Rod is the President of the Maubisse Friendship Committee and Milton is the Vice President and the contact person for the scholarship program. Milton and Rod offered members an update after their recent visit to Timor Leste. Milton opened his presentation with an anecdote from his "recent interaction" with a group of Secondary School students. He posed the question "What is your opinion about food scarcity in other countries?" The Australian student replied "What is food scarcity?" The American student replied "What are other countries?" and the Chinese student replied "What is your opinion?" Perceptions are important!

 

Milton outlined the evolution of the approach to support since the inception of the program. The focus has moved from providing facilities to building local capacity. The committee sees education as the key to capacity building. There are now ninety scholarships for Secondary Students and thirty for University Students.  Our Club provides eight of these. The need for labour in the family business and the cultural expectations for girls to marry at a young age are barriers to education. Students often don't enjoy good conditions for study. Board in Dili is often with relatives who have large families.

 

It was most informative for members to hear the feedback received from the interviews Milton conducted with two students. The dominant theme was just how appreciative the students are to have the opportunity to further their education. Both students have aspirations to return to Maubisse after graduation however this will depend on the availability of a job. Some of the academic challenges included the availability of University teaching staff and for the Pharmacy student learning the names of the many different chemicals. Practical laboratory work was a highlight.

 

Rod spoke very positively about the new partnerships with St. John of God Hospital and La Trobe University. La Trobe has undertaken to sponsor a process for the evaluation of the scholarship program and St. John of God has made connections with its hospital in Dili. It was reassuring to know just what an important part the donated sewing machines play in the local economy. The "handing back" of the Bendigo House is another example of the focus on building capacity. We congratulate Rod and Milton on their work. It is wonderful to be part of a program which is been so well received by the local community.