Comunidade Edmund Rice
The Terrace Timor Network supports and funds a range of programmes and projects managed by Comunidade Edmund Rice, a ministry of the Christian Brothers in Timor Leste, under the leadership of Br Bill Tynan.
Special Projects are designed and managed under the three main areas of:
- Education
- Health
- Sustainability Projects, ie: Coffee and Card Production and Sales
All possible projects are considered in light of the guiding values of the Terrace Mission and the characteristics described within the Edmund Rice Education Australia charter.
There have been many great achievements to date including:
- Payment of salaries for qualified primary school and preschool teachers in the schools in Railaco Kraic;
- Payment of salaries of healthcare workers to provide medical assistance in local clinics;
- Sourcing and provision of medical and teaching supplies; and
- Supporting women from rural communities to design and produce cards and handcrafts for sale through the Terrace Community and beyond; resulting in paid employment for dozens of women in these rural communities.
Art & Craft Co-operative, CER
Education and Health
The Terrace Timor Network (TTN) supports and funds projects which focus on the key development challenges facing the people of Timor Leste. The delivery of these projects is managed by Comunidade Edmund Rice (CER), the ministry of the Christian Brothers in Timor Leste. The projects are concentrated in isolated rural communities in the mountains behind Dili.
Education
The education programme aims to provide qualified, reliable teaching staff and usable resources to encourage regular attendance at school and a higher priority on education. The program encourages participation, creativity and cross cultural exchange. TTN Education milestones includes:
- Paying the salary of several East Timorese primary school and pre-school teachers employed by CER to teach in the schools in Railaco Kraic. These teachers are trained and qualified;
- Developing teaching resources for early language work in Tetan (the main local language); and
- Designing, supplying and marketing an Art Exchange Project between the Terrace Middle School and students from the CER village schools.
Adult literacy rates in Timor Leste are very low and less than half primary-aged children complete 6years of education. TTN has raised funds to pay the salaries of teachers so that the children of the CER communities can build brighter futures for themselves and their families.
Health
Comprehensive health care services are seen as a ‘given’ within our Australian communities however the people in many villages of Timor Leste have almost no opportunity to access even the most basic care.
The health programme aims to improve the health outcomes for men, women and children through an immunisation program, maternity and post-natal care and management of other injuries and diseases. A large focus of the programme moving forward will be on building awareness and education of simple health care principles within the communities CER supports.
TTN Health milestones includes:
- Paying the salary of Timorese health workers employed by CER to provide medical assistance in local area clinics;
- Sourcing medical supplies and equipment used by the clinics; and
- Developing community health programmes to attack malnutrition and infant and maternal mortality.
Whilst Australian communities are fighting issues of childhood obesity, 70% of children in Timor Leste are malnourished. The work of TTN is aimed at supporting basic health care at a community level helping children and their families to live healthy and happy lives.
Building Better Futures
The Terrace Timor Network facilitates the opportunity for Terrace Parents and Old Boys to participate in projects at CER (Comunidade Edmund Rice) in Timor Leste. Br Bill Tynan and the local community have identified a range of projects to improve education and living conditions within the CER Community.
The Building Projects will offer an Immersion experience to:
- Experience life, its challenges and differences in a Third World country;
- Engage in social justice issues and develop an understanding of the local problems and issues;
- Build relationships and engage with local Timorese community, its culture and history;
- Work alongside local people to rebuild and develop their local community;
- Discover people, places, cultures and stories, while working to make a difference; and
- Continue to live the ethos of Terrace, as men of Faith & Learning.
ComunidadeEdmund Rice & Educational Support
Br Bill Tynan of Comunidade Edmund Rice (CER) in Timor Leste has written an account of the involvements of CER in providing educational support in the rural communities
of the sub-district of Railaco in the mountainous region behind Dili. CER works to
enhance educational opportunities in impoverished primary schools through the
provision of funds for the employment of teachers and through the provision of
opportunities for teacher professional development and through providing resources
and improvements to buildings and facilities. More recently, CER has enabled
the employment of local graduate teachers and has extended its support to
pre-school education. Much of this support is made possible through CER’s many
links with supporters in Australian schools and the Australian community. To
access Br Bill’s account, click here on CER & Educational Support.
Pre-school teachers with new resources, CER
Just My Story and Walking the Talk
Just My Story & Walking the Talk is a Social Justice Education Unit which has been developed through the collaborative effort of Br Damien Price and film production company, Digital Black. The unit is comprised of short documentary films (Just My Story) and curriculum materials (Walking the Talk). Two of the short films feature the experiences of Katrina and Chris, young Australia volunteers at Comunidade Edmund Rice in Timor Leste. To learn more and access Just My Story and Walking the Talk, click HERE or on the Resources tab above.
Click HERE to view our CER photos on Flickr and visit the Terrace Timor Network HERE and also at: http://www.justiceproducts.org/
