How the Salesians are helping to rebuild East Timor

Br Michael Lynch

Contents - Mar 2000 - Buy a copy now Editorial: The recovery of the sacred - Michael Gilchrist English language Mass translation reform: should ICEL be wound up? - Michael Gilchrist English language Mass translation reform: should ICEL be wound up? - Michael Gilchrist News: The Church Around the World How the Salesians are helping to rebuild East Timor - Br M Lynch How the Salesians are helping to rebuild East Timor - Br Michael Lynch Priestly vocations increasing in Melbourne - Fr Paul Stuart Priestly vocations increasing in Melbourne - Fr Paul Stuart New York Scripture seminar affirms reliability of New Testament - Eamonn Keane New York Scripture seminar affirms reliability of New Testament - Eamonn Keane US Bishops favour prominence of tabernacle - AD2000 Report Religious education: putting the emphasis back on God - Br John Moylan CFC Education: Religious education: putting the emphasis back on God - Br John Moylan CFC Fulton J. Sheen: prophetic inspiration for today’s new evangelisation - Archbishop Barry J. Hickey Biography: Fulton J. Sheen: prophetic inspiration for today's new evangelisation - Archbishop Barry J. Hickey Books: ‘Covenant of Love: Pastoral Reflections on Marriage’ by Cardinal John O’Connor - Thérèse Chandrasegaran (reviewer) Books: ‘Blessed Are Those Who Mourn: Comforting Catholics in Their Time of Grief’ by Gl - Katie Forster (reviewer) Books: 'Building Family Prayer and Traditions' by Steve Givens - Catherine Sheehan (reviewer) Books: ‘Springtime of Evangelization: Addresses by John Paul II’ - Tracey Rowland (reviewer) Books: ‘Pius XII and the Second World War’ by Pierre Blet SJ - Michael Daniel (reviewer) Reflection: Does Lent retain its spiritual meaning today? - Mary Kenny

I went to East Timor for a field visit of the seven Salesian Houses for ten days just before Christmas. While Bishop Carlos Belo is the best known of the East Timorese Salesians, there are another 53 priests and brothers working in the Territory.

Over the past few months Australians, including many AD2000 readers, have donated more than $100,000, through the Salesian Missions Office, for emergency relief in East Timor and to assist with financing development projects organised by the East Timorese Salesians. The locals have their priorities; in a small way we help them achieve their objectives.

This support is much appreciated; I was asked, several times, to convey gratitude to Australian donors.

The devastation in East Timor was far more extensive than I had expected. In Dili about 80 per cent of homes have been torched and in other parts of the Territory that I visited, whole villages have been destroyed.

Determination and courage

The people, in general, are happy and smiling. They are very grateful to the international peacekeepers for restoring calm after the atrocities perpetrated by the Indonesian military- backed militia. The Australian Army is both highly regarded and respected, and the Aussie troops make friends easily with the locals.

I heard many stories of determination and courage. Some people hid in sewers to avoid the militia; a countless number of mothers neglected their own health and safety to protect young children; many fled the militia for refuge in the mountains, living there for weeks without proper food and shelter.

As I travelled through the Territory, I sensed that people everywhere want to move on from the horrific events of September 1999. They want their vote for independence to be respected and, at the same time, are well aware that there is much to be done in rebuilding this newly recognised nation.

The Salesians work with the local people from seven bases. They are in Dili and in six centres in the eastern half of the Territory: Baucau, Fatumaca, Fulioro, Laga, Los Palos, and Venilale. The Salesians urge people to help themselves, set their own goals and not be dependent on outside aid. The Salesian focus is on education - they aim to help provide children and young people with skills necessary for the growth and development of their country, and to be self-reliant.

The Salesians run twelve schools: two technical, one agricultural, four secondary and five primary. In addition they have been asked to be responsible for the other 17 primary and secondary schools in the Baucau Diocese.

The two technical schools, in Dili and Fatumaca, have an important function. They provide introductory training for carpenters, electricians and motor mechanics - this is especially crucial right now as East Timor's Polytechnic Institute and other technical school were destroyed by the militia, and it will take some time for them to restored and re-equipped.

I spoke to students in nine schools. They were very friendly, keen to know about the outside world and to get on with their studies. Students everywhere want to learn English. I was very impressed with their general knowledge and perceptive questioning. However, the schools have very poor facilities. School resources were sparse before August 1999; they are a good deal sparser after the militia-initiated incinerations.

Some schools are very grateful for the donations of stationery sent by Australian schoolchildren - students helping students. All schools in East Timor urgently need stationery as well as maps, wall charts, basic materials in Mathematics and English, and (especially) chalk that does not disintegrate in one's hands even before writing on the board!

However, the main problem faced by the schools is how to provide teachers with a wage. Back in October, to ensure a quick return to "normality" and to keep children and teenagers occupied, senior UN personnel in Dili urged schools to re- open with the promise of pay for the teachers.

But, five months later, despite repeated requests from school principals, UNESCO has still not made any financial allocation.

While the funds needed to support teachers are minimal by Australian standards, if they are not forthcoming many of the teachers will simply have to withdraw from the classroom and spend their time working in the fields growing rice to support their families.

Self-help initiatives

There are three local self-help initiatives in need of encouragement and support:

* A group of more than 60 young people, mostly in their twenties, is involved in rice cultivation and fish farming on 15 hectares near Baucau. Possessing no equipment, they are now preparing the land with their hands. They would dearly love to obtain a couple of hand-tractors to help them prepare the soil for planting. When they harvest the crop, a portion will be given to the landowner as "rent" and the remainder will be sold; the proceeds will then be shared among the workers.

* A group of 20 women, who have completed courses in sewing and tailoring at the Salesian Sisters Vocational School at Venilale, would like to open a dress-making factory in a church building near Baucau.

As well as providing employment for themselves, they would also be able to make inexpensive garments for local people. And the proceeds from the enterprise will be shared among the workers. This is a women's project, run by women. The participants are looking for help to purchase sewing machines, other necessary equipment, fabrics and cotton.

* In Dili young people have too much time on their hands, especially at weekends. The young people like their sport. The boys are very keen on soccer, and both boys and girls play basketball and volleyball. Three of the Brothers at Don Bosco Technical School, Comoro, located near the Dili Airport, with the assistance of two other teachers and two former students, are organising a competition in these sports at two levels - under 17 and senior, a total of ten divisions. The competition caters for more than 100 teams.

Right now, however, they are looking for suitable "prizes" to present to the winners of the ten divisions. A set of shirts and shorts (tracksuit trousers for the girls) would be most welcome. The East Timorese youngsters are smaller - probably about two or three sizes smaller than Australians of the same age.

Ideally, it would be good if each team in the competition had its own gear and really "looked the part." Football jumpers would be most suitable. The organisers also have a constant need for soccer balls, basketballs, volleyballs and whistles. Items can be mailed directly to Fr Rolando Fernandez, Don Bosco Comoro, Dili, East Timor.

Readers who would like to make a financial contribution to assist one of the above mentioned projects can send their donations to the East Timor Appeal, Salesian Missions Office, PO Box 80, Oakleigh, Victoria 3166. Donations of $2.00 and over are tax deductible.

Michael Lynch is a Salesian Brother based at the Don Bosco Centre, Brunswick, a suburb of Melbourne.

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 13 No 2 (March 2000), p. 6