Year 2010 & 2011

This post is one year late. I did a visit to East Timor in 2010 and visited my friends in Dili, Liquica and also Hope Orphanage in Gleno. Nothing much has changed in Timor, things are running as they are.

There were more road signs, some new buildings(or newly coated buildings) and some taxis have a nice yellow colour now. Other than this, things are pretty much the same. The orphans I met in Gleno still struggled in the ever confusing education system. Mathematics in secondary school are taught using Bahasa Indonesia textbooks hence commas and decimal points are placed differently. It does not help that Timor is using American dollars and not Rupiah, so calculation can be a problem.

A teacher teaching youths English in Dili observed that gangs are still very much part of the communities and culture in Timor. It could be for protection, survival, identity etc and it is not that easy to get out of it once you're in. This thing about "brotherhood" and "loyalty" runs deep and bloodshed is not something hard to do. Law and order is still an issue in this new nation and maybe that is why there are gangs who either helped the police with order or set their own.

That being said, Timor is progressing in some ways. Some youths from Hope Orphanage came to S'pore in 2011 and it was a great eye opener for them. I hope they will be able to get sponsorship/scholarship for entry into United World College (ok, the fees are really steep for this international school but it's good). The boys(and girls) in the orphanage are growing and it is going to be a challenge as to where some of them will go once they finish high school. College and University can be expensive and I wonder about their future. 2011 is the 1st year I've not been back to Timor since 2006 and I hope to go this year with some good purpose. May the Lord continue to direct me.

Another Year- Some updates

Ola! I made a short trip to East Timor last July and there were some notable improvements in Dili. Street lamps, a nice park(previously the IDP camp outside of Hotel Timor), relaxing benches and nice tables along the waterfront outside of Parliament House.

With the UN staying on for a while more, there were businesses to be made and things are picking up with a soon-to-be-built multi-million resort in Tasi Tolu.

The thing about money is that it always attract some form of vice. In Timor itself, prostitution is fast becoming a problem. Girls are being brought in from China and even after raids by the police, more are coming in. I bump into a Hotel boss at the airport and he told me the best business now is girls. And he said nothing seems to be able to stop the girls from coming in as agents continue to bring them as long as there is a demand. No one is afraid even after the raids on prostitution. This is not good for the country.

I can only hope things will look brighter for the future of the children. I did a profile of the 30plus children at Hope Orphanage and some of the older children aspire to study overseas. That is not too far-fetched. I recently met two East Timorese youth on facebook - both were studying and working with WorldVision East Timor at one point when I was teaching there. They are now studying in Indonesia. That's good. I hope to see more reaching greater heights and going back to their homeland to make a difference.

Let's continue to hope. Maromak Fo Bensa

End October East Timor Trip - A summary of current situation

More cars, trucks and construction

A memorial for the policemen and women killed in the 2006 crisis in the Caicoli area.

More shops and restaurants. Here's a 'rare' book & stationery shop.

I would describe the current situation in East Timor as safe & volatile. By safe, I am saying that it is perfectly safe to walk in broad daylight without fear of rama ambon(deadly arrow-like darts), gunfire and gangs throwing stones at you. There are now streetlights in some areas at night and gang fights & crime are low. By volatile, I am saying that any violence might happen at any time depending on what fuses the situation. For example, a 'peaceful' political demonstration.

Most IDP(Refugee) camps have disappeared and the only ones left are those in the Catholic churches. The notorious ones like the one outside of Hotel Timor and another beside the airport have disappeared. These camps were a source of trouble during the unstable times but since their removal, there have been less trouble.

With more UN personnel stationed in Timor, the construction and property sector have become busier and so has the roads. There are certainly more vehicles on the road than last year and sometimes there were even traffic jams. The expats have also given a boost to the F&B industry with more restaurants springing up in the city and at the beach area. This provided more job opportunities but unfortunately, many are not Timorese owned.

Taxis are also charging slightly higher prices than before. I make sure I negotiate my fare now before I sat in if I have any doubts about how much to pay. This is especially so if it's late at night(by late, I meant 8pm++ where there are very few taxis). I paid US$3 for a night taxi ride when last year you would expect to pay only US$2. As for food, local fare is still cheap. US$1 would get you a plate of rice with a portion of chicken, vegetables and soup.

The education system is still as confusing for the students as ever. Teachers were made to attend intensive portuguese course so that they can teach in the language as many were not fluent in it. Students find portuguese difficult to learn and were not very keen in learning it. The teachers who themselves are poorly equipped with the language are not helping the situation either. While the government continues to push for a portuguese curriculum and learning environment, the Catholic schools got fed-up and uses their own Tetun school books for grade 1 to 6. It of course proof to be more effective and enjoyable for the students as most of them speak Tetun at home and uses it as their everyday language. The language medium to use for education is still a sticky situation which has not been resolved.

As my friend, Nelson da Silva, a 3rd-year engineering student studying in the national university told me - "Brother, I feel so confused. If the lecturer graduated in Australia, he will teach in English. If the lecturer graduated in Indonesia, he will teach in Bahasa Indonesia. If he graduated in Portugal, he will teach in Portuguese. I am very confused." You get what I'm trying to say now? So later on, I asked him to show me his thesis and it was written in Bahasa Indonesia. I certainly hope his lecturer is a graduate from Indonesia!

Aside from all this, I would say East Timor has certainly made some progress in the 2006 crisis aftermath. There may be still the problem of high unemployment and disgruntled youth, but I think many NGOs are realising this and are trying their best to help in these areas. Life has gotten back to normal for the average Timorese - without the kind of violence seen during the turbulent 2006 and early 2007.

So do pay East TImor a visit should you decided to do so. There are many opportunities to help as well as business opportunities. And if you're a mountain climbing lover or a diving fanatic, East Timor will be a dreamland for you. My recommendation? Go and see it for yourself. You'll love it there.

2nd Year Anniversary

Time really flies by. This is the exact day I left East Timor 2 years ago. The immigration stamp on my passport reminded me of my short-lived days there. I have learned much in these 2 years and for that, I am grateful.

I am just wondering how long my patience will last. It is indeed wearing thin. Very soon, it will be the 3rd year. Will I be back by then? Or will I still be in Singapore? Am I now a bird in a cage? Or a bird in training? Maybe I am both. Both are well-fed and well-taken care of. But neither one taste real freedom.

Wait for me, I will return soon. Wait for me, I will see your smile and your beauty again. O Timor Lorosae, wait for me.

Crisis? I walk for almost a whole day in Dili town.

Are things fine in Timor? I was back in Timor from 18 sept to 27 sept. and I must say that Dili is relatively calm. As you can see from the pictures, there is no problem walking in the streets in the day. Although I heard stories of troubles coming from IDP camps(mostly during night time), I didn't see any during my visit. Dili is brighter at night because there are street lamps now. The night picture was taken near the cathedral before going into Bairo Pitte, a supposedly 'hot' zone but troubles are sporadic and I had a safe trip home at 10pm - no problems.


Food is abundant in the grocery stores and supermarkets and the streets are really busy.
I was quite surprised that there are traffic jams in Dili!(maybe it is the traffic lights or the overcrowding of cars(from the UN) on the roads). Even till the early evening, the streets are busy with activities. I hope I have allay your fears if you are thinking twice about going to Timor. It is relatively calm with sporadic night troubles in 'hot' zones like Comoro. Ask a UN police if you're unsure which areas to avoid at night. Generally, I would say it is safe to travel in Timor.

Go to www.byjason.org/timor/index.html for more info on my recent trip that includes a trip to Hope Orphanage in Gleno and some faces of children at IDP camps, Dili town and Liquica.

Marungi (Moringa) - Ita hatene?

Moringa Oleifera is a tree with highly nutritious leaves, flowers and pods, and it is known as Marungi in East Timor. Although the Moringa tree had been used successfully to combat malnutrition and high infant mortality rate in Africa, particularly Senegal, there appears to be either a lack of information or interest in the use of this tree in the health sector of Timor. I could be ignorant but in my seven months in Timor working with a large international NGO, I have not heard of the success or the consumption of its leaves as a means to alleviate the high infant mortality rate in Timor. I find it strange that this tree is not fiercely promoted to combat the many malnutrition cases and high death rates of babies and even mothers.

My web search on Timor NGOs yielded only one result of an organisation that uses the moringa tree. The organisation, Mary McKillop East Timor, has a community health program that features the Moringa tree as a rich source of nutrients and prepares the leaves for food supplement uses. The nutrients of the moringa leaves can be summarised by this:
7 times the Vitamin C of Oranges
4 times the Vitamin A of Carrots
4 times the Calcium of Milk
3 times the Potassium of Bananas
2 times the Protein of Milk
3 times the Iron of Spinach

The tree grows very quickly, is drought resistant, pest resistant, highly nutritious and readily available in the local market. Besides eating the leaves, pods and flowers, the seed gives a high quality oil(Ben oil) when pressed. Many parts can be used for medication and the seeds can be used to purify water. So why the lack of moringa promotion and usage? I have no anwers to this. If only someone will champion the use of it and see Timor's infant mortality rate dropped like flies as in the case of Senegal. If you happen to be working in an NGO in Timor(especially with interest in the health & agriculture sector), ask around, spread the message and champion the fall of malnourishment and high infant mortality rates.

Links of particular interest:
Combating Malnutrition with Moringa
Supplementation for pregnant and breast-feeding women with Moringa
Details of Moringa Leaves' Nutrients
Usage and cultivation of Moringa Tree
Excellent resources for Moringa Tree

Links Update

Hello all, I just updated some East Timor links. Timor Cartoon is one very refreshing place to go to, and the cartoons are cool and will really crack you up. Other links offer some latest happenings in Timor especially on the recent presidential elections. Well, I will be visiting Timor-Leste somewhere in June and looking forward to meeting up some friends there again. I hope something will come out of this trip and I'll love to be back in Timor again. Hau sei fila fali Timor- Leste.... hein hau!