Malnutrition is all too common in West Timor, the poorest province in Indonesia. The country is plagued by repeated natural disasters and crop failures, and lacks basic health services as well as water and sanitation infrastructure. In addition, the country was hit hard by the enduring impacts of the Asian economic crisis. USAID is funding food security programs implemented by CARE to provide nearly 6,000 metric tons of Title II commodities (rice, beans, corn-soy blend, vegetable oil and non-fat dry milk) to approximately 62,500 people affected by the crisis, including 2,500 malnourished children.

USAID has helped to effectively reduce the rate of malnutrition among its target population from 25% to 7% through a combination of programs including general food distribution, therapeutic and supplementary feeding programs, food-for-work activities, seed fairs, agricultural extension services, basic health services, and behavior change communication strategies.