Renovation of a new school building at St Teresinha Catholic Junior High School in Ossu, Timor-Leste commenced last Monday, August 22. Once completed, it will provide staff and the school’s 450 students a significantly-improved learning environment.
Like many schools in Timor-Leste, the classroom building at St Teresinha’s is badly damaged. The roof leaks, and, during the wet season, teachers have to send students home. Additionally, the recurring water damage has made the building structurally unstable.
Plans for the new building have been more than two years in the making. They have been developed in close consultation with the local community to ensure the new building is well-suited to the school’s needs.
The Parish of Ossu initiated the proposal, in collaboration with their sister parish, the Catholic Parish of Burleigh Heads, on the Gold Coast.
The parishes approached Australian Marist Solidarity (AMS) with a proposal for the new building and, for the past 18 months, AMS has worked to secure resources and funds to bring the project to fruition.
Our partners include: The Catholic Parish of Ossu; the Diocese of Baucau; the parish of Burleigh Heads; the Geelong Viqueque Friendship Schools; East Timor Roofing; and German funding agencies Kindermissionswerk and Aid to the Church in Need.
Construction is expected to take five months and will be completed in time for students to begin 2017.
Work is being overseen by project builder, Mr Martinus Rerebain and AMS in-country project manager, Brother Tony Clark. Five Timorese people, from the local community, will work closely with a team of builders from Indonesia, contributing their labour and developing new skills.
Please visit our website to discover more about our work in Timor-Leste and help us safeguard the future of education in this young country.
Did you know?
More than 42 percent of the Timor-Leste population is under the age of 14. Most of the country’s schools are still uninhabitable or in a serious state of disrepair. Restoring these much-need educational institutions is crucial to the sustainable future of Timor-Leste, especially its young people.
Source: Central Intelligence Agency (US) World Fact Book