The Kangaroo Valley East Timor Friendship Group (KVET) has had an active, engaging relationship for 25 years. Many Kangaroo Valley residents have visited East Timor (Timor Leste) and refreshed our commitment to the people and communities there.
KVET has now concentrated its efforts on supporting poor young people from rural communities to undertake their tertiary education in Dili, the capital of East Timor. Tertiary education of young people from rural communities is difficult as a result of poverty and distance from tertiary education facilities, without financial capacity for commuting or rental accommodation in Dili and no money to pay tuition or even buy food. Sometimes these students have lost one or both parents. Without our help these young people would be left in rural areas unable to change their circumstances through further education.
KVET has worked with local partners to establish and support two student houses in Dili. The two purpose-built homes are in Santa Cruz and across town in Manlueana. Each house provides accommodation for eight students – so 16 students per year working towards their ambitions. Since 2014 the Santa Cruz house has supported more than 20 students. Beyond safe and suitable housing, KVET provides these students with tuition and living expenses (for food, household goods and electricity).
The students come from villages throughout East Timor. The criteria for selecting students is (i) that they qualify for tertiary study or training; (ii) they come from families who cannot afford to pay for further education; and (iii) the students are committed to work hard to complete their education and to share in the household work roster.
Students we have supported and who have since graduated include Zelito De Assuncao Dos Santos, who graduated top of his class in agriculture. Zelito was invited to do a year of internship experience in Israel. He is now putting his skills to work in his family’s community of Leo Rema and is doing his best to share knowledge about sustainability with the community. Augusto Carmona also graduated from Universidade Nasionál Timór Lorosa’e (UNTL – the National University of East Timor) and now teaches English at tertiary level at the Dili Institute of Technology.
Antonio Da Cruz, who also studied English, later taught in a secondary school in Dili as well as voluntarily in his community in Remexio. Antonio, and also Ximenes Da Conceicao Arauo (who studied biology and plans to teach in his community of Leo Rema) were selected to participate in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) program – a great opportunity to learn new skills and earn money to improve the lives of their families at home through, for example, improved housing or supporting the education of their younger siblings.
New sponsorship program for students
Although KVET has run many fund-raising activities – these efforts are not sufficient to support 16 students each year. Consequently, last year KVET launched a Student Sponsorship Program (SSP). The program is seeking the help of people who are happy to sponsor the equivalent of one student’s education. The program operates as follows:
Sponsors provide the annual support of $1000:
- These funds are eligible for tax deductibility.
- Funding is channelled through KVET rather than directly to an individual student. This is due to collective management of household living expenses.
- If sponsors wish, KVET can make arrangements for matching sponsors with individual students for communication. However, most of the students have very limited English.
- In turn, KVET prepares an annual report to sponsors; and aims, throughout the year, to present stories of the student households in the Valley Voice.
Would you like to become a sponsor?
Contact us through our website: https://kvetfriendshipgroup.org.au/sponsorship-info-%26-signup
Or talk to Janet Bundey 0409 122 079 or Sue Cochrane on 0408 510 151 or other members of KVET.
Or email on kvetfriendshipgroup@gmail.com
Sue Cochrane
