Since August 2023, the Sisters Hospitallers have been carrying out their mission in East Timor, a region marked by social, economic, and health challenges. Through the San Benito Menni Mental Health Center in Lahomea, Maliana, they provide comprehensive care to people living with mental health disorders, many of whom are in situations of great vulnerability. This article brings us closer to their daily work, which goes beyond the walls of the center, traveling difficult roads to offer listening, care, dignity, and hope.<\/p>\n
We invite you to read the testimony of Sister Isabel Martins:<\/p>\n
\u201cHello to all the Sisters and everyone reading this article,<\/strong><\/p>\n We were asked to share a bit about our mission in East Timor. Although we had already begun visiting some patients on the outskirts of the city and delivering communion to several elderly and sick individuals, we did so without a very structured plan. Yes, we go far \u2014 to where the users are. Many of them live very far away, and the roads are hardly suitable, especially when it rains. We cross swamps and rivers, drive on rocky paths and half-paved roads, sometimes traveling on the main roads with just a few stretches of asphalt. This is the price of selfless service \u2014 of wanting to be instruments of God\u2019s love for those who need it.<\/p>\n To date, we have cared for and accompanied 171 people \u2014 a significant number for just one municipality. We have already managed to “free” several patients from their chains \u2014 one of them had been chained for 10 years, another for 4 years, and others for a few months. Most consultations take place outside the center. In East Timor, not only is everything free, but it\u2019s also uncommon for patients to seek out health centers or hospitals. They usually go only when the situation is already severe \u2014 and in the case of mental health, even less so, due to persistent stigma and family shame.<\/p>\n We are joined by a Public Health Technician assigned by the Ministry of Health to work with us three times a week, along with the mental health nurse responsible in each area we visit. We call these areas \u201cOutposts,\u201d and there are four of them: Atabae, Balibo, Cailaco, and Bobonaro.<\/p>\n We also visit and care for patients weekly in the outskirts of Maliana, which we have divided into four zones. What we do here is similar to our Psychosocial Rehabilitation Centers, although we call it a Mental Health Center, as advised by the Ministry of Health. There are three main reasons for this:<\/p>\n Economic difficulty in affording motorbike transport \u2014 the most commonly used means of public transport.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Poor road conditions and limited accessibility.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Cultural norms \u2014 in East Timor, people are not used to seeking hospitals, and the center is still seen as \u201canother hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n In addition to occupational therapy services \u2014 which, as I mentioned, still have few users \u2014 we offer psychiatric and psychological consultations. Each month we conduct around 15 appointments at the center. Some patients who live nearby come to collect their medication, but they are still few.<\/p>\n Outside the center, we can perform between 40 and 50 consultations per month, with a small number of home visits.<\/p>\n Our biggest problem right now is the lack of specialized medication. Supplies in the country are very limited, which has already led to relapses in some stabilized patients. We\u2019d also like to share that we currently have five employees working with us, and the Ministry of Health has already officially assigned one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Since August 2023, the Sisters Hospitallers have been serving in East Timor through the San Benito Menni Mental Health Center. They support people with mental disorders in highly vulnerable situations, traveling difficult roads to offer comprehensive care, dignity, and hope. In this blog, Sister Isabel Martins shares how this mission becomes a daily testimony of faith, service, and mercy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55512,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[588],"tags":[936,937,938,688,601,939,940,941,591,942],"class_list":["post-55511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cat-news","tag-catholic-mission","tag-east-timor","tag-gospel-of-mercy","tag-integral-care","tag-mental-health","tag-religious-volunteering","tag-san-benito-menni-center","tag-schizophrenia-in-timor","tag-sisters-hospitallers","tag-support-for-vulnerable-people"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
I believe most of the Sisters know that we carry out our mission at the San Benito Menni Mental Health Center in Lahomea, Maliana, since August 2, 2023 (the official inauguration date of the center).<\/p>\n
If we want to talk about what we do, it’s almost impossible not to mention our work both inside and outside the center, because we go out a lot as part of our mission. \u201cWe\u2019re always on the move \u2014 by car!\u201d And always in dirty cars. For some, it\u2019s a sign we rarely wash them; for others, it means we go where people are.<\/p>\n
Most are young people between the ages of 21 and 35. The older people we assist are usually already chronic patients. The most common diagnoses are schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders.<\/p>\n
The first two cases were heartbreaking. They allowed us to witness the gospel of mercy “live” until we were able to convince the families that recovery was possible.
Thank God, all are doing well. That\u2019s why the families feel confident and happy \u201cwhen we return.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the fatigue we sometimes feel when we return, the most common feeling we experience and share is gratitude to God \u2014 for being instruments in His hands despite our smallness \u2014 so that many may experience His goodness and greatness.<\/p>\n
It functions as a Day Center from Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The number of people who come to the center is still small (7 or 8) and very variable. Only two users attend regularly \u2014 we even help one of them with transport costs, otherwise, he wouldn\u2019t be able to come.<\/p>\n\n
This issue affects not only us but also hospitals and other state-run health centers.<\/p>\n