EAST TIMOR PROJECT

AN UNFORGETTABLE TRIP 

This worldwide project is administered by the New Families Centre in Rome. New Families is a branch of the Focolare Movement and it launched this particular form of international solidarity in 1975. Through this project, provision is made to support the economic and educational needs of children without uprooting them from their own countries and cultures.

There are currently 80 projects underway in 41 countries giving assistance to 12,000 children. Contributions are given for access to education, medical treatment and nutritional needs of the children and their families, and training in basic skills.

Financial contributions are collected and distributed by Azione per un Mondo Unito (AMU) which was established in 1987 as an non-governmental organization and which is included on the European Union's list of NGOs. It is associated with C.I.P.S.I. (Coordination of Popular Initiatives of International Solidarity).

The aims of AMU are inspired by the Focolare Movement's spirituality of unity and it supports a number of human promotion initiatives around the world.

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Escola Canossa
An important part of their stay was to visit some poor families in Dili whose children attend Escola Canossa in Comoro, a Catholic Institution run by the Canossian Sisters. Thanks to the “Adoptions at a Distance” project, these children are receiving help with their school fees as well as food, clothing and medical treatment. 

Sister Aurora, in charge of "Adoptions at a Distance" at the Canossian School, wrote: " We admire the great work the Holy Spirit is doing through the Focolare Movement. Yes, unity which we greatly need, is our cry above all in our little country which has suffered so much and is still submerged in chaotic divisions, misunderstandings and ethnic prejudices. We hope to learn from your Movement, so rich in charity and unity, to proclaim the Good News.

Institute Main Alin lha Kristo
Aida and Luciana also visited the three orphanages, at Dare, Aileu and Viqueque, run by ISMAIK, a Secular Institute founded by Sr Maria de Lourdes Martins in the diocese of Dili in 1997. Sr Lourdes tries to educate the orphans to become independent and eventually self-sufficient. Besides attending the local school where the use of the native language Tetum is encouraged, the children are taught catechism, as well as agriculture, cooking and such crafts as sewing and embroidering.

During their stay in Dare, Aida and Luciana taught the children how to make soap and ceramics with supplies sent from Perth and New Zealand. They also took many gifts, school supplies, art and crafts material, seeds for planting vegetables and flowers , donated by friends and people from various parishes and community groups around Australia.

Sr Lourdes wrote “I am happy God has led me to meet the Focolare Movement. I thank God for your friendship and solidarity in this struggle for the welfare and the development of the poor. I feel we share the same spirituality on which we can base our passion to create a more united and loving world and to work for the advancement of the Church.”

Another special moment in Aida and Luciana’s trip was to visit Organizacao de Desenvolvimento Basico (ODB), an orphanage in Dili, run since 1999 by an East Timorese couple who have four children of their own.

With the help of friends who were inspired by their generosity and unwavering dedication, Celestino Pereira and his wife have been able to provide food and shelter for 43 girls and boys who have been abandoned or orphaned due to the civil war. They have done this despite very limited resources. They are currently in the process of building a dormitory. Unable to get financial support for the children from aid agencies, they have relied largely on local benefactors who are also poor. Through the “Adoptions at a Distance” project, Celestino hopes that the children in their care may be able to be provided with such basic necessities as food, clothing, education and ongoing medical treatment. In March this year, ODB received official recognition as an orphanage by the relevant local government authorities.