Nick Goodwin: Communications Manager, UNICEF Australia
Four Australians in East Timor faced a tense standoff in the district of Manatuto as they toured health posts as part of activities for the National Festival of Immunisation, organised by UNICEF and partners.
The incident occurred soon after the group arrived in Kampung Baru village in Manatuto district, approximately 50km east of the capital, Dili. The visitors approached the health post to find a large group of agitated East Timorese had surrounded the officials administering polio vaccinations. The crowd, aged 0-5 years, had become distressed after discovering that the supply of lollypops, essential to the success of the activity, had run out.
The lollypops, given out to the children as a reward for enduring the bitter taste of the orally administered poliomeylitis virus drops, had been the key to the success of the operation. The Australian visitors quickly realised that they faced a volatile situation, with the potential to disrupt activities at the health post. The unrest could easily have spread to the rest of the district and then the entire nation, a thought that did not sit easily with local parents and UN representatives alike.
With mouths clamped firmly shut, it appeared that the youngsters would not budge and continued their protest action by sitting down in the health post. The Australians, out of range of radio contact with peacekeepers and fearing an escalation of the unrest, decided that decisive action was required to distract the unruly mob. A car was also dispatched to rush emergency supplies to the scene.
They managed to gather some of the children into groups for photos and played games including jumping and stretching exercises designed to channel the energy of the crowd. At the same time, a quick-thinking local official began registering the names of those who had been affected for later distribution.
The Australians included two representatives of Tyco Healthcare, a supporter of UNICEF Australia, visiting various activities in East Timor. “We didn’t know whether we would make it out. It was touch and go for a while there,” remarked a relieved Tony Poulton, Marketing Director of Tyco Healthcare. “I am just glad that the combined efforts of the local officials and our game-playing were enough to quell the disturbance until the lollypops were delivered.”
Luckily the supply centre in Manatuto had additional supplies on hand and the car returned fully laden within 15 minutes. The crowd rushed the Portuguese NGO worker as he approached the health post and soon the process of distribution was underway and mouths opened up again for the life-saving drops.
The polio vaccinations are being administered in several phases as part of the Festival of Immunisation across all 13 districts of East Timor. It was estimated in 1997 that only 59% of children aged 0-5 were fully immunised against polio. This compares to an average of 87% across East Asia and the Pacific.
Polio immunisation, once a regular feature of child health, has not taken place in East Timor since July 1999, when UNICEF secured ‘Days of Tranquility’ to ensure that warring parties would not target those taking their children to health posts for immunisation. This long break in immunisation has had serious consequences for the rate of coverage in East Timor, with estimates that as low as 45% are currently protected against the polio virus.
According to UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children 2001 report, launched on Dec 12 2000, “the success of immunisation campaigns in saving young lives and improving the health status and social wellbeing of generations has been extensively documented.” Thus UNICEF, quick thinking locals and Australian ingenuity have helped assure the futures of the children of East Timor.