Field Notes

At 1:30 AM 9 TCRP Catalysts woke with all the moxie they could muster to witness the sunrise from the highest point in Timor-Leste—atop Mt. Ramelau.

At 1:34 AM 9 TCRP Catalysts grumbled their way back to bed, as one of Team TCRP leaders, Amanda, realized she had risen the group an hour early.

At 2:30 Am 9 TCRP Catalysts awoke to charge up Mt. Ramelau and slay team leader, Amanda for their lost hour of sleep. With a much larger purpose in mind, the catalysts stayed their vengeance to conquer the mountain on behalf of the children of HIAM Health.

HIAM Health is a Non Government Organization (NGO) in Timor-Leste devoted to the education, rehabilitation, and prevention of malnutrition in their very young country. As the Timorese people have been focused on winning independence for the last 20 years, little education about their land, agriculture, and nutrition has been passed down, resulting in a lack of knowledge about proper nutrition. This has crippled Timor-Leste, leaving them with over 50% of their children under 5 years of age malnourished.

Following a visit to the HIAM Health center and a crash course on gardening and nutrition, the 9 catalysts ventured deep into the mountains of Aileu to assist with HIAM Health’s Home Kitchen Project. A relatively new project for HIAM Health, the Home Kitchen Project builds gardens for families and communities throughout Timor-Leste—because, “why give a man a fish and feed him for a day, when you can teach him how to fish and feed him for a lifetime?”