East Timor
Intensity: Moderate
Rural/Urban: Rural
Language: Tetum, Portuguese, English
Team Status: Accepting Applications
Introduction to East Timor:
In 1975 East Timor declared its independance from Portugal only to be occupied by Indonesia. After 27 years of occupation and a violent fight for autonomy, East Timor emerged as an independant country in 2002. East Timor is still very much in the process of formation as the government is working to establish it's infrastructure in order to better serve the people of East Timor. As a country in infancy there is great opportunity to help form a country influenced by godly principles and help establish a people with a heart for God.
In the capitol of Dili, one can find a good selection of foods and other goods generally found in western cultures, including some of the best coffee the world has to offer. Heading south from Dili the road climbs rapidly and the climates changes as quickly as the elevation. In just a few hours you can go from the warm climate of the coast to the cool climate of East Timor's mountains. In the shadow of the highest peak, Mt. Ramalau, can be found the town of Hato Builico which is the place the LIVE0 team will be serving. We have worked with the local government to secure the use of a guesthouse at the base of Mt. Ramalau that was once used to house tourists wishing to climb the mountain.
We have a unique opportunity in East Timor to be working in conjunction with the Evangelical Free church of Singapore and a consortium of churches known as Transformation Alliance. These partners have already helped to place water filters in several communities that have already had an impact oon the community. One school teacher reports that he is able to offer clean drinking water to each of his students while at school and another bottle of water when his students return home each day. In addition he said that he has had the need for about half of the firewood he used prior to having the filter, even with the increased consumption of clean water. Transformation alliance is working to establish a small factory which will produce more filters with local resources and local labor. This factory will have an imediate impact on the quality of drinking water in surrounding communities as well as an economic impact on the community in which the factory is housed.
LIVE0 teams will be working with Transformation alliance in Hato Builico to help distribute the water filters, work with local farmers to increase crop diversity, and offer assistance to local schools all with the purpose of penetrating the community with the transforming power of the gospel.
