NEJIA
 
Child of God,
Child with sunshine in your eyes,
Strong willed and full
Of mischief and laughter,
Lover of music and games,
And your mother’s embrace.
 
We can’t forget your sunshine,
Your mischief, your laughter,
And we can’t ignore the injustice.
 
In another part of the world,
You would have been tested,
The problem diagnosed based on tests,
The medicine prescribed based on data,
Questions answered.
 
Instead, we are left with
Only questions,
Questions that haunt your mother
And should haunt us all.
 
In Timor-Leste’s mountains,
15% of children
Die before they are 5 years old.
In Dili, the figure is 7%.
In Cuba, the figure is 0.6%.
In Sweden, the figure is 0.3%.
2/3 of all child deaths in the world
Are preventable.
 
You lived all the way to 7 years;
You died at the young age of 7 years.
 
Your mother’s love is boundless,
Your mother’s pain immense.
 
May you help remind us of the injustice
Help us to feel outrage
At any preventable death;
Help us to demand
Quality health care for all.
 
Child of God,
Child with sunshine in your eyes.

This poem was sent by a friend of ours who also lives and works in Timor Leste.

NEJIA
 
Oan Maromak nian,
Oan ho naroman iha o nia matan,
Hakarak boot nakonu ho nakar no hamnasa,
Gosta muzika no halimar,
No o nia inan nia hakuak.
 
Ami labele haluha o nia naroman,
O nia halimar, o nia hamnasa,
No ami mos labele ignora injustisa ne’e.
 
Se o moras iha parte seluk iha mundu,
O bele hetan exame kompletu,
Doutor sira bele identifika problema
Husi resultadu teste nian,
No bele fo aimoruk tuir resultadu teste nian
No bele responde ba pergunta sira.
 
Maibe ami hela nakonu ho pergunta sira
Ne’ebe la hetan resposta,
Pergunta ne’ebe hatauk o nia inan,
No tuir loos, tenke hatauk ita hotu.
 
Iha Timor-Leste nia foho, 15% labarik
Mate molok sira hetan tinan 5 ona.
Iha Dili, estatistiku ne’e mak 7%.
Iha Kuba, estatistiku ne’e mak 0.6%.
Iha Swedia, estatistiku ne’e mak 0.3%.
2/3 husi kazus mate labarik nian
iha mundu tomak, ita bele prevene.
 
O moris to’o tinan 7;
O mate iha tinan 7 mate nurak liu.
 
O nia inan nia domin la iha limite,
O nia inan nia terus bo’ot tebes.
 
O bele fo hanoin fila fail mai ami
Kona ba injustisa.
Ajuda ami hodi senti hirus tebes
Bainhira mate bele prevene.
Ajuda ami hodi izizi sistema asistensia saude Ne’ebe diak ba ita hotu.
 
Oan Maromak nian,
Oan ho naroman iha o nia matan.

Pamela Sexton, Mother’s Day 2010
(reprinted with permission of the author)