Another Suai Friend on English Scholarship

September 11th, 2011 jen Posted in Friends of Suai News, Scholarships Comments Off on Another Suai Friend on English Scholarship

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]

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School Library training with Port Phillip volunteers

February 4th, 2011 jen Posted in Friends of Suai News, Library Project, Library Training Feb 2011, Library training for Suai Comments Off on School Library training with Port Phillip volunteers

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.

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Port Phillip Librarian goes to Suai

January 17th, 2011 jen Posted in Library Project, Library training for Suai Comments Off on Port Phillip Librarian goes to Suai

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.

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Two Library Technicians for Suai

January 17th, 2011 jen Posted in New Library Technicians for Suai Comments Off on Two Library Technicians for Suai

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.

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Suai Friend on Scholarship in Port Phillip

October 1st, 2009 patjessen Posted in Education, Friends of Suai News, Scholarships Comments Off on Suai Friend on Scholarship in Port Phillip

Alberto-BarrosPort 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.

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Association of English Teachers Forms in Covalima

October 1st, 2009 patjessen Posted in Education, English Language Project, Friends of Suai News 4 Comments »

5-teachers-on-blk150x150ASSOCIATION 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.

It sounds like there is much to celebrate. Simao was thrilled about the establishment of an Association of English Teachers in Covalima which is planned to meet each Saturday to further their English Language development.

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Friendship burrows its way to VegOut Community Garden

August 1st, 2009 jen Posted in Friends of Suai News, VegOut Community Gardens Donate 3 Comments »

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.

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Permaculture Project for Suai

August 1st, 2009 jen Posted in Permaculture Project Comments Off on Permaculture Project for Suai

Permaculture Project Suai Agriculture High School -Akar Laran

The Akar Laran Agriculture High School was very pleased to receive a donation of $2000 from Veg Out Community Garden in St Kilda Australia. The funds are being used to establish a practical garden for year 10 students at the Agricultural High School. Resources especially tools and and seed is scarce and the project has enabled the students to actually turn the soil and plant some produce. The students have planted and are harvesting long beans in the garden. Additional seeds for the project will also be planted in the growing season – September 2008 to grow a variety of vegetables.
The Agriculture School was destroyed by the Indonesian militia in 1999 and in recent years reopened a small section of the school to provide opportunties for education in agriculture at the secondary level. Agriculture is 80% of E Timor economy. Students are keen to learn practical skills and this small donation has meant that seeds and tools have been provided in cooperation with the Suai community centre who are supporting and monitoring the project. The school community has also had the benefit of harvesting the beans crop which has supplemented meals as food is still scarce in Suai and E Timor generally.
Permaculture is new to Suai and Friends of Suai provided some books written in local language – Tetun by the E Timor group Permatil for the school community to study. Sebastian a young man from Daylesford working in permaculture also visited the school in June 2008 to share some additional insight into the permaculture techiques.
Friends of Suai will be providing 2 scholarships to one girl and one boy who achieve well in their final year course with a tertiary scholarship to university.
Watch this space for development of future crops in the garden.
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Photographs of Inauguration

July 31st, 2009 jen Posted in Education, Friends of Suai News, Library Inauguration, Library Project, New Library for Suai 2 Comments »

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.

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New Library for Suai

July 5th, 2009 jen Posted in 2009 In Suai, Education, Events, Library Project Comments Off on New Library for Suai

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

Remember this Image? School Library comes to Fruition.

Remember this Image? School Library comes to Fruition.

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

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