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to Green Timor Leste

Two young children, a boy and a girl, are at a water tap in a rustic outdoor setting. The boy, wearing a beige t-shirt and brown shorts, is turning on the tap, while the girl, in a light blue polka dot top and blue pants, is holding the tap pipe and looking at the boy. Behind them is a large blue barrel and a stone wall.

Green Timor Leste

OzGREEN supports OAM Judy Charnaud to deliver projects in East Timor that provide the people of Oecusse with clean drinking water and connective events.

Green Timor Leste (GTL) is an independent organisation which OzGREEN auspices and provides pro-bono support to.

Judy thanks OzGREEN for introducing her to Oecusse, the VEAP concept and enabling her to set this project up to become the success it has!

Close-up of an elderly woman with disheveled gray hair, missing teeth, and a worried expression, wearing a purple shirt with a necklace.

Recent UN reports say that Timor Leste is the poorest nation in Asia.

Over 40% of the population lives on less than $1 per day.

70% suffering from severe to acute malnutrition.

13% of children die before they are 5.

Unemployment is as high as 70%.

Over 50% of the population is under 20 years of age.

What We Do

A soccer game on a dirt field with two players facing each other, one in a blue uniform and the other in a red uniform, with a goalkeeper in a neon yellow uniform holding a soccer ball. Spectators stand behind a goal net, watching the game.

Youth in Action Green Games

  • Concerned about the lack of future prospects for young people, the high rate of unemployment and their own perceived lack of leadership skills, Luis Armando (Director of GREEN Timor Leste) and Judith Charnaud (East Timor Program Manager, OzGREEN) decided to organise a sporting competition to give young people something positive to do, learn leadership skills, think critically, to feel better about themselves and improve their sporting and team work skills.

    The first Youth in Action GREEN Games were played in 2007 with 780 participants. This has grown to become a much anticipated annual event and now has over 1100 participants and well over 1000 spectators daily to each of the games. The competition runs over 2 months with a round robin to begin with and then elimination quarter finals. This means that each team gets to play at least 4 games in the first round even if they go no further. Over 30 thousand people have been involved in some way, as participants, spectators, referees and organisers. There are competitions for both men and women in soccer, volleyball, basketball and a half marathon. We did have table-tennis until the white-ants got the better of the table!

    "Ema hotu iha Oecusse precisa GREEN Games continua nafatin, Sei karik GREENTL la iha esportu la iha."

    ("Everyone in Oecusse wants the GREEN Games to continue forever. If GREEN TL was not here there would be no competitive sport in Oecusse at all.")

    We can not express just how important these games are to the young people of Oecusse. Visitors who have come to Oecusse comment on the enthusiasm, and skills of the competitors and how well the games are organised and run. The GREEN Games are playing a key role in rebuilding the fractured community left after gaining independence in 2002.

participants

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teams

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Two children, a boy and a girl, sharing a water tap outdoors in a rustic setting, with a large blue barrel behind them.

Clean Water, Pumps & Water Tanks

  • One of the major problems affecting the health and well being of the people of Oecusse is the lack of potable water. Water borne diseases such as dysentery, gastro-enteritis and diarrhoea are endemic. Since 2001 OzGREEN/GREENTL has been testing water sources and in that time has found that 95% do not comply with World Health Organisation standards for clean drinking water, many are considered too severely contaminated for human contact.

    In the villages boiling water for drinking is not always an option due to lack of fuel, time constraints and the already heavy burden of daily chores. Many water filtration units on the market today are either too expensive, require technical expertise, rely on unavailable products such as chemicals or electricity and are not sturdy enough to last long term.

    To address these issues Judy, relied on her research and ingenuity to design a small, household bio-sand filtration unit. A bio sand filtration unit is simply a large container, (plastic barrel or cement tank) containing specific layers of pebbles, grit and fine sand. Water poured into the top of the unit slowly percolates through the sand and grit to a pipe in the bottom of the container. Hydrostatic pressure pushes the water up to the outlet tap from where it can be collected.

    With use over a period of several weeks, microorganisms from the source water collect on the upper layer of fine sand to develop a bacterial layer which assists in the removal of pathogens by biological (anaerobic) processes.

    GREENTL has tested these in many villages and the results are excellent. Water testing consistently shows a near 100% reduction in faecal coliforms and 100% reduction in turbidity. Village women constantly tell us “Now our water looks better, tastes better, our children are not as sick and the rice tastes better.”

    A single unit will provide a family with clean drinking water for many years.

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    Over the last 12 months, GTL has supplied 2 villages, Lela Ufe and Maunaban, with pumps, piping and 2000 litre water tanks to bring water from springs in the hills down to the village. The women and children no longer have to carry water each day from a great distance.

pumps

2

villagers

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An elderly woman wearing a colorful hat, sunglasses, a striped shirt, and beige pants walking on a dirt path. She is carrying a green stool. Behind her, a young man in a blue shirt and shorts is sitting on a green chair, with sunglasses on and a backpack. In the background, there are other people, trees, and dried palm leaves forming a makeshift barrier.

Youth Activities & Student Scholarships

  • There is a large number of young people in Oecusse who have finished school and do not have the chance of employment or further education. They are keen to find worthwhile activities and when the opportunity presents itself are only too happy to help out with environmental projects.

    Student Scholarships

    GTL has given student scholarships to three students, Liam, Marlie, Nita and Ima, and they continue to do well at school. Nita is currently writing her thesis on Public Administration, Ima is studying Health and is guaranteed a job in either the hospital or a clinic on completion.

    World Environment Day

    Since 2002 OzGREEN has run activities to mark World Environment Day. This has become a much anticipated event in the schools calendar as opportunities for students to participate in community educational activities are limited.

    Activities have included public speaking, quiz competitions, poster painting, water testing, clean up campaigns and tree planting. Students in Oecusse are enthusiastic and eager to learn.

scholarships

3

clean up days

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Group of people gathered around a fish pond, some pouring water or feeding fish, in a rural setting with thatched roof huts and lush greenery.

Well Rehabilitation, Reforestation & Fish Farms

  • Well rehabilitation and reforestation projects.

    The other most common actions to come out of the VEAP process are well rehabilitation, reforestation and irrigation for vegetable gardens. Since colonisation Timor Leste has been largely cleared of its forests and is therefore heavily impacted by the effects of erosion. Planting trees helps stabilise the land and helps provide a source of food and income.

    Fish Farms

    GTL has funded and advised on a fish farm in a local village, Toulica, and another is underway in Mahatta. GTL supplies the funds, the locals supply the labour and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries provides the fish.

families

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fish

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Two young girls carrying plastic bottles on their heads, standing outdoors in a rural setting with trees and rocks.

Helping villagers to develop their unique way forward.

  • In 2001 with a grant from AusAid OzGREEN established the Sustainable Villages Project in East Timor, (now known as Timor Leste). The Project was established in the enclave of Oecusse, which, due to its isolation, had been largely ignored by other INGOs.

    Multiple grants and many years later, through the hard work of Judy Charnaud, our passionate volunteer, the program continues to this day. Early on Judy set up a local NGO, GREENTL, run by a very well known and respected local, Luis Armando, who has continued to work with us, through the good and the bad times to ensure his Oecusse community can prosper and become sustainable.

    Judy and Luis work with local communities restoring habitat, providing clean water and ensuring sufficient local food supplies though community gardens. GREENTL also runs the annual GREEN Games, a massive community sporting event, created to help repair a community left fractured after gaining independence. The Games have grown to become a much loved annual event involving tens of thousands of people.

  • GREENTL and OzGREEN work with youth, local communities, District Administration, schools and businesses in rural and urban settings to:

    • Engage people to connect to their place and one another.

    • Equip people to investigate their place and voice their concerns.

    • Enable people to envision a better world based on the principles of ecological sustainability.

    Project methodology is based on participatory learning and action programs developed by OzGREEN in India.

    Participatory action is the involvement of the people in their own forward change and development and is the only way to ensure success and sustainability of change.

  • Village Environmental Action Planning, VEAP, is the core of our work. This gives villagers the opportunity to develop their unique way forward by:

    • Preparing a detailed village resource map and timeline.

    • Conducting water quality tests and environmental assessment.

    • Identifying key village issues.

    • Developing a vision for the future.

    • Developing and implementing strategies and actions to ensure sustainability.

A man with two children, one boy sitting on his shoulders and one girl smiling in front, outdoors with a concrete wall and decorative openings in the background.

You can help support families in Timor Leste by making a tax deductible donation.

$10 plants a tree, providing erosion control, food and income.

$500 provides a bio-sand filtration unit, granting a family clean drinking water for many years to come.

$550 restores a well, providing water for an entire village.

$700 provides pump and piping for irrigation

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Our Supporters

I could not have done it without you!

Thank you to all the wonderful people who have helped with the Oecusse, Sustainable Villages Project over the last 15 years. Your funds have saved lives, improved lives, provided a future for many, provided education, encouraged leadership and built sustainability into communities.

The project could not have been done without you, thank you for your funds, goods and materials, advice, mental support when the going got tough, kind words, smiles and hugs when needed! 

  • The Penn Foundation has been a fantastic supporter for many years they also support the very famous Doctor Dan and the Birio Pite Clinic in Dili.

    From the words of a supporter

    Mark Penn from the Penn Foundation, a long-term supporter of OzGREEN and GREEN TL, says that Judy is one of the most inspiring people he’s ever met. "Judy is one of those rare gems – there is nothing in it for her apart from the fact she is helping people." He adds that "it’s her passion and the sustainable nature of the work she does that made it an easy decision to support the organisation".

    The Penn Foundation was established in 2005 by Mark’s parents, Richard and Heather Penn, who were motivated to help the community after having had successful business careers. Mark and his brother Scott are also involved with the Foundation so each family member brings different ideas to the table about which organisations to support.

    Mark says, "While our personal passions play a role, our family assesses an organisation’s goals and strategies when making a funding decision. We also look at who they are helping, whether they are being smart in what they do, and whether their work provides long-term solutions. In the case of GREEN TL, they ticked all the boxes and we are passionate about helping the Timorese people."

  • The Charitable Foundation is a family foundation established by Steve Killelea following a successful global high tech business career. Through the family’s travels, they witnessed the struggles of the world’s poor and dedicated TCF to substantially help as many people as possible from among the poorest of the poor.

    Over the last 15 years TCF has partnered with a diverse group of Australian and overseas non-governmental organizations to deliver a broad range of timely, practical, sustainable and cost-efficient projects.

    TCF has funded several OzGREEN projects in Oecusse, mainly Village Environmental Action Planning in Bocosse and Bona.

  • Manly Friends of Oecusse (MFOO) is a community-based volunteer group committed to building an enduring friendship through genuine partnerships between the people of Oecusse and the people of Sydney’s Northern Beaches.manlycouncil.jpg Formed in 2008 to support and enhance at community level the formal Friendship Agreement signed by Manly Council and the District of Oecusse, MFOO works to raise awareness about Oecusse and to support community-based projects led by people in Oecusse.

    MFOO and Manly Council currently support GREEN TL’s clean water project and the Youth in Action GREEN Games; Topu Honis and Kutete Safe House for young people run by the amazing Father Richard and PRADET an organization which helps victims of domestic violence.

  • I have been invited into many schools to talk about Timor Leste in regards to Human Society and It’s Environment, Equitability and Justice and Global and Local Water Issues. Having a background in teaching has given me the classroom experience to be able to communicate quite well with students of all ages – primary to secondary. Talking in schools serves two purposes – raising awareness about the problems facing people from developing countries such as Timor Leste and of course students help raise much needed funds to support the Sustainable Villages project.

    Working with school students is a delight as there are always those who ask very meaningful and pertinent questions and show a great deal of compassion for those less fortunate than themselves. Some young students, understandably, living in a lucky country like Australia, have no concept of problems faced by many people in the world today eg, one young boy who asked me “If the water is that bad in their house why don’t they go to their local coffee shop for a drink?” Northern Beaches of Sydney?

    Thank you to the following schools, their students and staff who have helped raise awareness and funds for Oecusse;

    • Balgowlah Heights Primary School

    • Barrenjoey High School

    • Beaumont Rd Public School

    • Harbord Public School

    • Killara High School

    • Kinma

    • Manly Selective Secondary School

    • Manly Vale Public School

    • Ryde Secondary College

    • St Kevin’s Catholic Primary School

    Several other schools, MacKellar Girls High and Epping Boys High have expressed interest in becoming involved with the project in 2017.

  • Ruth Boydell first went to Oecusse in 2002, because she was lucky enough to win a raffle which OzGREEN organised – first prize being a trip to Oecusse! I was lucky as well as she has become a great supporter of the project, donating regularly and always offering words of support and encouragement. She and her partner, Dave, are currently sailing the high seas on extended retirement holiday. One day soon I hope they make it to Oecusse as part of the annual Darwin to Dili Yacht Race.

  • David Palmer became a supporter after he did not win the raffle but was so keen to visit that he raised his own funds and came soon after Ruth. He has also been of great support – he set up a permaculture garden, encouraged my neighbours in Oecusse to do the same and helped in the early design of the bio-sand filtration units.

  • Michael and Denise Paine have been wonderful friends ever since I first met them at an OzGREEN meeting and way back in 1998! They have well and truly kept me sane on numerous occasions when things were going from bad to worse in Oecusse and the mobile phone, (satellite phone in the early days) became my lifeline! Denise encouraged the school where she teaches, Balgowlah Heights Public School, to become involved in the Oecusse project through World water Day. Recently Denise and I, with support from the staff and students, conducted a very successful School Environmental Management Plan. We hope to roll this out in other schools as the fees earned go towards the Oecusse Project. School Environmental Management Plans are now mandated by the NSW Department of Education and Training.

  • Peter Fitzsimons of Australian Rugby, Sydney Morning Herald fame and the author of many fascinating books on various aspects of Australian history. I do not know where to begin in thanking him as he is the most amazing, sincere, compassionate and busy person. He has a genuine concern for the people of Oecusse, especially the youth and is a major supporter of the Youth in Action GREEN Games. I thought he would be intimidating to meet as he must be 10 foot tall, topped off by a red bandana but no he is genuine, down to earth and encourages me to tell my stories about Timor Leste. I thank him for his support, encouragement and giving me moments of his time in his very busy schedule.

  • Gabi Curwood was one of the good things which came out of my volunteer stint with Australian Volunteers Abroad in 2009. She and I met at the orientation session in Melbourne as she was volunteering with Hyam Health in Dili, an organisation which supports malnourished children after they are discharged from hospital. We struck up a friendship immediately as we had much in common at the time and this friendship has strengthened since. It is good to have someone to talk to who has actually been to Timor Leste and Oecusse as it is hard for others to understand the limitations and difficulties of working in such a place. Gabi now lives near Bellingen (of all places) having moved from Canberra to be closer to her son and daughter in law.

  • Kate Laughlan has recently become a supporter after we met in Oecusse earlier this year. She happened to be in Oecusse on holiday – one of the few tourists who have visited – when several Rotarians were there to see the Sustainable Villages Project so she happily joined us on the trips to outlying villages. I introduced her to a young neighbour of mine who is very keen to study auto mechanics in Dili, Kate has agreed to help fund a scholarship for him.

  • Many others have donated over the years – buying trees, pigs, water pots and books as Christmas gifts, donating clothes, soccer boots and hats, even my local chemist has donated medications suitable for Oeucusse.

    Thank you all – you are all wonderfully kind and thoughtful.