Cesario Joao Amado Marques da Conceicao joined the Australian Aid International team in June 2007. He was born in the Timorese District of Oecusse in 1977. Oecusse is situated in the northwest region of Indonesian West Timor and roughly a seven hour drive from Dili. Oecuesse is isolated from the rest of Timor Leste by Indonesian territory. Cesario studied nursing in the District of Baucau finishing in 1996 and began working with the Dili public hospital (RSUP). From 1999 to 2001 he was employed by International Crescent of the Red Cross (ICRC) before moving to Dili National Hospital where he currently works part time as a staff member.
There are seven Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Dili, housing approximately 38,000 people. After his house was reduced to ashes in the May 2006 riots, Cesario was forced to live in one of these camps with his wife and three young children.
Specialized in neo natal care, pediatrics, childhood malnutrition Cesario also boasts extensive knowledge on Tuberculosis and Malaria. With his expansive knowledge and experience he has become an impressive educator and mentor to not only the AAI local staff but the community at large. Ceaser has become an integral part of the AAI team sharing our mission and vision for Timor Leste health. His engaging manner with the neighborhood children has made AAI's project of interactive learning for children in Dili a very successful initiative.
By Crystal Brown and Emma Clemets- Project Nurses