A Catholic foundation has offered free treatment to hundreds of families in East Nusa Tenggara province, many of them former Timor Leste refugees who were suffering from skin diseases. Yonetha Go, a spokesperson of the Felix Maria Go Foundation, said a team of two doctors and six nurses treated more than 300 families on Saturday. Many were suffering from skin problems caused by using unclean water from a nearby river. Cooperating with local government agencies, the team reached out to villagers living in Naen, about 15 kilometers south of Kefamenanu, the capital of Timor Tengah Utara district. “We were glad to support the mission of the Church and government in treating people’s health problems here,” she said, adding that the foundation also collected the medical histories of the villagers for future reference. Stanislaus Metboki, 60, one of the villagers, said they were very grateful for the much-needed treatment. He also called on the government or any donors to help provide clean water for them. The Felix Maria Go Foundation was established last year by the family of late businessman and Church benefactor Felix Go and his wife Maria Gorety Salassa Yap to help poor people in Atambua diocese. Last year it opened a house for retired priests in the diocese. Related story: Bishop blesses new retirement house
