On May 7th, Mr. Pornchai Suchitta, Country Representative of UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), presented Fokupers NGO with a new vehicle at the Fokupers headquarters in Dili. This is part of UNFPA's ongoing support to Fokupers, who provide shelter and support services to victims of gender based violence and domestic violence in Timor-Leste.
The donation of this vehicle by UNFPA will help Fokupers carry out their work especially in rural areas, safely transferring clients from their homes to hospitals for emergency medical care, or to shelters for longer term care. Fokupers also refer and transport clients to PRADET for psycho-social care and trauma counseling and to other support services from the Vulnerable Persons Unit of PNTL and JSMP Victim Support.
Fokupers project worker Mika explains that the car provided by UNFPA will be extremely helpful for the victim assistance service provided in 13 districts throughout Timor-Leste. ‘It will now be much easier to transport victims coming from rural areas for medical treatment or to accompany them to the police. Especially with the condition of the roads in our districts, this car will be very helpful to us, so we can quickly attend the women and children victims.'
In her speech, the managing director of Fokupers, Mary Bereto, thanked UNFPA for their ongoing support and gratefully accepted the new vehicle. This donation is part of UNFPA's annual support to Fokupers to assist with the running costs of the shelters in Dili and Suai, the Transit House in Maliana, as well as Fokupers' outreach programmes in the districts, raising awareness on the Law Against Domestic Violence in communities.
UNFPA has been supporting Fokupers' work since 2004. UNFPA works with government ministries and local partners to promote gender equality, women's health, education and rights in Timor-Leste.
