A Natural End

After eight years Children in Crisis’ programme in East Timor has come to a natural end.

When we started our operation in the wake of East Timor’s Independence and the atrocities carried out by the withdrawing Indonesian army and the local militias that they funded, the education system was devastated. The majority of trained teachers were Indonesian and left, the scorched earth policy of the Indonesian army and the militias destroyed many schools and training centres.  Children in Crisis was invited by the then  Head of the UN in Baucau province to help re-establish schools and train teachers to work in them.

We have built or rehabilitated 19 schools and trained 465 teachers in cooperation with the local government in Baucau and rural communities.

Seven years after the new nation of Timor Leste became a member of the UN there is a functioning Ministry of Education with international funding for a national training and infrastructure programme. Children in Crisis’ role as an interim partner has been drawn to a successful conclusion and we are very proud of all that we have achieved. We have received thanks from the Minister of Education and all of the officials in the provincial government of Baucau.