The Timor Rotary Consortium (TRC) is a multi-club project for remote schools and communities in Timor Leste. A total of three Volunteers from RI District 9800 visited Baguia Sub-district, Viqueque and Soibada Districts in Timor Leste from 2 to 9 November, 2024, as part of the current Global Grant.
The focus of the Team was to:
- ‘Hands on work’ to build a 3 cubicle Toilet Block for a Primary school in Loiholihoo.
- Inspect Toilet blocks and Water Tanks that have been provided to the schools and communities in the Baguia region.
- Meeting with Timor Varde, a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP sponsored NGO) with whom we signed a MoU in 2023.
Financial management and acquittals with Ms Leopoldina our Project Coordinator in Timor Leste.
The following Volunteers travelled from Melbourne:
Dominic Peverett – non-Rotarian
Justine Paragreen – Past Rotarian
Vijay Susarla – RC Caroline Springs (Team Leader)
Justine Paragreen – Past Rotarian
Vijay Susarla – RC Caroline Springs (Team Leader)
We arrived in Dili on Saturday 2 November 2024 at about 4 pm when a tropical storm set in. We had a meeting with Judite Martinez and Mario (both Past Presidents of Rotary Dili) in the evening and discussed recent developments regarding Water and Sanitation in Timor Leste and thanked them for their support of the Timor Rotary Consortium since its inception and of our Global Grant over many years. Unfortunately, Dr Vahideh, who is President of Rotary Dili, couldn't join us that evening due to her absence on international travel.
In mid-2023 we had purchased a total of ten 5,500 litre Water Tanks from East Timor Roofing company based in Baucau, and these had been delivered to different schools and communities locally. The Water Tank stands for these were constructed by locals and were ready for use, except for the Tanks delivered to an Orphanage in Baguia and the Batata community in Viqueque District. Whilst in Dili we purchased polypipe and plumbing items from Vinod Patel Hardware on Monday, before setting off to Bacau and Baguia by about 11 am.
We visited a Toilet block built recently by RC Sydney Cove as part of Timor Rotary Consortium at Laveteri Primary School and Samalari Primary School and checked the condition of the Toilet and Water Tanks, before arriving in Baguia about 6.00 pm.
Next day we journeyed for 3 hours in our hired 4-wheel drive vehicle to Loiholihoo Primary School, along with Ms Leopoldina to spend 2 days working ‘hands-on' building a three-cubicle Toilet.
This three-cubicle Toilet Block was sponsored by Yvonne Wills (member of RC Camberwell) and an associated Water Tank was donated by the RC Monash Glen Waverley as part of their contribution to the Global Grant.
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