By Tara Bartnik, WASH Program Quality Mentor at WaterAid Timor Leste/Engineers Without Borders

Recently I went on a week-long fieldtrip to a mountainous area of Timor Leste called Ossu, in Viqueque district. The town of Ossu lies at the feet of the Mundo Perdido (Lost World) mountain peak, and looking out of my window from our cosy accommodation in the local nunnery at the mist floating over the rocky jungle it wasn’t hard to see where it got its name from. Apparently it was a stronghold of the resistance independence fighters, which is also easy to understand.

The reason for our visit is that Willoughby Friends of Ossu, a group of generous Sydney-siders, are funding one of WaterAid’s local partner organisations to undertake the rehabilitation of the water supply in this area, and we were there to check the progress to date.
.
This area is notoriously difficult when it comes to their water supply – in the past it was classified as urban due to relatively high population density, meaning the government was responsible for the operation and maintenance of the system. It is now designated as rural, meaning the community has to manage their own system – and as you can imagine this has caused some issues. As a result, there have been multiple attempts at rehabilitating the water supply in the past decade, but they consistently failed because they were purely infrastructure projects, without community engagement.

This time the partnership of organisations is determined to do things differently, and implement a sustainable solution. The first step was to set up a GMF (water user group), which is a group of (volunteer) community members in charge of the management of the water system, including collecting tariffs and operation and maintenance activities. On our first day in Ossu we had a chance to meet the GMF, and discuss their thoughts on the system. They seemed motivated and dedicated, and keen to receive training on topics such as sanitation, hygiene, financial management and operation and maintenance. It was interesting to finally see a group like this in action, after reading so much about them during my studies.

We spent the rest of the week in Ossu looking at the progress of the work, and working out what to recommend as a possible second stage of the project – there are many houses downstream from this new system (relying on a different spring) still only receiving water once or twice a week.

I really enjoyed my week seeing some work in the field and experiencing just how important it is to provide ‘software’ (community groups, training etc) alongside the ‘hardware’ (water systems).

By Steve Darmody, Friends of Ossu volunteer teacher.

I arrived back in Sydney last November, after three months in Timor Leste, spending most of that time in Ossú at the invitation of Rosito Ruas (‘Nito’), an English & Music teacher at Canossa Catholic Senior High. I had met him in Sydney at the time of his visit. Both of our trips were arranged by WFOO.

The village of Ossu sits on the rolling tableland directly below Mount Mundo Perdido (a former Fretilin stronghold during Indonesian occupation) and in view of Mount Matebian. Memensio, a Biology master at Olocassa, the State Senior High, was born there. He and Nito represent WFOO in Ossú.

Canossa School was used as an army base during the Occupation. Canossa partially survived the 1999 rampage that destroyed the great majority of East Timorese schools. A number of buildings at Olocassa are in ruins today.

I stayed just around the corner from the Olocassa School, with a congregation of Catholic nuns of the SCMM (Our Lady, Mother of Mercy) at the São Lukas Community. St Luke’s is a number of dormitories, chapel and amenities within a secure compound, accommodating students from all over East Timor, and visitors. It was built during the Indonesian Occupation for the protection of young women. The nuns, and the boarders, study and pray and work hard.

A new generation is emerging. The students matriculating now were born at the time of the 1999 vote for independence. I had the pleasure of assisting with the English classes at both schools. The students are intelligent and enthusiastic, with a strong desire to learn English, adding to their language skillset which includes Tetum, Portuguese, Indonesian and Makasi.

The friendship between Willoughby and Ossú is longstanding, sincere and fruitful.

I saw the progress of Stage 1 of the WASH Project, so important for Olocassa and Mundo Perdido Schools, and Aetula in general. I participated in the after-hours English and Portuguese classes, preparing students for upper secondary schooling. The Madrés at St Luke’s kindergarten are training with the Mary MacKillop Institute Field Officer. These programs are all assisted by FOO. On many occasions, I received thanks for FOO’s contribution from the parish, the teachers, students, Madrés, Padrés and staff at the Klinika and citizens of Ossú.

I had the privilege of living among the warm and kind-hearted people there, and I’m very grateful indeed to WFOO, for affording me what has seemed always to be a unique opportunity.

And I continue to hold in grateful thanks the many East Timorese who befriended and assisted me, above all the Madrés at St Lukas. My visit would have been impossible without their faithful help.

By Luke Keighery, Ossu Friend and Committee Member.

After enjoying my 800 km Camino fund-raiser walk and a week of R&R my homecoming was marred by the sudden onset of very painful stiffness in my hips upper thighs and shoulders. Painful at night and worst in morning or after sitting. Diagnosis: Poly Myalgia Rheumatica (PMR) a relatively common inflammatory disease in older people. Cause is unknown and not thought to be related to long distance walking such as the Camino. Treatment is with corticosteroids which I have now been on for 3.5 months. PMR has an excellent prognosis with prompt diagnosis and adequate therapy. Most patients require 1-2 years of therapy with slow tapering of doses to minimize risk of relapse. I am feeling terrific now and am well and truly back into walking yoga and whatever else.

The fund-raising continues as I move into presentation mode with a few bookings already. The presentation includes a commentary on the Camino as well as the WaSH project in Ossu. I am looking forward to travelling to Ossu in March to review progress first-hand, so I can share the good news for the people of Ossu with all of you.

Thank you once again to all our generous supporters. Should anyone wish to donate, the donation site continues at my WaterAid Fundraiser Page.