Maucatar Project
Health, Nutrition and Livelihoods for Families in Remote Communities.
In the remote mountains of Timor-Leste, daily life is a constant challenge.
Families face limited access to healthcare, safe water, and reliable income. Many children are not getting the nutrition they need to grow, and preventable illness remains part of everyday life.
But with the right support, this can change.
Together with the Hospitaller Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Works works alongside communities in remote Maucatar, in the Cova Lima region, to improve health, strengthen nutrition, and create opportunities for families to build a more secure future.
What We Do
We work alongside local communities to deliver practical, community-led support that improves health, strengthens nutrition and creates opportunities for families to earn an income.
Health and nutrition
- Supporting a maternity clinic for mothers and newborns
- Providing protein-rich nutrition to children and families
- Delivering mobile health clinics to villages and schools
- Sharing health education on nutrition, hygiene and wellbeing
Livelihoods
- Training families to raise chickens, pigs and fish
- Supporting weaving and small-scale income activities
- Providing small grants to help families start earning an income
Water and hygiene
- Installing rainwater tanks for schools and communities
- Improving hygiene and reducing water-related illness
Skills and education
- Delivering school-based health education programs
- Training local health workers
The Impact
With your support, this work is already changing lives.
- 11,788 people reached in the past year
- Mobile health clinics delivered to remote villages
- Schools supported with health and nutrition education
- Hundreds of families trained to build sustainable livelihoods
- Safe water systems installed for communities and schools
Real Stories From Maucatar
“Now we have a way to provide for our family.”
Bonifacio is a farmer in Maucatar. Like many families in the region, he worked hard but struggled to earn a steady income.
With support from Mercy Works, Bonifacio received training and a small grant to start raising chickens. He built a secure coop, purchased chicks, and learned how to care for them properly.
Today, his chickens provide both food and income for his family. What started as a small opportunity is now a reliable way to support his household—and a foundation he hopes to grow in the future.
“We are seeing children grow stronger.”
Regina cares for her young granddaughter, Ambei, in Maucatar.
Ambei was born at the local maternity clinic supported by Mercy Works. Through the program, Regina’s family has access to protein-rich food and support to grow crops and raise livestock—helping improve nutrition in a community where many children do not get the nourishment they need to grow.
With her husband unable to work, Regina has joined with others in her community to plant crops and care for livestock together. This shared effort is improving food security, strengthening community connections, and creating a source of income for families.
A Future Built Together
In Maucatar, change is happening.
Families are improving nutrition by raising livestock and growing food. Communities are working together to support vulnerable households. Children are healthier, and more people can access basic healthcare and water.
This is how lasting change happens—through local leadership, practical support, and long-term partnership.
Why Your Support Matters
There is still more to do.
Remote communities continue to face:
- limited access to healthcare
- high levels of malnutrition
- lack of safe and reliable water
- few opportunities to earn a steady income
With your support, more families can access the nutrition, healthcare and opportunities they need to build a better future.