using World Health Organization (WHO) standards. The Ministry of Health ensured that the midwives were able to attend the training. The training included theory and practical components, and covered modern and natural family planning methods.

Mrs. Da Cunha further stressed that ‘Family Planning is very important for mothers, because it is vital to space the births of children because when the mother does not space her births there is a higher chance of mothers dying [and other complications].’

Midwives who are trained to international standards set by WHO can provide 87% of all Sexual Reproductive and Health services.

UNFPA Timor-Leste works towards ensuring reproductive rights for all by actively supporting the government of Timor-Leste to increase the capacity of midwives and health workers of Timor-Leste.