Integrating child spacing with maternal care in Timor-Leste.

Health Alliance International (HAI) already partnering with the Ministry of Health (MoH) to support maternal and newborn care in six central districts of Timor-Leste integrated child spacing education and services into its existing program. By clarifying the link between high fertility and high mortality / morbidity HAI encouraged health officials and health workers to place FP squarely within the logic of basic maternal care. Moreover despite concerns that culture religion and history would dissuade Timorese families from accepting FP HAI found that women and men were eager to space their children as a way to better insure the overall well-being of their families. HAIs overarching strategy of supporting public sector health systems meant the building of skills and capacity from within the MoH rather than creating parallel structures to deliver FP information and methods. Together HAI and the MoH raised acceptance knowledge and use of child spacing methods in central Timor-Leste.