The Bairnsdale Friends of East Timor
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In November 2003, three teachers from Nagle College, Bairnsdale, volunteered their services as guests of the Salesian Fathers in Baucau, East Timor. Others have continued this work each year, teaching English at Escola Secundaria Santo Antonio - ESSA. To date, more than twenty volunteers have worked in the school.
The Bairnsdale Friends of East Timor – BFOET - evolved in 2005 and works in various ways to support ESSA and the community.
 ESSA now has over 1000 students. Few teachers are qualified, and the school struggles to provide quality education. To help students to spend a full day at school, a lunch of rice and beans is provided, funded by BFOET since 2005. For some students, this is their one meal of the day.

Baucau, overlooking the coast, about 140 kms from Dili, is the second largest city in East Timor, with a district population of around 114,000. Many homes do not have reticulated water, and the electricity supply is unreliable.

90% of the East Timorese people are subsistence farmers – from which food production is often insufficient to support a family. Many families live in poverty, and there are serious health problems.
 

To improve educational standards, BFOET has offered Scholarships ($2500 US annually) to selected students, for University study in Indonesia. Graduates are encouraged to spend some time teaching at ESSA upon completion of study.

However, graduates may seek higher paying jobs with UN and other NGO agencies, as the current qualified teacher’s monthly salary is around $200 US. For the East Timorese, the person with a job supports the entire family, not only providing food and basic necessities, but more costly items like school or University fees.

We believe that our scholarship students will all work to contribute to the good of their country, regardless of their occupations.

Our Objectives:

  • To inform and promote our goals in the Bairnsdale community and beyond.
  • To encourage volunteers to go to East Timor and offer support to the Salesian Community, particularly at Escola Secundaria Santo Antonio, ESSA -  Baucau.
  • To be politically active.
  • To offer financial help.
  • To develop a strong social group that will strengthen the overall objectives of the Bairnsdale Friends of East Timor.