Friends of Suai

My name is Aureo Moniz Cardoso. I am from Suai-Covalima. I am in Melbourne, Australia studying English. I was given this opportunity by the Friends of Suai. I arrived in June and I am staying with a family in Port Phillip, Desleigh and Randall Kent. I applied for a scholarship from the Mangold Trust Fund in March this year and I received the happy news that I was successful one month later. I began studying English in Pre-Secondary school in Fohorem when I was 16. At this time I studied for three years. I studied in Secondary school in Suai for a further three years. I thought learning English would be very helpful. For now I hope this will help our community through the friendship with the people of Port Phillip. [The photograph above shows me with Pat Jessen, Co-ordinator of the Friends of Suai at Birrarung Marr in Melbourne]

500 books given to the Suai Secondary School have already arrived in Suai for the school library. The library, that was funded by the Friends of Suai and Rotary Club of Balwyn was inaugurated in 2009.  Friends of Suai member Desleigh Kent and retired St Kilda librarian Sandra Whitborn are leaving on Monday to set up the library and train a young man and a young woman, who can continue the work after they leave. Desleigh has been to Suai several times before to teach English as a second language to young people and some of the school's English teachers. Jenny Green is going to Suai again to do further training with the English language teachers at the Friends of Suai Community Centre. This will be the first trip for Sandra. Two library technicians were being trained for the new library in 2009. For photos and previous articles about the Library Project.

In February 2011, next month, a Port Phillip Librarian will go to Suai to give some training in Library management and cataloging. She will be assisted by Desleigh Kent who has been to Suai before teaching English as a second language.

2009 Two library technicians are being trained for the new library at the Suai Secondary School & funded by FOS donors and Rotary Club of Balwyn.

Port Phillip residents are providing home-stay for old friend Alberto de Jesus Barros from Suai who is currently in Australia on a 6-month scholarship studying English for Academic Purposes at Taylors College. Alberto was travelling to Melbourne as his family and community were preparing for the 10 year Commemoration of the Suai Massacre on 06 September 2009.in Suai. Within days of his arrival he found himself at his first photo shoot as Friends of Suai were preparing for the Commemoration in Port Phillip. Photo by Jason Sammon, Port Phillip Leader. Alberto has been connected to the friends of Suai for five years, during that time he has hosted many Port Phillip visitors in Suai, translating and showing them around the district. He and his wife Lenta have 3 children; Asten 5, Anie (Anya) 2 and Joni (Zoni) is 1 month 2 weeks and 3 days. Alberto graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Agricultural Economy from the Faculty of Agriculture and the Department of Social Economy, at National University of Timor Leste Dili, in 2003 He worked with UN Peacekeepers between 2000 and 2005 as a Language Assistant. Later he was employed at the Suai Community Centre supported by the City of Port Phillip between 2005 and 2009 as a community development worker and financial manager. In 2009 he took up a new position with the International NGO Peace Dividend Trust in Suai, Cova Lima, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to making peace and humanitarian operations more efficient, effective and equitable.

ASSOCIATION OF ENGLISH TEACHERS FORMS: Friends of Suai volunteer teachers have been training English language teachers from the Cova Lima secondary and pre-secondary schools for the past four weeks. Port Phillip residents and ESL teachers, Desleigh Kent and Jenny Jaensch together with Jenny Green, Barbara Selvay, Helen Nankervis will conclude classes today. Pat Jessen spoke briefly with Simao, Co-ordinator in Suai, this morning. Simao and the Timor English teachers were preparing for the last class and a celebratory lunch at the school which was being prepared by his wife Palmira and friends. District Education Department representatives will also attend the celebration.

VegOut donated $2,000 to a Permaculture Garden in Suai and St Kilda Artist Liz Milsom (daughter of George Milsom) and I recently took Suai Loro and Arte Moris artists Anata and Kiki there. Anata spent the whole time video taping - if you could see Arte Moris the Free Art School in Dili you would see why. Arte Moris also have vegetable gardens, compost heaps and sculptures built from recycled bits and pieces. The boys were homesick and this was like a home away from home. VegOut is the community garden in St Kilda established on the St Kilda Bowling club grounds. When the Bowling Club closed down a group of artists established their studios there and the lawns were converted to organic garden plots for members of the community to work. St Kilda residents predominantly live in flats, so to have access to a garden is highly desired by some of the residents. In more recent years the group invited local/regional Produce growers to establish a Producer's market next to the gardens on the first Saturday of every month. It has grown into a very popular event for locals. We took Anata and Kiki along because it's a great atmosphere, but also because VegOut sell Timorese coffee there for the Friends of Suai and Timorese Melbourne residents have a preserved chilli chutney stall there. After nine years the friendship really is beginning to burrow its way into the community when this is happening.

Permaculture Project Suai Agriculture High School -Akar Laran

Photographs of the new library  for the Suai Secondary School, funded by Port Phillip residents through the Friends of Suai, was opened by Snr Virgillio Smith from the Department of Culture in Dili early this month. The Friends of Suai is assisting with the acquisition of good books in the 4 main languages of Timor Leste through community donations to fill the shelves.

Greetings to all of you gathered today at the Suai Public Secondary School and to all teachers and learners in Suai.

On this very special day in the life of your community, the opening of the new library we send you good wishes and warm regards from Friends of Suai - a small group linked with the Port Phillip Council in Melbourne, Australia. The funds necessary for refurbishing the library were raised by Friends of Suai and substantial contributions were made by the Rotary Club of Balwyn Victoria, and Tanya Esden who worked on the community water project in Suai as well the residents of Port Phillip. Today is just a beginning and our hope is that gradually this new library room will be stocked with a wide variety of books, DVDs and CD's in ALL the main working languages of Timor Leste. Perhaps one day, the wider community of Suai, old and young will be able to share in this wealth. BILL ARMSTRONG (Chairman) FOR THE FRIENDS OF SUAI COMMITTEE