As competing poverty figures fuel a national debate, three households reveal the daily calculations behind food, school expenses and debt — and how little room remains when something goes wrong. By Lourdes do Rêgo · Adapted from Diligente DILI, Timor-Leste — At five in the morning in Bidau Santa Ana, Jacinta Kaet

Government spending accounts for most of the country’s projected growth, while economists question whether its oil wealth is building an economy that can stand on its own. By Rilijanto Viana · Adapted from Diligente DILI, Timor-Leste — For every dollar’s worth of goods Timor-Leste exported in the first