Mission for the Poor: Serving the people of Flores and Timor Leste

The population of Flores is estimated to be approximately two million people (2010 census) with the number likely to exceed this figure due to many villages being in remote mountain locations.  The population is approximately 97% Catholic.  Labuan Bajo is the capital of West Manggarai Province (2010 census population of 221,430), which is the largest province in Flores.  Unemployment in Labuan Bajo is high, especially in the young, with extreme levels of low education.  The population is mostly impoverished, particularly in country village areas, and the local economy is overall not self-sufficient.  It is estimated that about half of children over 10 years of age have no schooling.  The town has very limited medical services with little available care for the disabled and the elderly.  Consequently the average life expectancy is less than 60 years, with approximately 12% infant mortality.