GX Foundation, a Hong Kong-based Chinese medical humanitarian organization, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on dengue fever prevention and control and a letter of intent for cooperation on clean water project with the health ministry of Timor-Leste in Dili, capital of Timor-Leste, on Friday.
The signing of the agreements were witnessed by Leung Chun-ying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and chairman of GX foundation, and Timor-Leste's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao.
Under the agreements, the GX Foundation will intensify its partnership with Timor-Leste's health authorities to combat dengue fever and address the country's drinking water shortages.
Earlier this year, the foundation launched its first global pilot project in the southeast Asian country, donating a range of mosquito control products to the country's health ministry, including mosquito killer lamps, fly traps, mosquito nets and rapid test kits. The efforts, covering early diagnosis, prevention, protection and education, have significantly mitigated the risk of dengue outbreaks in the country.
Despite a global surge in dengue cases, the first half of this year saw Timor-Leste reporting a 10 percent decrease in confirmed cases compared to the same period of last year. Notably, dengue infections in May and June dropped by 76.5 percent.
"We have installed the mosquito killer lamps provided by the GX Foundation in all hospital departments, from emergency rooms to server rooms. We have noticed almost no mosquitoes in the hospital now. Moreover, we no longer have concerns about dengue fever," said Pereira, director of the infectious disease prevention and control department of the Guido Valadares National Hospital.
"The results of this pilot project are crucial for our future initiatives, as they help identify high-risk areas. We hope this project will serve as a model for other regions and developing countries affected by dengue fever," said Chan Yingyang, CEO of the GX Foundation.
In addition, to combat waterborne diseases caused by contaminated drinking water, the foundation will launch its first "Clean Water Project" in the country. The initiative includes the donation of 100 water purification machines to the institutions such as hospitals and schools. Qualified technicians will be mobilized to manage the installation.
Founded in Hong Kong in 2018, the GX Foundation is a non-governmental and non-profit medical humanitarian organization dedicated to providing international medical and public health humanitarian assistance in the Belt and Road countries.
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral infection and mostly occurs in the rainy season from June to October in Southeast Asia. It usually causes severe flu-like symptoms, including high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pain, and a characteristic skin rash.
Chinese NGO signs cooperation deals with Timor-Leste on dengue fever prevention, clean water project
A Brazilian national who was deported by the United States in January this year recounted the discriminatory and inhumane treatment he encountered during the repatriation in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV).
Jefferson Faustino was among the 88 deported Brazilians sent by a charter flight from the U.S. to Manaus, a city in northern Brazil, on Jan 24.
During dozens of hours of flight, they were handcuffed, shackled, and denied food and bathroom, and they almost lost their lives to an air conditioning fault, according to Faustino.
"They gave us water in very small bottles on the plane. And I couldn't drink it, because my hands were cuffed to the waist chain. So I had to bend down hard and squash the bottle to spray water into my mouth, because otherwise I wouldn't be able to reach the water at all. Even by doing so, I couldn't get water. When I squeeze the bottle, the water sprayed out and soaked me all over. In the 48 hours of repatriation, they distributed food only one time. It was a spoiled sandwich. The sandwich they gave turned purplish color. I was starving. What could I do? I had to eat," Faustino said.
"In the 48 hours of repatriation, they distributed food only one time. It was a spoiled sandwich. The sandwich they gave me was purple. I was starving. What could I do? I had to eat," he added.
Meanwhile, the American crew enjoyed fresh food and water, Faustino told CCTV.
"No, they had very good food. Every meal, they went over there to heat up box lunches and drink water. The cabin cabinets were full of lunch boxes, full of food, but they didn't give us that food," he said.
The Brazilian deportees protested the unfair treatment and asked for the food and water, but they were not given a response, because of the language barrier, Faustino recalled.
"Yes, we asked. We spoke loudly to them, but the crew didn't speak Portuguese or Spanish, only English. It's a humiliation to us the Brazilians, because we didn't have food and couldn't use the bathroom. The children were crying," he said.
After the plane arrived in Manaus, the air conditioning system broke down and the crew got off the plane, leaving the deportees suffocating in the enclosure.
"People couldn't breathe. The cabin was out of air. I managed to open an emergency exit door and shouted to the police: 'Help! Help! Help!' I yelled for help, asking them to come and save us, because I thought I was dying, I was dying," Faustino said.
The Brazilian government deemed this treatment "degrading" and "unacceptable", with the country's foreign ministry summoning the charge d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy to request an explanation over the issue on Jan 26.
"The U.S. government should be held accountable. Why didn't they train these people responsible for transporting deportees. Since the Trump administration came to power, it has created conflicts in American society and adopted policies that are completely against democracy and public opinion, disrupting relations between the U.S. and its economic and political partners," said Rinaldo Leal, a Brazilian lawyer.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed on his inauguration day an executive order that called for mass deportations of undocumented migrants. Since then, raids and deportations of undocumented migrants, especially those from Latin America, have continued to ramp up.
Brazilian deportee recounts inhumane treatment during flight from US
Brazilian deportee recounts inhumane treatment during flight from US
