 |
 Home Overseas Projects East Timor Projects
LEARNING TO READ IN THE RAIN – Literacy for Women in East Timor
Uabubo – a village set in the dramatic mountain landscape of East Timor, on the central spine running down the length of the country.
Walk a few kilometers up the road from Uabubo and you find yourself standing at a point where the land drops away on both sides – to Viqueque on the south coast and Baucau on the north coast. You can see for miles in both directions – rolling hills with mountains in the background, covered in early morning mists. In the wet season it is lush and green with corn crops, cattle and horses grazing in the distance. An amazing place to live, if you have the leisure to stop and appreciate its beauty.
GFFTL (Grupo Feto Foin sa'e Timor Leste), a Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA partner, runs a literacy class for 15 women in Uabubo village. These women range in age from a 12 year old girl to grandmothers in their 50s. The class is facilitated by a local single woman, Mana Paulina, who is active and trusted in the community. GFFTL supports Mana Paulina with a facilitator from their Dili staff, and Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA supports GFFTL in this work by providing funding and a literacy advisor volunteer from Australia, an ESL teacher called Maggie Tate.
The women meet on the narrow verandah of Mana Paulina's house. In the wet season they erect a tarp (provided by UAA - APHEDA) to protect them from the driving rain of thunderstorms. APHEDA has also provided them with timber seating and tables, built by one of the carpentry cooperatives that Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA supports, so they don't have to sit on whatever comes to hand and write on their laps any more.
The women began with little or no literacy capacity 6 months ago. They have progressed quickly from reading and writing the alphabet through Book 1 (a simple reader about themselves and their lives) and are now starting on Book 2 (a more advanced reader, with a writing component about women and their lives in other villages around Timor). The next step will be to integrate this literacy program with an income generation program of their own choice - a practical application of reading, writing and numeracy skills to the business of real life - a tool to empower them to stand on their own and operate independently in an increasingly modern environment.
They come to class, with small children and curious onlookers in tow, bringing with them a strong desire to improve themselves and their capacity to help their community. Usually they are cheerful and chatty, sometimes sad, as children still often die in East Timor. Often they are anxious, if rains are late and crops may not be ready in time to feed their children. But always they are tough, resilient and determined - determined to survive, determined to do the best they can for their families and communities, and determined to learn, despite the odds.
|
