On 12 October, UNDP held a closing ceremony of the Hamutuk Serbí Komunidade (HSK) programme for Suco Dare, Vera Cruz, Dili. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the workers, local authorities, Asian Development Bank, Embassy of Japan, and UNDP. The HSK Programme, through its Cash-for-Work initiative, helped 706 residents (345 women) of the 10 aldeias in Suco Dare (Fila Be Ba Tua, Mahaele, Fatu Naban, Suka Lau, Bloc Fugira, Cas Nafar, Lemorana, Lelaus, Coalau I and Coalau II) for their recovery from the Easter Floods.

706 participants worked for 22 days to clean and rehabilitate the neighbourhoods from the damages of the Easter Floods and received USD 110 in two instalments. In total, the HSK programme disbursed a total of USD 77,660 for the works in Suco Dare. In addition, the programme provided various PPEs, tools and equipment which will remain with the communities which can be used for any future community work.

At the ceremony, Resident Representative of the UNDP in Timor-Leste, Munkhtuya Altangerel congratulated the participants for the successful completion of the project in Suco Dare. She also said that “UNDP is very delighted to see that the HSK programme provided the timely and relevant support for the flood-affected communities and we are grateful for the partnership with the Government of Timor-Leste, Asian Development Bank, Government of Japan, and Government of the Republic of Korea”.

Ms. Kavita Iyengar, Officer-in Charge of the Resident Mission of the Asian Development Bank in Timor-Leste said that she would like to “thank each and every government partner and UNDP for being part of this endeavour”.

Mr. Manuel Gusmão, Administrator of the Posto Administrativo de Vera Cruz, applauded the HSK initiative and asked for the project to continue.

Implemented across 42 aldeias in the Dili Municipality affected by the Easter Floods, the HSK program is a cash-for-work initiative, funded by the Government of Timor-Leste (USD 1 million; ADB’s Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund financed by the Government of Japan), the Government of the Republic of Korea (USD 100,000) and UNDP (USD 200,000). UNDP implements the program through close collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of State Administration, SEFOPE, Secretary of State for Environment, and local authorities, including Administrative Post, Chief of Suco and Aldeia.

Since its launching in May 2021, the HSK programme has supported over 5,400 flood-affected populations across Dili.