PROJECT ‘OSTICO EAST TIMOR’
01 February 2012
Search for our next school starts
I am definitely best left at home when the investigative trips are made to decide on our next school projects. The Ministry of Education gives us the schools at the top of its “most desperate” list from which we choose our projects. Put me in any of those schools and I’ll decide that we absolutely have to help them out. But it’s actually not that simple. Need is only the starting point – we have to identify a school with a co-operative and energetic community and also one where the money we spend will have a significant effect on the school and the kids. That’s where Agostinho Soares, our Timorese project manager (in the stripy shirt) comes in. He visits the sites, talks to the community and its leaders and the teachers. He also works with the builders to produce good pricing – and monitors work once it has started. That process is underway now – more info soon.
project: Lequeracabu'u East Timor, Macalaco East Timor, Maucale East Timor, OSTICO EAST TIMOR
25 January 2012
The gardens are growing
On my visits to the schools I always wish that we could get some fresh vegetables to the kids – for much of the year their diet consists only of rice and casava (a root vegetable). At the end of last year, $500 was given to each of Maucale, Macalaco, Festau and Ostico schools to start a community garden, from which to feed the school children. The idea is that if they are successful we’ll provide the funds to expand the gardens. Maucale and Ostico’s gardens are already planted and looking great – hoping the other schools to start shortly.
project: Lequeracabu'u East Timor, Macalaco East Timor, Maucale East Timor, OSTICO EAST TIMOR
20 October 2011
Training for teachers of our schools
Last week 8 teachers from the 4 schools Spend it Well has re-built, attended a 2 day teacher training session run by the Alola Foundation. Teachers in rural schools often have limited training, so these sessions are invaluable. We also gave the teachers USB sticks at the end of the session – while the schools don’t have computers these are highly prized as they can take them to the towns and have material for the schools put on them and printed off. The teacher who has most affected me with his passion and determination to find a way forward for Timorese children through education is the man pictured below with my husband Stephen. He has been teaching at Maucale school for 26 years.
project: Lequeracabu'u East Timor, Macalaco East Timor, Maucale East Timor, OSTICO EAST TIMOR
23 July 2011
Mongol Rally – They are off!
Julian and Viv head out of Paris today on day 1 of their Mongol Rally odyssey. Both they and the beautifully branded “Spend it Well” car are looking great – hope they look as good after 10,000 miles! They have raised $9,557 for Maucale School so far and are hoping for more contributions from supporters as they embark on their long journey east.
 
project: Lequeracabu'u East Timor, Macalaco East Timor, Maucale East Timor, OSTICO EAST TIMOR
21 July 2011
10,000 mile drive for Maucale School
Spend it Well’s intrepid fundraisers, Julian and Viv are 2 days away from starting the Mongol Rally. The Rally is a 10,000 mile journey from Paris to Mongolia – the catch (if one is needed on such a journey) is that the car’s engine may not be bigger than 1,200cc. Which means they are driving a car most of us wouldn’t drive to the shops stuffed with tents, sleeping bags and all the spare parts they can fit. Julian and Viv plan to raise the money Spend it Well needs to complete the work on Maucale school which is currently under construction. Their trip will take about a month and you can follow their progress on https://www.spenditwell.com/rally/ as they travel across 3 deserts, 5 mountain ranges and a large part of the earth’s surface. Have a look at the interactive map to get a feel for how ridiculously far they are going!
 
project: Lequeracabu'u East Timor, Macalaco East Timor, Maucale East Timor, OSTICO EAST TIMOR
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