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Timor-Leste

Map
Population: 1.1 million
Capital City: Dili
Main Languages: Tetum, Portuguese, English and Indonesian
Major Religion: Catholicism

Together with your support, Australian Marist Solidarity is partnering with the Timorese so that they can transform their lives and communities through education.

Country Information

Timor-Leste, one of Australia’s closest neighbours has had a long and volatile development history. The country has been greatly shaped by its Portuguese and Indonesian colonial history, which left Timor-Leste struggling to find its voice. Left to repair itself after decades of violence, Timor-Leste is one of the poorest countries in the world. Only 58% of the population over 15 years old can read and write, and 37% live on less than US$1.25 a day, which is below the international poverty line. Over 70% of the population lives in rural areas, which denies the majority of Timorese access to education, employment and sanitation facilities.

Marists in Timor-Leste

The first Marist Brothers arrived in Timor-Leste in 2000 to help repair the education system that had been left in disarray. After the country gained independence in 1999, the Indonesian militia displaced hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed infrastructure, the country’s electrical grid and the majority of schools. With the Catholic Church well placed to influence the new education sector, the Marist Brothers began to assist the Timorese with the transformation of their lives.

Current Projects

St Terezinha Primary School | ET0094

Education plays an integral role in the formation and nurturing of young people in Timor-Leste.

  In Quelicai, the St Terezinha Central School must accommodate the graduates of students from 12 Catholic primary schools. While Australian Marist Solidarity is supporting the expansion of Abafala Catholic Primary School into a junior high school (Click here to go to Abafala School), St Terezinha Central School’s ageing infrastructure, coupled with demand, will still struggle to accommodate these graduates. […]

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Uai-Lili Youth Centre | ET0091

Vocational skills for disadvantaged youth

The Uai-Lili Youth Centre provides computer and carpentry training for young people in the village of Uai-Lili. The area was previously known as a dangerous place to visit as it was home to destructive and aggressive young people who would throw rocks at passers-by and vehicles driving through the village. Maway, director of the Uai-Lili Youth Centre, was previously a […]

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CYC Ponta Leste | ET0019

The Children and Youth Centre (CYC) Ponta Leste engenders community spirit and fosters strong friendships between the students as well as the teachers. CYC Ponta Leste is a Timorese run organisation that works in partnership with Australian Marist Solidarity. CYC Ponta Leste is based in Baucau, East Timor and was established in 2006. In Baucau there is a high level […]

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Teacher Training College | ET0064

Instituto Catholico Para Formacao De Professores (ICFP)

Timor-Leste is one of the least developed countries in the world and the poorest in Asia.  During the 1999 post referendum violence, as much as 70% of the national infrastructure was destroyed, including the destruction of 80% of schools and the burning of almost all books and materials, while almost 20% of primary teachers and 90% of secondary teachers returned to […]

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KATILOSA Program | ET0017

Eliminating the shame and exclusion of children with disabilities

People with physical disabilities in Timor-Leste suffer many disadvantages not least of which are social exclusion and shame. Stigmatised and isolated, they often struggle to access education and basic healthcare. Since 2000 a local organisation known as KATILOSA has worked to improve the lives of children and youth with disabilities by catering for their needs, advocating for their human rights […]

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First Marist School | ET0032

Supporting the education system in Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste is one of the least developed countries in the world and the poorest in Asia. During the 1999 post referendum violence, 95% of the buildings and infrastructure were destroyed, leaving only 5% of the schools standing. With over 40% of the country’s population below the age of fourteen and the majority of Timorese teachers poorly educated and untrained, the […]

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Past Projects

Abafala Primary School Phase 2 | ET0035

Uai-Lili Computer Training | ET0025

Uai Lili Carpentry Program | ET0081

St Teresinha Catholic High School | ET0072

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© Australian Marist Solidarity 2023

Australian Marist Solidarity (AMS) is the international agency for the aid and development work of the Marist Province of Australia throughout Asia and the Pacific Islands. AMS is part of Marist Solidarity and looks after its development projects. Australian Marist Solidarity is a full member and signatory of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID). For more information on our commitment to the Code click here. We are endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office as a Deductible Gift Recipient (ABN 46 373 535 209) and registered as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission.