Two young women from Timor-Leste travelled to Adelaide to share their experience with students from St Aloysius College earlier this year. Students at the secondary college learnt about various religious, cultural, educational, social, economic and personal aspects of the lives of Leonisia Guterres Belo (Monik) and Safira Esperance da Cruz Cavalho.
Monik and Safira also visited other people and projects that are related to JDN’s priorities, including a SA Health Service that supports young mothers to complete their secondary education, Adelaide and Flinders Universities, student accommodation options.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide Charitable Trust granted funding for this project, which provides a very important opportunity for Timorese young people to learn about the experience of Australian secondary students and improve their English language skills. In 2018, two young women and two young men will be selected to participate in this opportunity.
The opportunity for young people from an impoverished company to travel to a developed country to talk about their reality rather than vice versa is a unique model that is of mutual benefit to all young people.