EAST TIMOR

After the cessation of the occupation of East Timor by Indonesia the unfortunate condition of the East Timorese people has led to the involvement of humanitarian organisations from around the world. The close proximity of East Timor to Australia leaves us in a particularly favourable position to be able to assist the East Timorese. This very poor country whose population is among the poorest in the world and which lacks the basic needs of a modern society East Timor is now receiving support from many humanitarian bodies in Australia including Rotary.

The needs are mostly at a very basic level:

• Provision of good quality water supplies
• Basic medical facilities
• To introduce practices which help prevent the spread of avoidable diseases many of which are spread by insects (mosquitos), are water borne or by domestic animals, such as pigs.
• Basic education and educational facilties
• Basic infrastructre and skilled personal.

Turramurra Rotary Club has involved itself in a number of ways so far and expects to continue this work indefinately. Some of our efforts to date are outlined in this note.

TURRAMURRA ROTARY EAST TIMOR PROJECTS

CURRENT PROJECTS.

EAST TIMOR - RAWCS Project No;  21/2008-09                             HATO-UDO SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

Hato-Udo is near the centre/south  of East Timor in mountainous country. The area is poor like much of rural East Timor and people in the area live on a subsistence level.

The current school consists of 2 buildings a small one room hut for the kindergarten up to 2^nd class children, and a decrepit concrete block one room building for the primary children. There is no toilet block for the children.

                                                                           Present Kindergarten Schoolhouse

                                                                                   Primary Schoolhouse

BACKGROUND                                                                                                                                          

The people at Hatu-Udo are asking for help to build 2 new school buildings, one for the kindergarten to year 2 children and one for the primary school children.

The current Primary school has 52 children made up of 3 children aged 5 years, 20 aged 6 years, 29 aged 7 years and 3 teachers. The proposed Primary school would consist of 4 classrooms of 6 X 6 metres, a 2 metre wide verandah running along two sides of the building and 5 toilets each 2 metres by 1.5 metres . The total cost is A$31,100 to construct or $7,775 per classroom. It is prposed to build the Primary School first.

The Kindergarten school has a total of 46 children, made up of 9 children aged 3, 17 aged 4 years, 20 children aged 5 years.and two teachers. The Kindergarten school house would consist of 3 classrooms of the same dimensions as the primary school and the kindergarten children would share the toilet block with the primary school children. The total cost is A$26,350 for the kindergarten schoolhouse or A$8,781 per classroom .

We are looking for interested Rotary Clubs to work with us on this project and  for financial support, possibly on a classroom funding basis.

 Rotary work crews will have to camp on site and bring in their own food and other necessities. Exactly what will be needed is to be determined by an assessment visit by a Turramurra Rotary Club members as soon as practicable..

Because of termites, it is proposed that galvanised steel prefabricated school buildings be adopted. A proven design already used in East Timor is made by Titan in Brisbane. The prefab primary school would be shipped in a 20 foot container to Dili then by road to Hato-Udo for work to commence there on the school.

The building will have no electric power, there being none supplied to the village. Generators will be available during construction to run power tools on site.

THE PROJECT.                                                                                                                                                                                    

The project is to be done in conjunction with the Mary MacKillop East Timor Sisters who will provide and pay for the teachers at the school once completed.

The Turramurra Club has worked with the Sisters in the past to fund water supply projects at Oetapo and Golbin in 2006. In 2007 Turramurra Club also provided a pump and water supply to Besilau Village as well.

The project management is to be undertaken by an engineer from Parsons Brinckerhoff as a part of the companies charitable activities.

                          Hato-Udo village huts and water buffalo                                                        Hato-Udo  village hut

                                    Hills about Hato-Udo                                                               The beautiful surroundings

                              Teachers at Hato-Udo                                                   Sister Tess from Mary McKillop doing a reading lesson

OTHER CURRENT PROJECTS

Alola Foundation  -- Maternity Kits for Expectant Mothers

                                     Maternity Kit conternts                                            Alola Foundation Building in Dili

                                                                    School classroom funding for Daryl mills

PAST PROJECTS.

EAST TIMOR VILLAGE WATER SUPPLY.  --  OETAPO AND GOULBIN VILLAGE WATER SUPPLY

 Sister Tess working with the Mary McKillop Sisters East Timor organized and had built a storage tank, pipeline receival/holding tank and toilets for the village schools at Oetapo and Goulbin using spring water many km from the village. Turramurra Rotary provided funds through Mary McKillop to have these two projects undertaken. It proved a lasting success.

It was necessary to lay and bury the pipe to protect it from fire and impact damage but materials for the tanks had to be transmitted by road (dirt track) to the locations concerned.

                                   The road to Oetapo                                                            Water storage tank at spring site

The completed work was opened with great excitement from the villagers and Australian army engineers who came to view the completed operation.

Since the opening of the pipeline the Mary McKillop sisters on the spot have reported a major change in the sprit of the villages, with a ready water supply skin diseases have dropped dramatically, clothes are washed and clean and some villagers have dismantled their homes and moved them to the site of the water supply tank. This has been a most successful low cost project with clear and immediate benefits to the villagers.

                              Toilet construction at school                                                             Finished tank at school

                               Villagers in Oetapo                                                              Spring used for water supply

 INSTALLATION OF WATER SUPPLY AT BESILAU VILLAGE

A Glockeman pump was installed at a stream near the village of Besilau to supply water to the school. The Glockeman pump was used as it did not require electric power to operate it. It also required construction of a small coffer dam at the spring site and holding tanks at the water site and at the school.

                    School children at Besilau                                                                   School children in class

                             Coffer dam at spring                                                        4,700 ltr holding tank at water source.

            Laying 83mm drive tube pipe 16m to pump                              Installing pump in concrete tray.Creek in background

  The crew John, Schoolmaster, Chatswood, Felis                                                   Laying the drive tube 

                                                                                        Installed pump