East Timor News

This year we were able to sponsor the visit of a young East Timorese man during March-April. Here is his story.

Ado’s Story

My Name is Adolfo Dias Aparicio Freitas. I am from Baguia in East Timor. My mother Rosalina died when I was about two years old and my father Horacio died when I was nine years old. I am the sixth of a family of eight children, but my siblings have all died.

After my mother’s funeral my aunt asked my father if she could look after me. We are the poorest family in our village. At that time we all lived together and my father was a labourer. After he died my aunt sent me to school in Baguia. After three years, my aunt could no longer pay for me, so for two years I helped at home – doing the farm work so that we could get money for school.

After East Timor became independent I returned to School. My aunt found it hard to pay for me. I always helped where I could and every evening I always studied. I always got good marks and my teachers encouraged me to continue study. They told me to take an Entrance Test for Junior Secondary School in Venilale, but I told them my family had no money to pay for the Test.

In March 2003 my teacher prepared some of us to go. When I asked my family for the money, they couldn’t give it to me. I was very upset and I cried. But I found $5 at home and so I went to take the test. We rode in a truck and a microlet to get to Venilale and my teacher paid for me. We stayed for two days doing the test and interview.
I gained top score from over one hundred applicants. One of the priests wanted to know all about me and talked to my uncle, because we have the same family name. My uncle talked to another uncle and he agreed that I could continue at School because nobody in my family had received any education. I went to meet him and he said he wanted to help me.

So I went to Junior Secondary School in Venilale for three years. At holiday time I always helped my family. I went on to Senior High School at Fatumaca. When I failed Latin after first year, the priests sent me to ESSA in Baucau to finish years 11 and 12. I knew that my uncle was helping many other young people, so I tried to find someone else to help me.

One Sunday in 2009, a friend and I met a malae* at Watabu beach. My friend told the malae about me and he asked me many questions. My English was terrible then and I just said ‘yes’ and ‘no’. He told me to study hard. He has given me good advice. He is like a father to me. In 2009 I was awarded a scholarship to Sydney but I couldn’t come because I had T B. After I recovered, the scholarship wasn’t available for me.

So in 2011 my ‘new father’ arranged for me to visit Australia. Many people in his community were very kind to me and at St Mary’s School and Nagle College. Then I went to Assumption College Kilmore. I knew some of the teachers and students who had visited East Timor. I loved my time in Australia. I made good friends and I enjoyed all the experiences arranged for me.

Now I know I am really fortunate because so many people have given money to support me, and others at University.

In June 2011, I came to Indonesia and I have commenced studying Civil Engineering in Jogjakarta. There are other East Timorese students here and we all try to help each other. We are all trying to study well so that we can return to our own country and help our people.

* malae - foreigner

B F O E T List of Major Beneficiaries, 30/09/2011