This month, we celebrate World Teachers’ Day (October 5) and recognise the dedicated work of teachers to educate young people for a brighter future.
One teacher making a brighter future for his community is Arnaldo da Silva Cusmao—a recent graduate from the Marists’ teacher training college ICFP in Timor-Leste.
Last week, 27-year-old Arnaldo visited the team at Marist Solidarity in Brisbane to share his story.
Arnaldo is from Gari-uai—a very remote community in Timor-Leste. He is the second eldest of 10 children and, about three years ago, his father passed away. Life is very difficult for Arnaldo’s family. There were no schools in his village and the young people were getting into trouble.
To make things better, Arnaldo wanted to establish a school. He soon happened upon a meeting with Sr Diaan Stuart—a Loreto Sister who lives in Timor-Leste. “Sr Dianne listened to my story and wanted to help me with my problem,” he says. Over two years, the Loreto Sisters helped Arnaldo establish a school for about thirty children under the age of five. But Arnaldo knew he needed more education to make him a better teacher.
The Loreto Sisters, with support from the eMerge Foundation and Marist Solidarity, helped Arnaldo obtain a scholarship to attend ICFP. After three years of study, and more than 12 weeks of practical teaching experience, Arnaldo is now a qualified teacher.
He is now very happy that the Loreto Sisters have appointed him as the Year One teacher at the newly opened school in Gari-uai.
Arnaldo is in Brisbane as a guest of the Loreto Sisters. While in Brisbane, Arnaldo is gaining more teaching experience at St Agnes Catholic Primary School in Mount Gravatt.