by Paul Yates | Mar 23, 2024 | Reports
Wow! Its been 3 months since I relocated to Timor Leste from Sydney. Since arriving in November It has been indescribably busy, sleepless, and stressful but I wouldn’t have it any other way. What the students, staff and school community have achieved in this...
by Paul Yates | Mar 22, 2024 | Reports
After my last trip in April 2023 for the opening of the Bakhita School of Excellence in Same (Sah-may), I didn’t think it could get any better. At that time, it was so rewarding to see BETTER’s vision come to life and Ornella’s dream, a reality. The...
by Paul Yates | Dec 6, 2023 | Reports
It feels somewhat strange to be writing this, but I can now officially say “I live in Timor.” In writing this, I was reminded of a trip report I wrote in July 2019 when I had planned to move to Timor in December 2020. Little did I know of this...
by Paul Yates | Jan 22, 2023 | Reports, Updates
It was certainly an eventful trip ranging from an earthquake just before heading home, spending more than 5 hours with the President Dr José Ramos-Horta AC, meetings in the Presidential palace and so much more. This trip was a little different as I had some of the...
by Paul Yates | Dec 7, 2022 | Reports
East Timor, now known as Timor Leste*, has the highest rate of poverty in Southeast Asia. More than 40% of the population lives below the poverty line and it ranks 147 out of 187 countries in the UN’s Human Development Index. Located the same distance as Sydney...
by Paul Yates | Nov 23, 2022 | Reports
Eddie De Pina was born in what was then known as East Timor. He fled his homeland with his parents and some of his siblings when Indonesian troops invaded his country in 1975. He was only 10 years old. It would be another 25 years before he stepped back onto Timorese...
