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EAST TIMOR: Don Bosco Orphanage in Need of Funding to Help Repair, Renovate Facility

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries are in the process of seeking funding and donor support to help renovate Don Bosco Orphanage, which is located in Lospalos, a city 151 miles to the east of Dili, East Timor’s capital. The orphanage was originally constructed to accommodate the orphans of people who had died in the war against the Indonesian occupation that happened between 1975 and 1999. After independence from Indonesia, Salesian missionaries began to accommodate hundreds of orphans and poor children from different districts of East Timor.

Over the years, the infrastructure has deteriorated seriously as a result of lack of resources for maintenance, and it is now seriously damaged. The ceilings, windows, doors, the pipes for water and the energy systems have all suffered major damage, and the building currently has too many problems for people to continue to live in it. The orphanage normally hosts about 100 children. The goal is to have the funding to repair and renovate so it once again becomes a safe place for children to live and concentrate on their studies.

Salesian missionaries in the country have been providing programs to help residents recover and rebuild in the wake of the devastating civil war that claimed countless lives, decimated entire communities and resulted in living conditions that are among the worst in the world. Since the violence has subsided, efforts are being focused on helping the needy, restoring hope and providing new opportunities for the future.

“Salesian missionaries offer a wide range of programs that work to improve the lives of the people of East Timor. These include programs that provide access to nutrition, education and healthcare, all services that are essential to creating a sustainable society and optimistic future,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Poor youth and their families receive support at community health centers, orphanages, parishes and youth centers. In addition, classes are conducted in primary, secondary, technical and agricultural schools – many of which provide room and board to their students.”

The Don Bosco Orphanage provides for children’s basic needs such as housing, nutrition, clothing and education. Schooling at the orphanage aims to impart life skills such as responsibility, self-discipline and organization as well as offering traditional early education to prepare students to go on to mainstream high schools. The orphanage owes much of its success to donors who have helped to provide everything from beds and furnishings to school uniforms, clothing and school supplies.

East Timor is home to 1.1 million people and according to the United Nations Development Program Human Development Index, the country ranked 133 out of 188 for life expectancy, access to education and standard of living in 2015. The World Bank estimates that East Timor has close to 49 percent of its population living in poverty with over one-third of the population regularly experiencing food shortages. In addition, close to 50 percent of the population is illiterate.

Salesian missionaries in East Timor have been providing programs to help residents recover and rebuild in the wake of a devastating civil war in the country that claimed countless lives, decimated entire communities and resulted in living conditions that are among the worst in the world. Now that the violence has subsided, efforts are being focused on helping the poor, restoring hope and providing new opportunities for the future.

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Sources:

ANS – East Timor – Restoration of the Don Bosco orphanage, which houses 100 children

Human Development Index 2015

Salesian Missions – East Timor