My name is Aureo Moniz Cardoso. I am from Suai-Covalima. I am in Melbourne, Australia studying English. I was given this opportunity by the Friends of Suai. I arrived in June and I am staying with a family in Port Phillip, Desleigh and Randall Kent.
I applied for a scholarship from the Mangold Trust Fund in March this year and I received the happy news that I was successful one month later.
I began studying English in Pre-Secondary school in Fohorem when I was 16. At this time I studied for three years. I studied in Secondary school in Suai for a further three years.
I thought learning English would be very helpful. For now I hope this will help our community through the friendship with the people of Port Phillip.
Co-ordinator of the Friends of Suai Pat Jessen, left Melbourne last weekend with the Chairman Bill Armstrong, to prepare for the visit of Port Phillip Mayor Rachel Powning.
They will be there for the Independence Day Festivities and report that Alberto Barros the Co-ordinator of the Community Centre has organised festivities at the community centre on Saturday with a visit to the sub district of Fohoren to see Sr. Helen Nolen for lunch and visit to the schools and health centre.
Pat also reported that the Fountain Gate School has donated library shelves and Suai resident Joni Chung, who is currently living in Melbourne has organised them for shipment with Rotary.
Pat is going to screen the installation videos ‘Unforgettable Selections from a Friendship’ exhibited in the ‘Connections Across the Timor Sea Exhibition’ in 2010 in the St Kilda Town Hall Gallery. Director and Editor of Suai Media Space and the installation, yours truly Jen Hughes will upload the videos on Suai Media Space for you to enjoy.
Mayor Cr Rachel Powning will visit Suai in East Timor next month, following last year’s resolution to renew the City of Port Phillip’s Friendship with East Timor for a further ten years.
The Mayor will meet with President Jose Ramos Horta and the Minister responsible for friendships with Australian local government Mr Arcangelo Leite to discuss how the City of Port Phillip can assist Suai/Covalima in its formation of its first municipal government, following the national elections planned for 2012.
“The experience of the last ten years has shown us we have a clear, strong and robust relationship with Suai and the district,’ said the Mayor.
“Through our Friendship, Council and our community in Port Phillip are in a good position to offer support to this fledgling nation in the area of local government, sharing knowledge about human resource management, town planning and support for the natural environment. There is so much we can do, and we are always looking for more residents in Port Phillip to get involved.
“Our strong focus continues in the area of community development. Suai is the designated location for a wharf, new airport and supply base for oil and gas development in East Timor and the local people are keen to attain new skills for potential employment.
“During my visit I will also meet with the two Friends of Suai volunteer language teachers, Lynn and Dermot Clancy who are in Suai for six months providing support to the 33 English teachers as part of a train the trainer program,” she said.
The City of Port Phillip supports small targeted projects and the Covalima Community Centre through the Friends of Suai, community reference group established in 2000. Last week, Council changed the name to Friends of Suai/Covalima, reflecting the municipal reach of the program.
The Covalima Community Centre provides opportunities for training youth and community members in computer technology and English. The centre also supports over 100 women in small livelihoods economic development.
Friends of Suai/Covalima is seeking new local people to get involved in activities to promote the Friendship for future, If you are interested please contact Pat Jessen on 9209 6777.
In mid August terrible news was reported when there was an incident of civil unrest in a number of outlying villages in the Zumalai sub-district that led to the stabbling murder of a policeman and the burning of around 100 houses. We have information that a number of families have found shelter in the Church in Zumalai town. Calm has been restored but a number of families have been left without homes. The people of Zumalai have asked for help with some emergency funding for food and clothing. A member of the Friend of Zumalai-Kiama Council NSW is organising a fundraiser and we will pass on the information when it is available.
‘Taking Steps’ is a project to support women’s livelihood development. Covalima Community Centre and Friends of Suai run the project with funding from International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA). Six women’s groups have started small scale livelihood activities in Suai Loro, Matai, Ogues, Salele and Lalawa. Some make Tais, others have started new agricultural activities, food processing or other crafts.
The groups Fitun Naroman and Haboras Goronto both weave Tais. Fitun Naroman have started a small shop in Suai Loro (photo). Since the project started their activities have diversified to include rice production. Haboras Goronto have started chicken rearing.
Cruz Minarai group are making some lovely crafts including baskets and woven mobiles. Halibur Aikan Local (Halal) group have asked to learn some of these skills from Cruz Minarai. The project will support this exchange of skills.
Haburas Maudemo make banana chips which are sold locally in Salele and grow vegetables are sold in the Suai market (photo).
The Chefe de Suco of Maudemo is Maria Fatima who is the leader of the Haboras Maudemo group. In the photo at the group vegetable plot she is on the right.
The project staff visit the groups regularly to give support, organize skills training, and help resolve problems that the group might face. Another group in Maudemo are Halibur Maudemo making tempe. Alita, the Project Coordinator is in the background.
The Halal group make banana chips which are sealed in plastic packets to keep fresh for sale. They are also planning to start a fish pond.
Maria Fatima and Filizarda attended a women’s meeting at the Friends of Suai community centre to discuss coordination with and support of the Gender Focal Point, who is the government’s representative, to ensure gender issues are considered in all government programs.
Taking Steps is an exciting new project with potential to reach out to more women. It is about women forming groups, sharing, learning and building confidence and leadership. FOS is commited to ensuring that funding for this project will enable the project to continue to support women of Covalima.
This was a very special event. The Women’s Project of the Covalima Community Centre together with Alberto dos Barros, Co-ordinator of the Friends of Suai in Suai, took some 30 women from Suai to share information and ideas with other women’s groups in Maliana. (It’s rare for people to travel between districts in the poorer rural areas). Maliana is North of Suai (map) and North-West of Bobonaro in the Bobonaro district. The community centre car and the youth centre car, both donated by Friends of Suai and Rotary, were used to take women from Suai. This was an exciting learning and sharing event for the participants.
In Maliana they saw the making of a fuel efficient stove made from local clay, the making of Banana chips, local pesticide production among other things.To visit one of the projects, the road to was a mess but the women decided they wanted to go regardless. They walked 16 kilometres to visit this village.
The slideshow provides a small insight into the process and people involved.
500 books given to the Suai Secondary School have already arrived in Suai for the school library. The library, that was funded by the Friends of Suai and Rotary Club of Balwyn was inaugurated in 2009. Friends of Suai member Desleigh Kent and retired St Kilda librarian Sandra Whitborn are leaving on Monday to set up the library and train a young man and a young woman, who can continue the work after they leave. Desleigh has been to Suai several times before to teach English as a second language to young people and some of the school’s English teachers. Jenny Green is going to Suai again to do further training with the English language teachers at the Friends of Suai Community Centre. This will be the first trip for Sandra. Two library technicians were being trained for the new library in 2009. For photos and previous articles about the Library Project.