In Timor Leste the only medical procedure for breast cancer is surgery. After surgery the women can be sent back to their homes in rural areas to manage as best they can. These women can suffer pain and infection because they have no pain relief and are in remote areas where medical attention is scarce. They do not understand Cancer and very often it is advanced before they seek medical assistance. They are frightened at what is happening to them, their husbands are not always supportive. In some cases they can travel to Indonesia for treatment, but this is costly and there is the remaining stigma of the War of Independence and they fear they may not return.
The club consulted with the Haliku team as to how best we could assist them. Through their own initiative they had sought finance from Japan to build a Cancer Support Centre with three rooms for patients. The club thought at first to buy a piece of equipment which we could donate and label as being a gift from Soroptimists. They said they had the funding for the building, but no money to run it. The best help would be to finance the cost of one room. We agreed to do this if they would put a notice above the door of that room as being supported by Soroptimists of Western Australia. We then had to estimate the cost of financing a cancer recovery room for one year.
The residents of this room would receive nursing care, education on detecting cancer and information on the disease. They would receive a good nourishing diet, counselling support, transport to the National Hospital and personal requirements. The estimation was $4000 for one year. Then we had to raise $4000. In 2025. a letter was sent to all Clubs in Western Australia describing the need for breast cancer patients in Timor Leste. Eight of the thirteen clubs in Western Australia responded to support the cause. If each club gave $500 we could have our required funds. The first year of supporting Haiku was very successful and now we are into our second year. In July 2026 a second request for funding was sent and our club was delighted when eight clubs again responded with funding. Each time SI Joondalup have provided $1000 as the lead club. These funds will adequately cover the cost of "The Soroptimists of Western Australia Room" for another year. It is important that these clubs feel some ownership of the "Soroptimist Room" so every month they are updated with news of Timor Leste, information on who has been a resident in our room and a three monthly account of the spending of their funds.
