PROJECT ‘Lequeracabu’u East Timor’
12 June 2011
Back in Dili
I flew into Dili yesterday to be part of an extraordinary documentary making trip next week. The film maker and producer who, together with Kirsty Sword Gusmao, obtained the footage of the Santa Cruz Cementry massacre, smuggled it out of the country and distributed it world wide, are back in Timor. They are working together again to make a documentary following up on the leaders of the Timorese independence movement and are filming Kirsty on a road trip to Baucau to visit Maucale school where Spend it Well has a new school building under construction.
Walking along Dili’s seafront it is hard to believe we are only an hour from Darwin. Men push trolleys bearing corn cobs, babies balance precariously on the front of motorbikes and bamboo stalls sell hundreds of glorious looking (unrefridgerated) fish. The fruit stalls are stacked in displays that are more beautiful than anything in high end fruit shops in Australia and the children run around playing with empty water bottles on strings.
It’s always good to be here in such a beautiful place and to be reminded how hard it is to get things done, but also just by seeing the groups of young men standing around with no-where to go, how great the need for education is.
  
project: Lequeracabu'u East Timor, Macalaco East Timor, Maucale East Timor, OSTICO EAST TIMOR
31 March 2011
East Timorese children malnourisment shocking – UNICEF
A recent UNICEF report shows that for the 8th year, East Timor has the 3rd hightest percentage of chronically malnourished children in the world – with only Afganistan and Yemen being slightly higher.
project: Lequeracabu'u East Timor, Macalaco East Timor, Maucale East Timor, OSTICO EAST TIMOR
11 January 2011
More Donated Furniture for Spend it Well Schools
To reduce deforestation, the East Timorese govt has put strict controls on the use of new wood. Rotary is helping to address the resulting shortage of school furniture (made of wood) by shipping used school furniture from Australia to East Timor.
Our school at Ostico was the beneficiary of some of this furniture last year. Now Rotary has provided Spend it Well with more furniture for Ostico, Lequeracabu’u and also the two new schools we plan to build this year at Maucale and Macalaco.
 
project: Lequeracabu'u East Timor, Macalaco East Timor, Maucale East Timor, OSTICO EAST TIMOR
27 November 2010
Lequeracabu’u School Plaque
Here is a photo and translation of the words carved on the plaque outside Lequeracabu’u School.
“In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, a group of friends throughout the world came together to fund the building of the Festau School. This group called “Spend it Well”, together with the Lequracubu’u community, are proud to commit to a brighter future for Timor-Leste through the education of our children. Officially opened by Sra. Kirsty sword Gusmao 22.10.2010”
“If you are planning for a year – sow rice.
If you are planning for a decade – plant trees.
If you are planning for a lifetime – educate a child.”
project: Lequeracabu'u East Timor
11 November 2010
Lunch for Lequeracabu’u school kids
Nearly half of children under five in Timor Leste suffer from malnutrition. The govt has a school feeding program in place and Spend it Well is working in conjunction with the govt to feed the school children of Lequeracabu’u each day. 4 village ladies are being trained to cook with marungai – a plant and peanut supplement that can be used by cooking it into food such as bread or rice. Those ladies will then be able to prepare food for the school children each day. The White Party’s funds will cover the tiny amount of $30 a month which is needed to buy the necessary marungai.
project: Lequeracabu'u East Timor
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