TIMOR-LESTE: Volunteer teaches English and carpentry skills
Work is part of Cagliero Project, the Salesian missionary voluntary program of the Australian Province
TIMOR-LESTE
(MissionNewswire) James Finlayson, an Irish retiree who grew up in Australia, has been working with Salesians in Comoro, Timor-Leste, for the past several months as part of the Cagliero Project, the Salesian missionary voluntary program of the Australian Province.
Finlayson has been teaching English and giving carpentry lessons to general construction students in the carpentry workshop. His background as a teacher has more than prepared him for his new mission. He recently helped students make models of various types of gabled roofs, as well as a basic structure for making concrete stairs.
One Salesian missionary said, “We wish Mr. Jim the best of luck and a good continuation of his stay in Timor-Leste, and we also want to extend our gratitude to the Cagliero Project for sending him to us. He is really helping the center and the students.”
Salesian missionaries and Salesian sisters living and working in Timor-Leste operate educational programs, three orphanages for poor and homeless youth, and a medical clinic. 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, the Salesian community has been providing programs to help residents rebuild. Efforts are focused on helping poor youth through education and providing new opportunities for the future.
Established in 2007, the Cagliero Project fosters cooperation and support among the different provinces of the East Asia-Oceania Region, with volunteers having also worked in Thailand, Cambodia, Samoa and Zambia. The project gives volunteers an opportunity to contribute to the local Don Bosco missions and serve the poorest and most disadvantaged children in their programs.
Volunteers in the Cagliero Project are committed to working in the Salesian way, which means that youth are placed at the center of all work. This provides an opportunity for volunteers to contribute to Don Bosco’s mission, which is to serve the poorest and most disadvantaged children and make them good Christians and upstanding citizens.
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Sources:
ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)
ANS – East Timor – Jim’s experience, a retiree and volunteer of Cagliero Project
Salesians of Don Bosco Indonesia-Timor Leste
Salesian Missions – Timor-Leste
World Bank – East Timor/Timor-Leste
