Bemvindu em Timor Loro-Sa'e!

Helping People Help Themselves - Microfinance in Action in Timor-Leste

2010-06-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

Felicidade Borges is one of Tuba Rai Metin's clients. She owns a vegetable shop in Dili.

Dili, Timor-Leste: 18 June 2010

Helping women from poor households to establish small businesses is the daily work of the Timorese microfinance institution Tuba Rai Metin (TRM). Their belief is that the prosperity of Timor-Leste has to be built upon the prosperity of the most important structure in society, the family unit.

The organization has expanded and seen a steady rise in the number of clients over the last few years. TRM now has offices in 6 districts. They employ 54 people and have over 3,000 credit clients (100% of which are women). TRM’s client base has grown by more than 25% in the last 6 months.

TRM’s Chief Executive, Angelo Soares, attributes much of this progress to the support they have received from the Inclusive Finance for the Under-Served Economy (INFUSE) programme. INFUSE is jointly implemented by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with support and funding from the Ministry of Economy and Development and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).

The INFUSE programme strives towards building an inclusive financial sector with the overall goal of increasing sustainable access to a range of financial services for the poor and low income population in Timor-Leste; such as savings, loans, money transfer services, and insurance.

“The financial sector in Timor-Leste is developing and the microfinance industry has progressed beyond the start-up phase. However, the outreach of financial services providers remains limited and at this stage a sector-wide approach to develop a thriving and robust financial sector, that includes everyone, is required”, says Marcella Willis from the INFUSE project.

In 2008 INFUSE began supporting Tuba Rai Metin. In collaboration with another UNCDF Programme, MicroLead, INFUSE brought the leading Indian microfinance institution, BASIX, to Timor-Leste to provide technical assistance to TRM.

BASIX has over 1.5 million customers in India. It provides financial, agricultural and business development help to poor households.

“The partnership with BASIX has been very beneficial to us”, says Angelo Soares from TRM. “With their expertise we have made important administrative changes and our business has grown”.

Subhash Jindal is the BASIX representative who has been posted to Timor-Leste for 4 years to work alongside TRM.

“When I arrived I found the quality of the TRM team was good, but they were struggling. It was a case of them surviving but stagnating”.

Mr Jindal goes on to say: “We knew that we could help TRM, by providing the technical assistance that they were missing and helping them to implement changes”.

Leading financial service providers, like BASIX, from developing countries are showing an increasing interest in expanding their operations regionally and globally. The MicroLead Fund, managed by UNCDF, gives loans and grants to such providers so that they can replicate their success in other countries, or assist national providers, like Tuba Rai Metin, to do the same.

The relationship between TRM and BASIX is a good example of South-South cooperation; where developing countries work together to tackle problems, share information and offer support.

Felicidade Borges, from Dili, is one of TRM’s clients. During the crisis in 2006 her vegetable shop was destroyed. Recently TRM gave her a US$50 loan to set up a new shop. She now makes a profit of $27 a week and repays just $3.50 per week on her loan. She also deposits $1 a week into a savings account with TRM.

“The support of TRM gave me a second chance and in the future I hope to take out another loan in order to expand my business”, she says.

Following the 2006 crisis in Timor-Leste, 4 microfinance institutions were wiped out. Even now TRM is one of only three such organizations in the country. But the success of TRM over the last few years means the future looks bright. The beneficiaries of their success are the female clients, their families and Timor-Leste as a whole.

Source: UNDP 2010 (http://www.tl.undp.org/undp/Helping%20people%20help%20themselves%20%E2%80%93%20Microfinance%20in%20action%20in%20Timor-Leste.html)

Global Food Crisis: Timor-Leste's rice and maize prices increase significantly

2009-11-17T01:02:00.000-08:00

Trends in staple food prices in selected vulnerable countries
Issue No 5, Oct 2009

Source: United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)

This bulletin provides information on price changes for the most commonly consumed staples and the potential impacts of these changes on the cost of the food basket. Staples contribute 40 – 80% of energy intake for the most vulnerable population groups in developing countries. Therefore, even a small increase in staple food prices has a high impact on overall food consumption, especially when the food basket is composed of very few staples.

The bulletin covers 60 countries over the period July to September 2009.

Highlights:

- Overall: Prices of the main staple food commodities have stabilized or slightly decreased in most of the countries over the last three months compared to the previous quarter. However, in most of the countries, the cost of the food basket is still higher compared to their long term averages (table 3). In 47% of the countries monitored, the overall cost of the food basket is more than 20% above the 5-year averages. This is most evident in countries such as Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Pakistan, Somalia, Southern Sudan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

- Asia: Rice and wheat prices have either remained stable or declined during the last quarter, except in Timor Leste where the price of rice and maize has increased significantly. Rice and maize make up 60% of caloric intake for households in Timor Leste. In general, prices remain significantly high in comparison to the long term averages.

- West Africa: Staple food prices remained stable in most of the countries in this region compared to the previous quarter, except for sorghum and millet in Chad and Northern Nigeria, and rice in Côte where prices have risen significantly. However, prices continue to be high compared to their long term averages, up to 150% in certain cases such as the price of sorghum in Benin.

- Southern, Eastern and Central Africa: Staple food prices remained stable or decreased in most of the countries during the last quarter. However, in Tanzania and Swaziland, prices are still experiencing significant increases. Maize prices have risen by 17% and 19% respectively; representing 33% and 26% of caloric contribution to households diet. Prices remain very high when compared to their long term averages, especially in Ethiopia, Malawi, Somalia, and Zimbabwe where staple food prices are still more than double.

- Latin America and Caribbean: Staple food prices remained stable or declined in all countries over the last quarter. In fact, prices seem to be mostly returning back to their normal levels. Only Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, Nicaragua and Peru are still experiencing prices above their long term averages.

- Middle East, Central Asia and Eastern Europe: Staple food prices were either stable or decreasing in most of the countries during the last quarter. Compared to their long term average, prices are significantly high in Palestine and Tajikistan, and can be 27% to 93% higher depending on the commodity.

- Stand-Alone Countries: Staple food prices remained stable or declined in Northern Sudan, whereas they were very high in Southern Sudan. However, compared to their long term averages, prices continue to be very high in both Northern and Southern Sudan.

Wo sind die Milliarden an Hilfsgeldern?

2009-11-17T01:01:00.001-08:00

Die Strassen in Osttimor sind baufällig, es gibt kaum Zugang zu sauberem Wasser oder medizinischer Versorgung. Sind die Hilfsgelder aus dem Ausland nie im Land angekommen?
Es geht nicht um Kleingeld: Im asiatischen Staat Osttimor fehlen Milliarden an Hilfsgeldern.

Die Armut in Osttimor ist trotz massiver Hilfszahlungen gestiegen. Langsam wird Kritik an der Verwendung der Unterstützung laut. Denn in den zehn Jahren seit seiner Loslösung von Indonesien ist Osttimor zwar mit mehr als 8,8 Milliarden Dollar unterstützt worden, erreicht wurde damit aber wenig. Nur ein Bruchteil des Geldes floss in die Wirtschaft, der Rest unter anderem in ausländische Sicherheitskräfte und Verwaltung. Aus Zahlen des IWF, der Weltbank und weiterer Quellen geht hervor, dass die Unterstützung den Armen kaum geholfen hat. Stattdessen ist die Armut gestiegen.

Die massive Unterstützung des Landes kommt umgerechnet einer Finanzhilfe von 8000 Dollar für jeden der 1,1 Millionen Einwohner Osttimors gleich - eine der höchsten Raten an internationaler Finanzhilfe pro Person weltweit. Vorrangiges Ziel sei immer gewesen, den Frieden zu bewahren, sagt James Dobbins, der Chef von RAND, einem Forschungsinstitut für internationale Sicherheit und Verteidigungspolitik in den USA. Aber: «Der Erfolg hinsichtlich politischer Reformen und der wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung war wesentlich begrenzter.»

Osttimor hat sich 1999 von Indonesien gelöst, das die ehemalige portugiesische Kolonie 24 Jahre lang besetzt hielt. Indonesische Soldaten und Milizen hatten nach dem Unabhängigkeitsreferendum im August 1999 mindestens 1000 Menschen getötet. Erst UN-Truppen konnten die Gewalt beenden. Nach vorübergehender UN-Verwaltung erlangte Osttimor im Mai 2002 seine Unabhängigkeit.

Die Zahl der in Armut lebenden Einwohner ist nach Angaben der Weltbank zwischen 2001 und 2007 um fast 14 Prozent auf 522'000 gestiegen - rund die Hälfte der Bevölkerung. Laut Internationalem Währungsfonds (IWF) und der Regierung in Dili lag die Arbeitslosenquote bei den 15- bis 29-Jährigen 2007 in der Hauptstadt bei mehr als 40 Prozent.

Mehr Kinder, weniger Schlaglöcher

Gleichzeitig merkte die norwegische Kommission für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit 2007 in einem Gutachten an, dass nur ein kleiner Teil der der Hilfszahlungen in «produktive Aktivitäten wie die Entwicklung des Privatsektors» geflossen ist. Zwischen 1999 und 2009 investierten die Vereinten Nationen etwa 2,2 Milliarden Dollar in ihre Osttimoreinsätze. Weitere rund 3 Milliarden Dollar Hilfszahlungen - der Grossteil aus Australien, Japan, der EU, den USA und Portugal - wurde durch 500 Non-Profit-Organisationen geschleust.

La'o Hamutuk, ein angesehenes Forschungsinstitut mit Sitz in Dili, geht davon aus, dass lediglich zehn Prozent der rund 5,2 Milliarden Dollar Hilfszahlungen in die Wirtschaft des Landes geflossen ist. Der Rest sei für internationale Gehälter, Importlieferungen, ausländische Berater und Verwaltung in Übersee verwendet worden, so das Institut. Die Zahlen schliessen mehr als 3 Milliarden Dollar, die Australien und Neuseeland für Militärausgaben bereitstellten, nicht mit ein. Eine andere Gruppierung, die Peace Dividend Trust, geht sogar von nur fünf Prozent des UN-Budgets zwischen 2004 und 2007 aus.

Atul Khare, der den UN-Einsatz in Osttimor seit Mitte 2006 leitete, weist die Zahlen von Weltbank und IWF als «absolut inkorrekt» und nicht repräsentativ zurück. Er sagt, das Land habe seit 1999 einen «deutlichen Fortschritt» gemacht. «All diese Zahlen sind ein Grund zur Sorge. Es handelt sich jedoch um Hochrechnungen, nicht um die wirklichen Zahlen», sagt Khare. Als positive Zeichen nennt er die gestiegenen Fruchtbarkeitsraten, neue Gebäude und weniger Schlaglöcher in der Hauptstadt Dili. Genaue Zahlen lägen erst nach der Durchführung des nächsten Zensus 2010 vor.

Rivalität, Missmanagement und Korruption

Die Weltbank hat Besorgnis über zu hohe Ausgaben für Berater geäussert, konnte jedoch keine Zahlen bereitstellen. Hochrangige timoresische Regierungsbeamte sagten der Nachrichtenagentur AP, Millionen von Dollar seien an Projekte verschwendet worden, die sich überschnitten hätten oder nicht beendet worden seien. Ausserdem sei es zu Rivalitäten zwischen den Gebern gekommen sowie zu Missmanagement und Korruption. Aus Angst vor Repressalien wollten die Beamten anonym bleiben.

«Wo wurde all dieses Geld investiert? Das ist die Frage, die sich die Hilfsgemeinschaft stellen muss», sagt der Nobelpreisträger und Präsident Osttimors, José Ramos-Horta. «Wenn das Geld grösstenteils in Timor investiert worden wäre, hätte es das Land verändert, wirtschaftlich und sozial.» Führende Regierungsmitglieder und die meisten Experten sind sich allerdings einig, dass Osttimor ohne ausländische Hilfe wohl nicht hätte unabhängig bleiben können.

«Nichts hat mein Leiden geändert»

Währenddessen warten die Menschen nach wie vor auf Hilfe. Domingos Pereira, ein 40-jähriger Strassenhändler, hat den Grossteil seiner Familie und sein Haus im Kampf um die Unabhängigkeit verloren. Den Lebensunterhalt für seine Familie verdient der Vater von sechs Kindern mit dem Verkauf von Soda, Zigaretten und Süssigkeiten. «Ich hatte erwartet, dass sich die Lebenssituation kleiner Leute wie mir mit der Unabhängigkeit verbessern würde», sagt er. «Doch nach zehn Jahren habe ich noch keine Verbesserung erfahren.»

Duarte Beremau schläft zusammen mit acht weiteren Familienmitgliedern in einer Zweizimmerhütte ohne fliessendes Wasser, Elektrizität oder Sanitäranschluss. Der Analphabet verdient wöchentlich 10 Dollar in einer Kaffeefabrik. «Nichts hat mein Leiden geändert», sagt er. «Mein Leben ist noch genauso wie es vorher war.» (tan/ap)

Source: Watch Indonesia!, Basler Zeitung
Aktualisiert am 16.11.2009

Persistent tensions threaten to undermine progress in Timor-Leste, warns Ban

2009-10-13T00:39:00.001-07:00

12 October 2009 – The root causes of the community tensions behind the violence that shook Timor-Leste in 2006 remain, threatening the nascent country’s fragile security, despite its recent peaceful celebration of 10 years since a vote for independence, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned today.

In April 2006, fighting – attributed to differences between eastern and western regions of the country – erupted when 600 striking soldiers were fired, and the ensuing violence claimed dozens of lives and drove 155,000 people, or 15 per cent of the total population, from their homes.

Mr. Ban stressed that the causes underlying the 2006 crisis, including the rising level of poverty, persistent unemployment, the lack of an effective land and property regime, and under-strength justice and security sectors, could still destabilize the country.

“While the process of the return and resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs), a visible residual challenge from the 2006 crisis, has been by all measures successful, tensions in some communities remain and could lead to future local-level conflicts,” Mr. Ban said in his latest report on the UN mission in the Timor-Leste (UNMIT).

Contributing to the brittle state of the country, Mr. Ban noted that much remains to be done to fully develop and strengthen the security institutions in Timor-Leste, although he was encouraged that the national police force has begun to assume primary law enforcement responsibilities.

“More time is required to ensure that the various efforts aimed at tackling the many political, institutional and socio-economic challenges facing the young nation of Timor-Leste are allowed to take root in democratic institutions and processes,” Mr. Ban wrote.

Weaknesses in the judiciary continue to affect public confidence in the entire legal system, including in the national police, Mr. Ban said in his report to the Security Council. “Despite some progress, the prosecution service is still facing serious challenges owing in part to limited

specialized prosecutorial capacity and the lack of an overall functioning administrative system.”

Praising President Ramos-Horta for promoting dialogue across the country’s political spectrum to address priority issues facing the country, Mr. Ban warned against allowing the exchange of differing opinions to be exploited in heightening tensions in society.

In addition, he viewed renewed political dialogue on issues such as the provision of reparations to victims of criminal acts committed from 1974 to 1999, the period under Indonesian rule, as promising.

However, the “prolonged delay in delivering justice and providing reparations may further adversely affect public confidence in the rule of law,” said Mr. Ban, encouraging the Government to make every effort to ensure broad-based discussion and follow-up on the recommendations of the reports of the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation and the Commission of Truth and Friendship, as promising.

On 30 August 1999, the United Nations-conducted a popular consultation, when Timorese turned out in huge numbers to vote on their future and overwhelmingly chose independence over autonomy within Indonesia. The eventual result was the birth of a State, but 1,500 to 2,000 people were killed in the immediate aftermath of the declaration.

[source: ETAN]

Dili minha cidade querida! :-)

2009-09-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

The center of Dili:
Dili goes "modern"?
Former Indonesian police posts at Dili's intersections in new colours. The painting shows an agreement between UNPOL (United Nations Police) and PNTL (Policia Nacional de Timor-Leste) - UNPOL was established within the violence in 2006 to ensure the restoration and maintenance of public security. UNPOL now starts to withdraw from their mission and to place the responsibility on PNTL.
The new Government Palace... a Chinese gift (similar to the new government building in Praia, Cabo Verde):
Witnesses of the 2006 violence are still visible in Dili... efforts to restoration and recovery are huge though.
Old Portuguese buildings in Colmera:
Busy Colmera road - the city's shopping centre with a number of small shops and huge stores where you can find just everything:
Yes, there are traffic lights! And some of them are working! Most of them are ignored, though.
Wonderful morning view at the end of my street. Yeah, this is my daily way to work! The office is a few metres to the right:
The national Red Cross headquarter and my office:
Great ocean view in front of my office with traditional fisher boats:Fire next doors:
My street:
My home in Dili: I'm sharing this house with 3 Australians - Tim, David and Rowan - who are living next doors. My door is the left one. Below our kitchen.Traffic as usual in Timor's capital:
Public Transport in Dili - it's always great fun and an exciting experience! :-)
In a microlet (super crowded micro buses that give you a ride for 25 cents only):
In a taxi with limited view... who needs front windows, they are just useless!
Another Taxi with a great view!
Typical sunday activity: washing the car in the river.
Preparing one of the Red Cross' cars for a cool shower in the river:
The "river":
At Taibessi market:
Hoooot chili (aimanas / piri-piri):
Garopa... very tasty fish!
My personal vegetable lady:In my favourite Indian restaurant:Another one of my favourite's: Little Pataya
The Sri-Lankan restaurant:
The famous city monument: Christo Rei
The beach behind Christo Rei:
One of 1.000.000 dogs in Dili:
Sunset dinner at another local market: Catupa (rice balls in bamboo-baskets), grilled fish and corn:

Ataúro Island

2009-09-07T15:59:00.000-07:00

The busy port of Dili in Saturday's early morning hours: people are loading the ferry boat that connects Dili with Atauro once a week (!). It's just unbelievable that, even though, it's just a short distance between the islands, there is only one official connection from the main island to Atauro.
Anyway, people know how to help themselves. They use their small fisher boats to have access to the capital's markets where they sell mainly fresh fish (there is only subsistence agriculture in Atauro and fishing is apparently the only possibility for income at the moment).

Approaching Atauro island which was a prison during Portuguese time in Timor-Leste.
A huge crowd is already waiting for the ferryboat's arrival!
As soon as the boat landed, the hustle and bustle starts again!
Everyone non-occupied is waiting patiently in the shade of the huge tree.
Sun-dried cassava (maniok):
Deserted beach with some lonely mangroves - the sad rests of a former huge mangrove area...
After the beach we walked to the other village, "Vila", which is the island's capital. As we were pretty hungry from this 1-hour-walk we bought a pineapple in a small shop on the way. The woman who runs the shop was so nice to help us cutting the pineapple. She invited us to her garden where she immediately prepared a table and chairs. Within a few seconds the whole family gathered around us and watched us eating pineapple!
Arriving in Vila in the late afternoon. This is the island's hospital.
The community's pineapple garden:
Vila's beachfront:

10-years Anniversary of the Referendum for Independence on Aug, 30

On Sunday August 30, the 10th anniversary of the referendum for independence was celebrated in Timor-Leste. 10 years ago, almost 80% of the Timorese people voted for independence and hence ended Indonesia's 24-years brutal and illegal occupation.

Preparations for the big celebrations in the capital started already weeks before but it was definitely a good choice to be a part of the celebrations here in Atauro!

The first part of the celebration was a formal ceremony which started after the church. People from all parts of the island gathered at Vila's main square to watch the ceremony. There were some speeches, music and children dancing, but suddenly everything stopped and everything was quiet when the Timorese flag was flown.
Later, the informal part of the celebrations seems to be started. Two teams of young men were competing in a tug-of-war.
Me and some other local women preferred watching the games from our first-row-and-less-crowded places in the shade of a hut.
The games continued with the guys climbing slippery trunks. Aim is to reach the plastic bags in the top of the trunks and apparently there are two groups competing. They tried out various ways to reach the bags and even though the team on the right was more creative in the end it was the other team that won.
Suddenly the celebrations were over and the lucky one's got a lift back to their villages in one of the three (?) island's cars.
The others had to walk, some of them along the beach, where the children had fun with us and our cameras!
...and seawheat... biodegradable toys ;-)
Another deserted beach close to Vila:

And some others got a lift in a fisherboat:
As we stayed on Atauro for the weekend we had to take one of the small local boats back to Dili. The boat left Atauro on Monday between 4 and 5 am. It was still dark but on our 3-hours-ride we had a wonderful sunrise.
Arriving in Dili early in the morning hours and somewhere between the official port and the lighthouse...
Our boat with Atauro in the background...

Field Trip: Saburai, Bobonaro District

2009-08-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

Last week I visited Saburai, another Red Cross project village in Bobonaro district, together with Mariano and Juvenal (on the picture) from the National RC Society. As Saburai is very close to the Indonesian border (West-Timor), it's just a short walking distance to Indonesia!
My room in the guesthouse... as there were no mosquito nets available I decided to arrange my Mosquito Dorm on the bed which was not a bad decision... I had a good sleep at least until the roosters woke me up at around 4 am! In the morning I had the possibility to some sightseeing in Maliana, capital of Bobonaro District, while Mariano and Juvenal were busy with some meetings:
Maliana mercado in the early morning hours:
The ladies are selling fresh bread, donuts and some other fried stuff - similar to the Austrian "gebackene Mäus'"!
One of the stylish public transport cars:
The road to Saburai - it's good to have a 4WD - not only for crossing one of the "rivers":
Finally we arrived in Saburai after an one-hour-drive from Maliana. The children in the village were of course excited about the visit and especially about my camera ;-)!
First we had lunch with a local family and the team had the possibility to talk about the news:
In the afternoon we could finally visit the projects - starting with some tap stands and a spontaneous hand washing presentation by Juvenal and me:
Within a few seconds we were surrounded by a crowd of children who apparently got motivated and had o lot of fun!
Final pic with clean hands ;-)
One of the village's eldest with his family:
This bamboo tube was a present from the lady... it's used to store home-made sago-starck:

Timorese people (mainly adults) love chewing strange things that make their mouth and teeth red-coloured. It's even more famous in rural areas. I soon figured out that it's apparently Betel Nut mixed with some other stuff. Finally, I found a nice lady who could explain it to me how it really works. Apparently it is a mixture of 3 things: dried betel nuts, some leaves and white powder (probably calcium carbonate, made out of crushed rocks). People like it not only because it has the effect of an appetite surpressant but also because it apparently makes them high. It also colors lips and teeth incredible red, so it's kind of a biological lipstick! Another side-effect is that it damages the teeth seriously.
The mountainous landscape surrounding Saburai... at the moment there is a traditional week taking place. A group of community members, who are selected by the village's eldest, have to do some rituals like burning the fields and hunting animals. The traditional week ends with a big celebration on the weekend. It's a pity we have to go back to Dili already on Thursday!
On our way back to Dili we passed some very traditional and small-scale salt-producing industries next to the beach.
Lunch at one of the local Drive-in-Restaurants with my vegetarian choice of Catupa and boiled Corn and some grilled fish/chicken for the guys...
Fruit stands along the main road:

Road Trip Dili - Baucau - Viqueque - Uatolari

2009-08-23T16:37:00.000-07:00

This photo shows me with Ina, who served as a guerrilla fighter during ET's independence struggles. Ina was also a close friend of Alfredo Reinado (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfredo_Reinado or http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfredo_Reinado) who was one of the leaders of the rebel forces (F-FDTL). "Reinhado" was killed during attacks on Prime Minister Xanana and President Ramos-Horta on Feb 11, 2008.

Ina is now doing research on Peacebuilding and Trauma and she gives lectures at Universities in Timor-Leste and Australia. She invited me to join her trip to Viqueque where she was supposed to attend one of those Community Dialogues (see also the Blog entry "Embracing Dialogue"). The dialogue was taking place in Uatolari which is far in the East of Timor-Leste. We left Dili Friday evening (at around 8 pm) and arrived in Baucau at 11 pm (3 hours for 100 km), where we stayed over night and we then left Baucau early in the morning.

Some impressions from our way between Baucau and Viqueque:
Finally we could see the south coast of Timor-Leste! In the local language the sea here is called "Tasi Mane" ("men's ocean") whereas the sea in the north is called "Tasi Feto" ("girl's ocean") as it's apparently calmer in the north!
Huge rice plantations in the south:
After 5-hours driving from Baucau, we finally arrived in the village (Uatolari) where the dialogue was already in progress. While the dialogue was running, I preferred spending my time in the village walking around and watching the children playing football. The community dialogue is a very emotional issue and not for or foreigners or even "tourists". I didn't want to bother the process with my presence.
Spiderman house:
Betel nuts and a small choice of other local products at the village's market:
We decided to spend our night in Viqueque and go back to Dili on Sunday morning after breakfast at the guesthouse:
Some impressions from our way back...
For lunch we had a traditional "catupa" (rice balls in tiny baskets made out of palm leaves cooked in coconut milk)
Baucau market... there are so many varieties of bananas I've never seen before! If possible go for the red ones, they are delicious!
Deserted landscape between Baucau and Dili:
Even though it was a lot of driving (we spent about 14 hours in the car) I had a great weekend with Ina and the others. I got so many impressions and learned a lot about this country and it's people that I will (hopefully!) never forget! Thank you, Ina!

Batumanu Part II

2009-08-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

A traditional family house in Batumanu's surrounding mountains...
Maybe the world's best located volleyballfeld with a wonderful view! People just need to be careful with losing the ball - bringing it back might be an issue that could end up in a more-hours hiking trip!
View to Batumanu village... the name comes from the words "batu" (rock) "manu" (chicken) in local dialect and refers to a rock that looks like a chicken. The neighboring village is called Batueiro (eiro - monkey).
The church of Batumanu:
Back from our hiking trip and glad about some fresh mountain spring water from the community tap!
Before we left Batumanu, the community prepared a traditional ceremony. As a gesture of welcome and friendship, local women presented me with some Taís, cloth woven in the traditional way.
Picture with Chefe de Suco and his wife in front of their house:

Batumanu Part I

2009-08-10T16:02:00.000-07:00

This week's field trip was to Batumanu, another Red Cross project village in the remote mountain region of Ermera district. Usually we stop at one of the markets on our way to bring some food because in the villages there is hardly enough for local people. Today we stopped Gleno market - arriving there in the early morning hours was a good opportunity to experience busy market life! The air was fresh and its smell was an interesting melange of various scents of fresh food, fire (from burning waste) and cool morning air.

After we had breakfast at Gleno market, we continued our drive and the roads got worse. It is still a 5-hours drive to Batumanu!

Finally we arrived in Batumanu around noon (we left Dili at 6.30 am) and after a quick lunch we started our village walk.
The Red Cross base next to Chefe de Suco's house:
The Red Cross team was supposed to do monitoring of the project activities (mainly water infrastructure like tap stands, tanks, pipes etc.) and this was a good chance for me to get an impression of the village. We were accompanied by the local Field Team, Chefe de Suco and some other guys from the village. Since we arrived, I didn't see any woman or girls. Apparently they were all busy with field work, cooking or weaving the traditional Tais.

The primary school: Agriculture in Batumanu focuses on coffee (mainly in the higher regions) and some small rice fields. People mainly live on meat, rice and some importend goods (as long as they can afford it) - apparently no vegetables at all!

The Red Cross Field Team with one of the community's eldest:
A local family... the baby hasn't seen any "Malai" before and couldn't stop crying!
Picture in front of a traditional house with Chefe de Suco's wife and their children:
Beautiful sunset...
The Field Team preparing dinner:
Dinner is ready... please notice the rooster below the table! It's one of the Team member's pet and he never goes somewhere without it! The rooster is important for cockfights, a popular sunday-afternoon activity in Timor-Leste.

Miriam and I were invited to sleep in Chefe de Suco's house - they even offered us one of the two beds!
However, it's good to have a Mosquito-Dome - not only because of mosquitos but also to keep away spiders and rats dancing on the roof during the night!

The morning starts with a walk to a spring to explore the track of a new pipeline.
This area, surrounded by dense bamboo-forest, served as a hiding place for the community during Indonesian occupation (starting in 1975). On the picture two Red Cross team members (with the red caps) and Batumanu's Chefe de Suco (next to me).
Some of the children that accompanied us...

Wonderful view to Batumanu:
To be continued... I will post more pictures and stories soon!

Child Feeding Programme and Jesuit Mass in Railaco and Leorema

2009-08-02T22:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went with a group of young Jesuits to Railaco, a tiny village in Dili's cool mountainous hinterland.
We arrived in Railaco after an one-hour-drive in the red 4WD. Sister Rita, Father Sami, Father Bong and the others already had prepared dinner for all at the Jesuit's Residence:
We started the next day with a walk through the village. The region is famous for coffee production. Introduced by the Portuguese, East-Timorese coffee is definitely one of the world's best!
Many ruins in the village are silent witnesses of the country's recent history. After the Referendum in 1999, Timor-Leste became independent and a 24-years-period of Indonesian occupation ended. As a consequence to the Referendum, many houses were burned and important infrastructure (especially water and electricity) was destroyed. Many refugees still did not return to their houses because they are afraid of upcoming tensions.

This ruin now hosts a supermarket in its left part (with roof):
Secondary school:
Cleaning the cass-rooms before 6-months-holidays (!!) start:
As all teaching is now supposed to be in Portuguese (official language in Timor-Leste), teachers themselves have to improve their language skills. After the official 3-months-holidays teachers are on training and schools remain closed until January!

Child Feeding Programme

Later we went with two sisters from the Jesuit church to deliver nutritious food to the children in remote mountain villages. Moving moments... seeing the children appearing from all parts of the village with their plates and spoons in their tiny hands... with their dark eyes wide open, hungry but always a big smile on their faces and just so patient and calm. I honestly miss the words to describe what I experienced during these couple of hours.

The baby has apparently never seen a Malai before. It started to cry....

Sunday's Mass in Leorema

On our way to Leorema, another mountain village... electricity supply existed even in remote villages during Indonesian time:
After the independence most of the infrastructure was destroyed or just not maintained anymore. The young country still doesn't make any efforts to improve any infrastructure.

With one of the Jesuit candidates in front of Chefe de Suco's house:
Sunday's Mass in Leorema:
Chefe de Suco ("Bürgermeister") shows the grave of Lobato's family. The Lobato's are a family of important politicians in Timor-Leste.
Landscape...
Drying coffee:
Final picture with Father Bong, Father Same, Sister Ruth and some of the Jesuit candidates - Thank you so much for the warm welcome and a wonderful weekend!
Leaving Railaco with the candidates...

Embracing Dialogue in Timor-Leste

2009-07-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

An interesting article that I found recently on the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) website:

Dili, Timor-Leste, 16 July 2009

Their eyes swelling with tears, the four men dressed in traditional costumes take turns sipping the local tua-sabu wine from the same glass as multitudes of clansmen, women and children witnessing the ceremony cheer them on. When the glass is empty, the men representing each of the aldeias or villages in the locality embrace one another emotionally as the clapping and chanting in the crowd reaches a crescendo.

“We want to put an end to the ugly chapter in our history that was full of confrontation and begin a new era of renewed friendship and sustainable peace,” says Jose dos Santos, the chief of aldeia Caelili in suco Durulete of Liquica district in Timor-Leste. Flanked by his colleagues from Leboai, Manufatia and Carulema villages, Jose relates the difficulties of the past in their village, saying that in April and May of 2006 when the country was engulfed in political turmoil, a fault line was drawn into the community and “we could not see eye to eye with some of our neighbours and friends with whom we had lived peacefully for decades.”

The symbolic ceremony was held on 9 July, 2009 at the chilly and serene hilltop of Durulete, located some 60 kilometers west of the country’s capital, Dili. It was organized by the Strengthening Institutional Structure and Mechanisms for Dialogue, or as it is simply known, the Dialogue Project, implemented by the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MSS) and the United Nations Development Programme.

It is a bottom-up and grassroots version of diplomacy. Activists, who are close to affected communities, drive the all-inclusive dialogue process. “Dialogue teams can only facilitate face to face talks, but true genuine peace and reconciliation can only come from the people themselves,” says Helder do Rego, a Dialogue team leader instrumental in facilitating the successful Durulute peace talks. He is a member of one of the eight four-person teams spread across the country, based in Baucau, Ermera and Dili, who play a catalytic role in organising the discussions.

The April/May 2006 crisis was the latest in a cycle of conflict that displaced thousands of people, undermining prospects of peace and stability in Asia’s newest democracy. An assassination attempt targeting the President and Prime Minister in February 2008 further illustrated the fragile nature of peace in the country.

Echoing a common theme during the dialogue ceremony, Paulo Assis Belo, the vice-minister for Education recalled the thousands of people martyred during the struggle for the country’s independence, saying that the living have a duty to “honor the dead by living in peace.”

“Party politics should not split families, clans and communities.” He said, stressing the issue “should not make you kill each other.”

It’s a message that seems to resonate quite well in the aldeias and sucos of Timor-Leste, some of which were theatre of deadly confrontations, pitting youths--- and martial arts--- groups against each other.

Buoyed by the success of the dialogue effort, experts say it needs to be formalized as a conflict-resolution mechanism. “There is need to institutionalize dialogue within the communities,” reckons Jose Belo, the Dialogue Project Manager. Recounting his experience, Jose says that the dialogue process also has to be nuanced, in recognition of different social structures prevailing in the country. “In Dili, for example, the process is a bit formal while in the rural areas like Durulete, we rely more on traditional mechanisms.”

Inevitably, it’s not always smooth-sailing. For instance, in the suco Camea area of Becora, located in the outskirts of the city, a dialogue ceremony attended by the President of the Republic, Jose Ramos-Horta on 23 April 2009, ended in a stalemate after rival parties failed to reconcile, despite concerted efforts by a plethora of local activists, NGOs and the Government to bring them to the talking table. Ramos-Horta, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate personally chaired the talks, showing the commitment of the country’s leadership in resolving the problem of internally displaced people (IDP), in partnership with all stakeholders. Through the continuing support of the UNDP/MSS dialogue teams and a network of non-governmental actors the Camea dispute has since been amicably addressed, with the return and reintegration of the IDPs in that area being a symbolic victory following a very protracted process.

The dividends of dialogue meetings go beyond talking about peace. Being a popular forum attended by a wide cross-section of the population, the event provides an ideal setting for Government officials to explain development policies to the people in the characteristic Town-Hall style, interspersed with colorful drama and entertainment.

“It is also an effective forum for the Government to meet the people and vice versa,” says Jose, of the Dialogue Project.

To date the Dialogue Project has been funded by AusAID, NZAid and UNDP, and was recently granted an extension of funding as part of a proposal to the United Nations Peace Building Fund. The project is co-implemented by the Ministry of Social Solidarity and ultimately is expected to be synthesized into the Ministry’s Directorate of Social Assistance as part of a permanent Peace Building Division in 2010. The Dialogue project is integrated under the Trust-Building pillar of the Government’s National Recovery Strategy Hamutuk Harii Futuru (Tetum: Building our Future Together) for more coherence and synergy with both State and non-State actors.

Basic infrastructure development in communities that witnessed high rates of displacement in 2006 is a follow on from the processes of dialogue and reconciliation. It aims at further cementing peace through bringing people together on non-threatening issues of common interest in the community, decreasing competition on resources and services in receiving communities, and promoting local socio-economic development. Funding for community infrastructure is from UNDP Bureau of Conflict Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) and the Peace Building Fund.

UNDP has also worked with the Ministry of Social Solidarity in administering a small grants fund established with the support of AusAID. The funds are channeled to both national and international actors in the peace-building arena to support the work outlined in the Trust-Building Pillar of the National Recovery Strategy. In doing so UNDP is aiming to facilitate a range of activities, spanning sports for peace, training for local leaders, seminars reflecting on the lessons of the past and monitoring of IDP return and reintegration, that complement the Government’s priorities and its own programming and support the nation to bridge the gap between overcoming crisis and fully engaging once more in development.

Source: http://www.tl.undp.org/undp/empowering1.htm

History Lectures at UNTL

2009-07-30T16:15:00.000-07:00

Every Thursday evening I go to history lectures at the Universidade Nacional de Timor-Leste. Zelda Grimshaw, the lecturer, is an Australian women who has a 20 years history of involvement with Timor-Leste and is now writing a doctorate on resistance to the Indonesian military occupation of Timor Leste. Over the last few years she has interviewed nearly one hundred Timorese people about their experiences during the Indonesian occupation.

Yesterday's lecture was about the Indonesian invasion in 1975. Everyone was speechless at the end and some people cried.

In 1975, after Timor-Leste became independent from Portugal, Indonesia decided to invade the country. The invasion is supposed to be the most cruel experience the timorese people had to make.

No one knows why Indonesians have been that cruel, using heavy weapons to destroy every sign of human life - what they feared of the small and poor timorese people without any means to defend! No one knows why the international community ignored the incidents for such a long period before starting interventions.

The year 1975 can be seen as a yardstick for the invasion of horror and fostered a common desire for independence - "once we've gone through that, what else could happen?"

UNTL Caicoli Campus Building:

Hygiene Workshop in Fahilebo

2009-07-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

Last week I went with Martina and a local Red Cross team to the village of Fahilebo to promote a hygiene workshop with children in the local primary school.

Lunch break in Liquica, the district town, to get some energy for the next hour of travelling on bad roads! Anyway, you really need a strong stomach - like our driver mentioned: "Going on Timorese roads... that means dancing in the car!"
Finally we arrived in Fahilebo, after more than one hour "dancing" in our car (apparently the roads are more damaged than usual because of heavy rain falls during the last week).

The village's main square with the new community building and a traditional ceremony building on the right:
A ceremony building:
Amazing view to East Timor's highest mountain (Ramalau massive, 2963m)
Traditional houses:
This family is one out of 10 participating in a pilot project, which is supported by a Norwegian NGO. At the moment 10 local families are testing solar panels for sustainable energy production at household level. As Fahilebo is not connected to electricity, solar energy is expected to contribute to important improvements in the people's life. Traditionally, the families cook with firewood and it's mainly the women's responsibility to find and carry it. Transporting heavy amounts of firewood on your back or on your head every day for long walking distances does not only cause health problems, deforestation as another consequence is a serious environmental issue. Communities are regularly affected by natural disasters like floodings, soil erosion or road destruction.

A shop:
The local Red Cross building:Breakfast at "Chefe-de-Suco"'s ("Bürgermeister") house:One of the few water-flush latrines in the village's health station. Please notice the desinfection bowl with a (sterile?) pair of scissors on the floor in front of the water basin:The new TV set in the community building (electricity is produced by solar panels): as living in a remote area means that it might take a while until news arrive, the "chefe de suco" made a proposal to the government and asked for financial support. Now the village is at least a little more "connected" to the world! Every evening the community meets for watching TV or DVD.
Some impressions from the Hygiene Workshop...

The school building:
Morning challenge - building groups:
Unfortunately only 50% of the students were available today. Wednesday is market day and many children have to help their parents transporting the products to the markets in Fatumaca or Bazartete - which both are about 2 hours walking distance from Fahilebo!

A short warm-up game in the classroom:
Followed by a role-play ("Drama") about washing the hands after using the toilet and before eating - and also HOW to wash hands:
The children loved it!

And then practical training - using cinnamon powder to demonstrate how bacterias can be distributed:

Practical training II - how to wash hands at the community tap:

And finally: school's out for today - let's have lunch!

Red Cross Project in Daír

2009-07-22T15:56:00.000-07:00

My first field-trip leads me to the Red Cross (RC) project in Daír, which is implemented by Cruz Vermelha de Timor-Leste (CVTL) together with the Austrian Red Cross (ARC). The project is funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation (Cooperacao Austríaca para o Desenvolvimento) and it contributes to improving the general living conditions of the poorest and most vulnerable in East Timor.

The 54 families in Daír (Population: 247) benefit through access to safe drinking water, sanitation facilities and education programmes.

The new community building ("Gemeindeamt"):

A community freshwater tank with a tap on the main square:

One of the family latrines with a water flush toilet (right) and shower (left):

A kitchen garden with young Papaya plants:

Traditional irrigation systems made of bamboo which are surprisingly flexible (the system reminds of "Lego"):
To protect food stocks from rats, all goods are stored in these traditional houses:

A circle of stones defines a mystic area, which is the place for traditional devotions. Here the community prays for rain or other needs. It's strictly forbidden to enter this area!
Having fun with the kids:

A father with a "timorese malai" (the baby suffers on a disease which has the effect of missing skin pigmentation, also known as "albino")
Community meeting:
A monkey:

Bamboo... (I hope you like the picture ;-))

Later we've been invited to fresh popcorn, peanuts, bananas and coffee - all of them local-grown products:

3. Timor Leste: return and reintegration strategy insufficient

2009-07-17T23:51:00.001-07:00

JRS DISPATCHES No. 263, 17 July 2009

Although the reintegration of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Timor Leste began in 2008, approximately 3,000 people still live in transitional housing.

Security issues, land disputes, illegal occupation of housing and homelessness are the principal barriers preventing the return and reintegration of refugees”, JRS Timor Leste Director, Isidoro da Costa, told Dispatches on 15 July.

The authorities, assisted by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), built transitional housing in six areas around the country: four sites in the capital Dili and two others in the nearby villages of Tibar and Hera. Each housing unit hosts between four and eight families. Although the government has promised to build permanent housing for the IDPs, it is not clear when this policy will be implemented.

According to NRC, the displaced population in the four Dili sites which numbers approximately 2,000 people, faces a range of difficulties. Approximately half of them were homeless before the outbreak of violence in 2006, nearly 40 percent are afraid to return home, while another 10 percent say their homes are being occupied by others.

Fear and marginalisation

For instance, eight families supported by JRS have been unable to return home as they have been accused of criminal acts. Even though there is no evidence to support the claims, the local police do not provide them with any protection. JRS has tried to mediate between the local community, the families and the police with little success. An apathetic police force and insensitive justice system make it more difficult for organisations to help these families return home.

Some have lost their homes, like Modesta Ero Faik. This 39 year old widow and mother of a 4 year old lived in a house on land owned by someone else. In the past, she had been allowed to build a home and open a small shop on this land. During the violence she fled to a camp. Upon her return, the owner of the land refused to allow her to rebuild. Although she has received compensation, she says it is not enough.

Unfortunately, it is those in the most vulnerable circumstances who find it hardest. Sixty-three year old Cristina da Costa has an 86 year old husband and two of her three children have disabilities. Again, the support they receive from the state is insufficient. Cristina worries about her children. What will happen to them after I am gone? Who will look after them? She asks.

Others have been relatively fortunate. Although Mariano Ximenes’ land was occupied when he fled to the camp, after mediation by the Catholic Relief Service and JRS, he was able to get it back. He paid the man who had occupied the land for the improvements he made on it in Mariano’s absence. Although this was not a perfect solution, Mariano was satisfied with the outcome.

For further information on the conditions of displaced persons see the website of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre

Source: ETAN, July 17th 2009 (www.etan.org)

Baucau

2009-07-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Baucau!

Baucau is the number-two town in Timor-Leste, located 123km east of Dili. On the so-called "highway" - which is one of the country's better roads - it took us about 3 hours by car to get there.

The market in Baucau:

The old impressive portuguese market building (Mercado Municipal) which now unfortunately lies empty:
A "Supermarket":
One of the 3 restaurants in Baucau:

Another picture of an empty pool... sad sad Kathi!
Baucau is also well-known as one of the country's FRETILIN centre:

The people might express their feelings towards the trial which is supposed to start on July 13th in Dili. 28 people are accused of involvement in the attempted assassination of the President in February 2008.

Impressions from our way to Baucau

2009-07-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

A map of Timor-Leste with the two enclaves Oecussi (in the Indonesian part of the island) and Atauro Island in the classroom of a school for children with special needs.

Amazing landscape...

Rice fields:

Wonderful "Dollar"-Beach (the name roots from local people who charged a fee of 1 US-$ for visiting the beach)
Traffic as usual in Timor-Leste...
Some villages:

On our way to Baucau we passed one of the biggest refugee camps for Internally Displaced People (IDP) which were established after the violences between 2006 and 2008. All IDP camps are supposed to be closed within the next weeks and the relocated families should return to their houses (mainly in Dili). The majority of the 900 relocated families could already go back but there are some 200 left which are "tricky" cases and their return could lead to tensions within the communities. UN and other authorities are aware...

Bemvindu!

2009-07-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

After three exhausting days of travelling (Graz-Munich by train, Munich-Doha, Doha-Bali, one night in Bali, Bali-Dili) I finally arrived in Dili - tired but exited about the upcoming two months I'm supposed to spend here! I got some first expressions already on the plane from Bali to Dili. It was packed with "Malai" (that's what "white" people are called here) but none of them seemed to be a tourist - most of them are expatriat staff working for UN (United Nations) or other (I)NGOs (International/Non-governmental Organizations).

Elmar, Austrian Red Cross Delegate, picked me up from the airport and took me directly to the Red Cross Headquarter (HQ). Located at the other end of the city, it was a good possibility for me to get a first impression of Dili!

Even though it is the capital of Timor-Leste, Dili seems to be a calm, rural, medium-sized village. Only the tiny "center" (which are a few streets with some small shops and restaurants) could lead to the impression of a busy city life. Anyway - traffic is just terrible! So many small motorbikes between huge (UN) cars, a complex system of one-way roads and a few traffic lights (which are a nice landmark but everyone is ignoring them)... I also have to get used to the left-hand-driving system. And there is police everywhere - a mixture of UNPOL (UN Police), Portuguese Police and the new Timorese Police - which are trying to share their responsibilities.

After a quick presentation in the Red Cross Headquarter the driver took me to my new home which is just a short walking distance from the HQ. Located in the compound of some local families, I'm sharing one of the houses with three Australian expatriats who are living next door. My appartment is huge, clean and it seems to be safe. In fact, the only fear I might have is that some of the pigs or dogs could enter my appartment illegally!

As days are short in tropical regions it's getting dark around 6.30pm and daylight starts at 6.30am. I really should get used to waking up with the sounds of carking chicken in front of my window!

The view from my appartment's terrace:

My appartment:

I hope to post some more pictures soon!