PROJECTS
The orphanage, Centro de Ensino e Treinamento (CET), provided a safe environment for Timorese children. Trained Brazilian staff ran the orphanage.
CET operated a little bakery to sell bread and cakes that helped bring an income to the orphanage. It also benefited from donations, such as proceeds from Scorched Earth.
Due to several factors including low wages and the high cost of attending educational institutions, Scorched Earth proceeds are assisting to support students studying secondary and tertiary level education.
Micro-financE
Scorched Earth proceeds are used to provide micro-finance loans to Timorese. These include Herminia who made and sold ceramic vases in Dili, Joana and her husband who hand crafted timber photo frames in Dili, and Nikolai’s family who opened a local kiosk in Gleno.
Funds are also provided to strong local organisations to further their community-based activities.
Partnerships
Working with local partners on the ground is an effective approach to positive growth. Many strong organisations exist in Timor. One such organisation is East Timor Development Agency (ETDA).
ETDA is a lead training and employment centre run by Timorese. It has more than 30 local staff, has trained in excess of 25,000 individuals, and capacity developed 30 local organisations.
ETDA also manages the Oan Kiak Trust Fund Program, which has provided scholarships to more than 2,000 Timorese orphans.
The author was an advisor with ETDA 2004-2006, and Peter Watt was an ETDA advisor 2016-2018. They continue to support the amazing work of ETDA.
To reduce project duplication and strengthen reach, the author of Scorched Earth and Peter have teamed up with international partners. This includes Wild Timor Coffee, a top café in Melbourne established by former soldiers that served as peacekeepers in Timor, 2012. Wild Timor Coffee has funded scholarships, community water tanks, and infrastructure such as temporary school buildings in Timor-Leste.
The two former soldiers have also personally invested in and built Lospalos Coconut Oil, the first such factory for export in Lospalos. It is a sustainable and ethical business that provides communities with income.
Veterans Care Association, Australia, supports returning Australian veterans and their families to overcome challenges in returning to civilian life.
Their Timor Awakening program leads Australian veterans in an 11-day immersion experience in Timor-Leste, alongside Timorese veterans. Its overarching themes are hope, forgiveness, and purpose.
They manage the Australian Veterans Scholarship Timor-Leste (AVSTL), which provides vocational scholarships for direct descendants of Timorese Veterans.
Another large Veterans Care project is the Veterans English Language Institute (VELI) in rural Timor-Leste. English language skills enable Timorese to gain scholarships and employment.