East Timor
East Timor has endured occupation by Indonesia and violence in its journey to independence. After several years’ distributing emergency supplies to people forced from their homes and land, ACT was able to resume its development work. Most of East Timor’s 1.1 million people are poor, with 40% living below the poverty line. Many are subsistence farmers and unemployment is estimated at over 50 percent. ACT helps meet the survival needs of the more than 10 percent of the population forced to live in makeshift camps by providing small business loans for kiosks and sewing machines, setting up coffee and corn farms, carrying out water rehabilitation, animal husbandry and setting up mobile health services.