Archive for March, 2009
30 March 2009
Heaps happening already
Just 3 weeks later and heaps has happened on the school. Simon and Agostinho visited the site on Friday and Saturday and sent a report with lots of photos. The new classrooms are actually going up fast and may be completed in just over a month. The demolition of the burnt out building is also happening. On Saturday morning classes were being held in the awful tin shed. Something Simon has mentioned each time he has visited though is how serious the children’s concentration is and how they are perfectly disciplined. I find it hard to picture my children working without complaint sitting on a broken bench seat inside a windowless, baking hot tin shed.
And apparently our money has survived its tour of the world and reached the builder’s account.
 
project: OSTICO EAST TIMOR
08 March 2009
First ever money transfer from Abu Dhabi to East Timor
I made history today I’m sure. After about an hour in the head office of HSBC in Abu Dhabi I think that I have sent US$15,000 to Elvino the builder’s account in Baucau in East Timor – bizarrely (and quite un-nervingly) via Macau and via an account in Dili. I had to first convince that the bank staff that a country called “Timor Leste” did exist and then try and explain why someone living in the Middle East wanted to donate money to such a place. I am sure they suspected me of some elaborate money laundering scheme – or quite possibly just madness. I did wonder about my sanity as I sent so much money off into the unknown. I guess we wait and see if it turns up where it’s supposed to.
project: OSTICO EAST TIMOR
06 March 2009
Impressive building work
Simon and Agostinho went out to Ostico again on the weekend, this time with Catherine and Sharad, two of the DLA Piper lawyers on secondment to the government in East Timor. Agostinho (the technical and practical person amongst the other three who are lawyers!) is very impressed with the work of Elvino. He has said that his attention to detail (even down to choice of paint color to match and hide the local mud) has been impressive. He could not be more positive with how things are going.
Only three months in and we are now thinking about the opening. Kirsty Sword Gusmao and the East Timor Education Minister are going to open the school which is fabulous. It’s amazing to think that they feel so strongly about this project for one small school to devote a whole day of their time to attending the opening.
project: OSTICO EAST TIMOR
04 March 2009
Construction has started – we are on our way!
Simon, Jenny and Agostinho went out to Ostico today to meet and talk to representatives of the community. Everything went really well and Simon placed the shovel of cement. From the look of it, I’m betting it’s the first shovel of cement he’s every laid!
Agostinho had put together packs for each of the 350 school children. They only cost a few dollars each and contained things like toothpaste and soap. But the look on the children’s faces shows the incredible value of those items to them.
 
project: OSTICO EAST TIMOR
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