Hong Kong Students Join Timor-Leste Public Health Mission
HK01 · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago4 MIN
Summary
In late July, over 20 Hong Kong secondary students traveled to Timor-Leste as youth ambassadors of the Shared Foundation (共享基金會), an NGO founded in Hong Kong in 2018 . The eight-day mission centered on two flagship public health initiatives: vector-borne disease control and clean drinking water provision in rural communities .
Key Points
- The delegation split into three groups, with one team heading to Baucau province, roughly three hours from the capital, to work alongside medical students from the Catholic University of Timor-Leste .
- Students performed educational skits on dengue fever prevention for pregnant women, demonstrating mosquito net use and distributing protective equipment .
- A theatrical demonstration showed how unpurified river water causes fever and dizziness, while showcasing the foundation's direct drinking water machines as a preventive solution .
- The team visited a Baucau hospital with no electronic records system, handwritten patient files, rudimentary maternity facilities, and poor sanitation conditions .
- In Maubisse mountain area, students visited an elderly resident in a tin shack who walked long distances to church or spring water sources, confirming the urgency of clean water access .
Why It Matters
The program offers Hong Kong students firsthand exposure to humanitarian challenges in Belt and Road countries, cultivating practical understanding of public health diplomacy beyond textbook learning. The Shared Foundation's shift from direct service to capacity-building models in its cataract blindness program suggests similar evolution may follow in Timor-Leste, creating sustained opportunities for youth engagement in international development .
The program offers Hong Kong students firsthand exposure to humanitarian challenges in Belt and Road countries, cultivating practical understanding of public health diplomacy beyond textbook learning. The Shared Foundation's shift from direct service to capacity-building models in its cataract blindness program suggests similar evolution may follow in Timor-Leste, creating sustained opportunities for youth engagement in international development .