Author: Andrada

  • Mechanical Setbacks

    Today the project’s truck was coming out of the mechanic after 6 months of “intensive care” and we were going back to Gleno to finally get a quote for the container residence … but I guess we still needed to learn to be ready for surprises.. cause although only one third into our 1.30h trip,…

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    New Friends

    Due to visa extensions/applications, we needed to travel quite often to Dili, as you might know by now, it’s a ride full of beauty and at the same time full of obstacles…. But the trips are worthwhile – when you have friends at both ends of the road. In Dili, we got to meet some…

  • A Sad Day

    Today was a sad day… we got a call and found out that the owner of our rental in Gleno passed away. He was a good man, he helped many people in the village, and whether young or old.. everyone knew Mr Paulo Maia. He was a policeman during the Indonesian occupation and then became…

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    The Goal of this Trip

    ok.. so we’re in Gleno… but why? Our volunteer work here is to design and raise a radio tower, and also to organise the construction of a residence / area where the locals can come and learn about agriculture and a better lifestyle- VIVA MELHOR; in 2013 an estimated 90,000 children under 5, or 50percent, suffered…

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    First day in Gleno

    On the first day in March and we travelled to Gleno, but after an interesting ride – many areas of the road were sunken, collapsed, washed by the floods, etc… but knowing that Luke is one of the best drivers I know, I was also enjoying the unique views of Timor – which are magnificent!…

  • Daniel & Celia

    Landing in Dili is always exciting. It is like coming home: the familiar sights & sounds, the warm humid rush of air as you exit the plane, the walk across the tarmac to immigration & customs trying to remember your Tetum language skills as you prepare to greet the immigration officials. But this time it…

  • Scenic Route to Timor

    If you thought getting to leave Australia was a challenge (with cancellations, delays, rescheduled flights, requests for exemptions, tests, etc)… you would be right… but I think that was only to prepare us for what was to come 😉 On the evening of 27.02.2022 we arrived at the hotel in Darwin after a full day of flying……

  • The State of the Nation

    As a young nation, only 4 months away from turning 20, Timor-Leste has a lot of growing to do as a nation, along with its population of approximately 1.3 million people. The median age is only 20.8 years; both country and people are infants in the history of nations. The nation lacks skilled workers in…

  • A Brief History

    The Portuguese first arrived on the shores of what is now Timor-Leste in 1515. In 1556 Dominican friars established a mission on the island and in 1702 the (half) island nation was claimed by Portugal and became a Portuguese colony – the Portuguese and Dutch fought a number of battles over the island and in…