BETTER

When I was a young activist, my heart and imagination were captured by the people of East Timor, one of Australia’s nearest neighbours. In 1999, while I was leading the Newcastle branch of youth activist network ASIET (Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor), the majority of East Timorese voters chose independence from Indonesia. In retaliation, pro-Indonesia militia groups started attacking and killing civilians, and our small organisation was suddenly called to action. In the unexpected media attention that followed, I found my feet as a civic organiser and a passion for advocacy for the East Timorese.

20 years later, I decided to leverage my research and teaching experience to contribute in a different way. I volunteered to work as a Curriculum Creation Officer at BETTER (Building East Timor Through Education/Resources). BETTER is an ACNC registered non-profit focused on charitable education within East Timor, and has recently built a new school in Same.

The work is made possible through donation. If you are interested in donating, please visit https://bettertimor.org/

“East Timor sunset” by ESA_events is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.East Timor from space