One of the most important experiences during my visit to East Timor came on 30th August, the actual anniversary of the referendum, when the main ceremonies were due to take place. The solidarity activists had not received official invitations to these ceremonies. But they had a meeting with the President, and weren’t happy to learn [...]
Entries Tagged as ‘East Timor’
February 12, 2010
East Timor: Where is the development?
I have always felt very personally involved with the suffering of the East Timorese people when, after a UN-sponsored referendum in August 1999 had resulted in a massive 78% vote for independence, a terrible wave of violence engulfed the country. I shared their rejoicing when, following international intervention, East Timor was recognised by the UN [...]
December 9, 2009
Climate change: Copenhagen will shape our future
On Saturday the world’s media turned its spotlight on The Wave march through the streets of London. More than 50,000 people from every walk of life came together to put pressure on Gordon Brown ahead of the UN climate negotiations in Copenhagen. And what a day it was: CAFOD supporters from all over the country [...]
July 2, 2009
East Timor: A true economy of solidarity
“Our chips are the best in town and that’s a fact” is how Natercia Matos da Costa Lemos introduced her kripik (chips) group to the 30 budding entrepreneurs who came to visit her thriving home industry. The entrepreneurs came from far and wide, and were a motley crew of food processors (jams, tomato sauce, banana [...]
June 24, 2009
East Timor: A story of hope and dignity
I had the pleasure of meeting Lita and Mika (both in their mid 20s) who are female sex workers - the most vulnerable groups in terms of HIV and AIDS. Thanks to training from our partner Caritas Dili on how to prevent infection, they have recently been helping to promote awareness among the many other sex workers living in Dili [...]
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