The Encouragement Foundation

You can be very proud of your school hostel particularly since the completion of the first stage. Liz and I have just returned from Maliana where we attended the opening ceremony. This was very rewarding as we could see how well received the hostel is both with government officials and the people from the villages. The funding was organised so that local labour and resources were used for the whole project. Many locals benefited from the employment during construction.

A BRIEF REPORT

• We received 134 applications for the 40 first stage places available for 2010 year.
• The first hostel has been named Kangaroo.
• It takes 4 hours driving time in a 4 x 4 to travel the 37 kilometres between Maliana, where the hostel is situated and Lolotoe, the district of 7 villages where the children live.
• The opening ceremony was attended by the District Administrator, Maliana, the Sub District Administrator, Lolotoe, reps from the UN, the police chief and importantly the District and Regional Education Director
• The land for the hostel for the junior high school cost US$3,700
• The hostel building, Kangaroo and the 2 supervising parent houses cost almost US$48,000
• Stage 2, the building of Koala, the next hostel will commence in April 2010 and should cost about US$50K with a couple of small changes we have made.
• The Aussie $ is presently helpful to us changing into US $s. We would appreciate any donation you are considering to be quicker than later as we can hold the US$ at ANZ Dili. Who knows with money exchange timing anyway.

A MORE DETAILED REPORT

On Saturday 14 September last, Deo met us at the airport in Dili and we drove the 140 kms to Maliana in the usual 4 hours. This included a tucker stop at the Lois River where we ate the usual rice, fish and chook for $1 per head. The café toilet trip
included a slip-slide down an embankment using wooden steps on a tree branch,
crossing the yard through chooks, pigs, goats and children playing. The toilet is the
usual type. Take hand swipes in your back-pack.

In Maliana we were welcomed by Deo’s wonderful, happy family. We were given the honour of sleeping in the new house parent house and this suited us just to have the experience living at the hostel. Tina, Deo’s mother and his sister Lota cooked for everyone in the new hostel kitchen.

We toured the local area and could see just how difficult it is for children from local village communities to get to school. Some of them walk as much as 10 kms each way, every school day. Our hostel provides accommodation for the children from the Lolotoe district. The closest village is 37 kms away from Maliana. The truck between Maliana and Lolotoe takes over 4 hours to travel that distance and costs $6 per person, an impossible cost for most people.

On Tuesday Deo and I checked all the construction costs for the building. Every
receipt for every purchase has been filed and properly accounted for and recorded. I feel very satisfied that the building costs are accurate and honest.

Ben Kildea and his wife Sally Johnson are wonderful resident volunteers from
Australia who live at Maliana hospital. Sally is a midwife and teaches her profession at Maliana and the isolated communities such as Lolotoe. Ben is a civil engineer doing splendid work around the country. Ben has had constant contact with the hostel during the construction period. He told me that a new building about half as big again as our hostel cost US$80,000 and the building quality was inferior to the hostel. This is great news. The District Administrator told Deo he should tender on future government building projects as he was very impressed with the price and building construction.

The opening ceremony for the hostel was on Wednesday as reported above. The priest blessed the building and after the official ceremony we enjoyed excellent food of rice, chook and salad. Dessert of crème caramel followed.

Deo , Liz and I drove off to Lolotoe district in the afternoon. We covered the 37 kms to Gildapil, Deo’s home village in the stated 4 hours. The roads are quite perilous. Passing is nearly impossible, but luckily there are hardly any vehicles. It may require some 50 or 100 metres of backing up to find a place to slip into while the other truck passes. We are talking about serious cliff edge driving. A great place to hold the Tour De Timor mountain bike race next time.

The people of Gildapil usually walk to Maliana as they can skirt one mountain through a pass and save the $6 fare. I’m told they set out at midnight and reach the market at Maliana for the morning sale of their coffee or exchange for rice, which is grown in Maliana. All these experiences hammer into my head just how much our hostel is needed.

Please feel free to contact me anytime
Email: robliz@ourtelco.com.au
Home: 07 5493 2253
Mobile: 0408 708 161
Interested in a holiday in East Timor?

Anyone wishing to visit please feel free to phone or email me so we can help you with your trip planning!!

There is a great place to dive from the island of Atauro just off Dili, the capital city. There is a small resort owned and managed byan Aussie and his ET wife. Adequate accommodation is only about US$30 per night and probably includes food. Who cares at that price? The water is known for its clarity.

Up country is full of interesting things. There is accommodation at your own hostel at Maliana until the children move in on 2 January 2010. After that date, we can always pitch a tent at the hostel or stay at the hotel for $20 per night including breakfast.

Qantas Frequent Flyers take you from Brisbane to Dili if you are a member and have the points available.

Thank you for your support, Robert.