Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of the Timor Sea. 

The island is divided between the sovereign states of East Timor on the eastern part and Indonesia on the western part. 

The Indonesian part, also known as West Timor, constitutes part of the province of East Nusa Tenggara. 

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Timor is a very poor island, with health issues including malaria and dengue fever.

Sources of revenue include gas and oil in the Timor Sea, coffee plantation and tourism.

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A lot of children from the orphanage come from Timor and it is important to understand why.

Timor faces challenges from its surrounding geography.

The difficult and vey uneven land of Timor  make both farming and water-gathering difficult, with only 30 percent of arable land currently used in farming. 

Around 70 % of the population lives in rural areas and are reliant on agriculture as their primary source of food.

Food shortages contribute to a large number of illnesses and diseases in Timor Island. 

Malnutrition is widespread, and proper health care is hard to come by, particularly for those in rural areas. 

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Maternal mortality rates are high and 45 out of every 1,000 children are expected to die before their first birthday. 

Of those who survive, many are stunted due to poor nutrition.

Water and sanitation also create problems for health care. About 300,000 Timorese do not have access to clean water, with large numbers of the population using public taps and unprotected springs to get the water they need.

Additionally, thousands people are without adequate sanitation. The lack of these basic facilities enables disease to spread, resulting in unnecessary deaths, particularly of young children.

Education attainment levels in Timor Island are low, with a lack of literacy among the population being particularly problematic. Dropout and attendance rates, particularly those of girls, is one of the key issues the country is facing.

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One of the primary reasons education is a major cause of poverty in Timor Island is the direct impact it has on employment. While more than three-quarters of Timor’s workers are employed within the primary sector, employment outside of this area is limited. The educational issues prevent the development of a skilled workforce, which hinders the ability of the government to function effectively. 

This skill gap is particularly problematic for Timorese youths, where educational inadequacies have led to a 40 percent unemployment level. Further compounding this issue is the lack of job creation outside of government, with the private sector only able to create an estimated 400 jobs per annum.