Maliana

after a few weeks, past the period of accommodation, I noticed that in Timor there were many trees and wild plants that, in the flowering period, give a lot of nectar and pollen. I inquired about whether there were beekeepers in that area and I was very surprised to learn that beekeeping, on this island, it just boils down to catching some combs that the bees make in the towering trees, that after being crushed, in the hands, honey is obtained which often ferments, due to the lack of basic hygiene conditions in the extraction of the same…

I had the opportunity to speak with a Timorese who, usually, climbed trees to catch the honeycombs and even told me that, at a certain time, fell from a tree and broke his collarbone, an arm and a leg. Thought honey was so sweet and appetizing, the price to pay to taste it was very high!

How do I get a little beekeeping, I realized that all that floral richness was a great waste, that almost no one took advantage of, and I immediately thought of doing a project that would enable the proper training of young Timorese to carry out beekeeping in the hives, with more safety and hygiene and so that in this way it could guarantee its constant daily sustenance.

I watched, also, that the soil was very fertile, however very little explored, because the Timorese take the opportunity to do some gardening, only in the rainy season, given the fact that Timor-Leste has only two seasons per year: one rainy and one dry.

With some knowledge that I have in agriculture and with the help of some collaborators, I thought, also, sketch a project that would enable the formation of this people to learn how they could make the best use of the land, throughout the year, and make agriculture based on the use of pesticides and organic fertilizers and with drip irrigation, being used especially in the dry season time.

another need, that I noticed, was the lack of basic hygiene conditions in most Timorese homes, as well as the lack of a balanced diet, because the main dish is simply white rice for breakfast, for lunch and dinner when you have, as certain poorer families can barely afford one or two meals a day…

Given my training in nutrition and naturist medicine, I thought I would present to the Ministry of Health a project aimed at an awareness campaign through public health lectures., accompanied by theoretical/practical classes on a varied diet that involved the harmonious use of all the nutrients necessary for the correct maintenance of the body.

Therefore, I presented the beekeeping and agriculture projects at the Ministry of Agriculture and the health project at the Ministry of Health, in Dili, and during the next two years followed, no exaggeration, dozens of meetings with various representatives of the two ministries, including the minister of agriculture, heads of cabinets, accessors, directors, etc…

I used to do, almost weekly, the Dili-Maliana/Maliana-Díli route, because I was in the capital during the week and I was with my wife only on weekends. Came home on Friday, late, and left on Sunday. when I left, Célia always had tears rolling down her face. This experience lasted approx. 2 years old!                       

I thank God that during this period I never had any accidents, the car never broke down and, after a few weeks, I knew by heart all the songs I had on a single CD…