Fostering friendship, support and cross-cultural exchange

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      • WASH in Ossu – Background
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WASH in Ossu – Background

Statistics and image: WaterAid

Friends of Ossu, Timor-Leste

Friends of Ossu is an all-volunteer community group based in the City of Willoughby, 8 kilometres north of the Sydney CBD. Friends of Ossu was formed 10 years ago to foster friendship, support and cross-cultural exchange at a grassroots level with the people of Ossu, Timor-Leste. It is one of nearly 40 Timorese friendship groups around Australia.

Timor-Leste is one of our closest neighbours; it is less than 500km from Australia and a 1-hour flight from Darwin. Ossu is a remote mountain village of 6,000 people approximately 150km from the capital of Dili – a 6-hour drive on poor roads.

WASH

Safe and high-quality water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are fundamental to preventing and controlling infection and living healthy happy lives. We take it for granted, but every day in the developing world people suffer due to the absence of adequate water, sanitation and hygiene.

Access to clean water is difficult. Women and children spend several hours fetching water daily. Unhealthy behaviours such as lack of hand washing, unhygienic preparation of food, and unsafe water storage are blocking aspirations to advance out of poverty to a better healthier lifestyle.

Our WASH Project was initiated and is sponsored and funded by Friends of Ossu. It is critical to achieving a substantial improvement to the quality and longevity of the lives of people in Ossu and they are enthusiastic about the project. Meeting with Friends of Ossu representatives in early 2017, the District and Sub-District Administrators (Ministry of State) and Ossu community leaders in health and education unanimously approved the project.

For this project, Friends of Ossu are in alliance with WaterAid Australia whose mission is to transform the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people by improving access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene. This is a comprehensive WASH project with all designs, inspections and acquittals carried out by WaterAid.

At a cost of US$39,500, work on Stage 1 (blue line below) began recently with money raised by Friends of Ossu. Stage 2 will commence in early 2018 subject to the availability of funds. The budgeted cost of Stages 2 & 3 is US$150,000.

Read a full project assessment conducted by WaterAid, along with details of the work involved in stages 1, 2 & 3, here.

Ossu WASH – Background

Who are the Friends of Ossu?

What is the WASH Project?

Read More

Follow The Journey

greatersydneylandcare

Greater Sydney Landcare
Thank you to the 39 ING Australia employees that j Thank you to the 39 ING Australia employees that joined Greater Sydney Landcare’s Creating Canopies team for a corporate volunteering day recently. 

The ING team planted 1,000 trees and shrubs at Cessna Reserve, Middleton Grange in the Liverpool LGA on Fri 15th September. Amazing effort team! In time these plants will provide habitat and cooling shade to help mitigate urban heat.

Thanks also to Tom Covell from Hooked on Nature for talking to the group about the importance of their planting and for leading a nature safari to help the group discover the amazing but often overlooked creatures of the reserve.

About Creating Canopies: @landcare_nsw and Greater Sydney Landcare are planting 200,000 trees as part of the Greening our City program to help reduce urban heat in Greater Sydney. Proudly funded by the NSW Government.

#CreatingCanopies #LandcareNSW
#GreaterSydneyLandcare #GreeningOurCity
#UrbanHeat #TreeCanopy

@nswdpe @liverpoolcitycouncil @toms_hooked_on_nature
Come join us on Sat 7 Oct to plant 500 trees at Br Come join us on Sat 7 Oct to plant 500 trees at Brownlow Hill near Camden, for Creating Canopies.

All ages welcome, it’s free to attend and we even provide lunch to say thank you. 😋

We bring the plants, tools, gloves & on-site training, and you just bring your smiley selves. 

Looking forward to seeing you there! Register on Eventbrite so you don’t miss out (link in bio).

About Creating Canopies: @landcare_nsw and Greater Sydney Landcare are planting 200,000 trees as part of the Greening our City program to help reduce urban heat in Greater Sydney. Proudly funded by the NSW Government.

#CreatingCanopies #LandcareNSW
#GreaterSydneyLandcare #GreeningOurCity
#UrbanHeat #TreeCanopy

@nswdpe
Thank you to the 18 Greystar Australia corporate v Thank you to the 18 Greystar Australia corporate volunteers that joined our Creating Canopies team to install 1,000 native plants at Kyeemagh Boat Ramp Reserve on Fri 8 Sept.

These plants will provide cooling shade and valuable habitat in the years to come.

Thank you also to Kane Durrant from WILD Conservation for giving a talk to the group about why their work was so important to the area and local wildlife.

About Creating Canopies: @landcare_nsw and Greater Sydney Landcare are lanting 200,000 trees as part of the Greening our City program to help reduce urban heat in Greater Sydney. Proudly funded by the NSW Government.

#CreatingCanopies #LandcareNSW
#GreaterSydneyLandcare #GreeningOurCity
#UrbanHeat #TreeCanopy

@nswdpe 
@wild_spec 
@greystarapartments
Trees are the greatest. 💚 We hope you’ll come Trees are the greatest. 💚 We hope you’ll come planting with us soon - link in our bio to our upcoming tree planting mornings on Eventbrite.

Source: https://www.acoustics.asn.au/conference_proceedings/INTERNOISE2014/papers/p83.pdf

About Creating Canopies: @landcare_nsw and Greater Sydney Landcare are planting 200,000 trees as part of the Greening our City program to help reduce urban heat in Greater Sydney. Proudly funded by the NSW Government.

#CreatingCanopies #LandcareNSW
#GreaterSydneyLandcare #GreeningOurCity
#UrbanHeat #TreeCanopy

@nswdpe
Thank you @daisee_ai for joining Greater Sydney La Thank you @daisee_ai for joining Greater Sydney Landcare’s Creating Canopies team for a corporate volunteering day. 

18 Daisee employees planted 736 trees & shrubs to restore a degraded patch of Voyager Point Wetland Reserve on Tues 5th September. These plants will grow to create cooling canopy cover and habitat for native wildlife. Amazing work all! 💪🌿💚🌳

About Creating Canopies: @landcare_nsw and Greater Sydney Landcare are planting 200,000 trees as part of the Greening our City program to help reduce urban heat in Greater Sydney. Proudly funded by the NSW Government.

#CreatingCanopies #LandcareNSW
#GreaterSydneyLandcare #GreeningOurCity
#UrbanHeat #TreeCanopy

@nswdpe @liverpoolcitycouncil
Thank you to the 27 volunteers who planted 1,000 t Thank you to the 27 volunteers who planted 1,000 trees and 500 grasses at a Creating Canopies planting day on Saturday 26
August.

The beautiful location was Cubbitch Barta Reserve in Camden Park. These plants will help to uphold the bank against erosion and provide food and shelter to wildlife.

Nectarivores and pollinators will love the new flowering plants, once they get established.

Thank you also to WILD Conservation @wild_spec for joining the planting and to Kane Durant for giving an inspiring talk on how the work would benefit the local wildlife and natural environment.

Join us at a planting day soon. Link in bio to see our upcoming events on Eventbrite.

About Creating Canopies: @landcare_nsw and Greater Sydney Landcare are planting 200,000 trees as part of the Greening our City program to help reduce urban heat in Greater Sydney. Proudly funded by the NSW Government.

#CreatingCanopies #LandcareNSW
#GreaterSydneyLandcare #GreeningOurCity
#UrbanHeat #TreeCanopy

@nswdpe @wild.adventure.family @wildlife_girl_australia @deborah.madriaga
Does your work do corporate volunteering? If so, y Does your work do corporate volunteering? If so, you can get outside with your workmates for a planting and/or bush regeneration day with Greater Sydney Landcare and improve the environment in Sydney for all. Find out more on our website.
Thank you to the 40ish volunteers who joined the C Thank you to the 40ish volunteers who joined the Creating Canopies team at @nangarinpicton. A bit of rain couldn’t dampen their spirits. This amazing group planted 500 native trees and shrubs, including koala food and shelter trees that will benefit the local koala population in the years to come. 

Thank you also to Kane Durrant of WILD Conservation @wild_spec and Sophie Blair of Greater Sydney Landcare’s Southwest Sydney Koala Project for giving a talk about the local koala population and how to help protect them. 

And thank you Nangarin Vineyard Estate for partnering with Creating Canopies to improve canopy cover on your land.

About Creating Canopies: @Landcare_NSW and Greater Sydney Landcare are planting 200,000 trees as part of the Greening our City program to help reduce urban heat in Greater Sydney. Proudly funded by the NSW Government.

#CreatingCanopies #LandcareNSW
#GreaterSydneyLandcare #GreeningOurCity
#UrbanHeat #TreeCanopy

@nswdpe
A fantastic day, led by Creating Canopies’ own M A fantastic day, led by Creating Canopies’ own Matt Keighery, was had by all on Friday 18th August at @carnarvongolfclub. 

Corporate volunteers from @spirax_sarco returned to the site to join the community in a day of weeding, mulching and planting. 

This continued bush regeneration work has led to measurable improvements in water quality, plant diversity and bird life. Golf courses can be amazing habitat havens - 47 different species of bird have been spotted at Carnarvon. Great work everyone!

Photos: Jodie Barker, Matt Keighery and Ian G. Bailey.

About Creating Canopies: @landcare_nsw and Greater Sydney Landcare are planting 200,000 trees as part of the Greening our City program to help reduce urban heat in Greater Sydney. Proudly funded by the NSW Government.

#CreatingCanopies #LandcareNSW
#GreaterSydneyLandcare #GreeningOurCity
#UrbanHeat #TreeCanopy

@nswdpe
What amazing tree planting Kenergy! 😂 Thank you What amazing tree planting Kenergy! 😂 Thank you WILD Conservation @wild_spec for volunteering & speaking at our Creating Canopies planting days recently.

About Creating Canopies: @landcare_nsw and Greater Sydney Landcare are planting 200,000 trees as part of the Greening our City program to help reduce urban heat in Greater Sydney. Proudly funded by the NSW Government.

#CreatingCanopies #LandcareNSW
#GreaterSydneyLandcare #GreeningOurCity
#UrbanHeat #TreeCanopy

@nswdpe
Creating Canopies (Stage 2) started at the beginni Creating Canopies (Stage 2) started at the beginning of 2023. Since then we’ve been busy working towards our target of planting 200,000 native trees across Greater Sydney by the end of 2025. 

It’s exciting to get over the 20,000 mark! We couldn’t have done it without you, our amazing volunteers who get the plants in the ground. Thank you to everyone who’s joined us so far (and we hope to see you again) and if you haven’t come along yet, we’d love to see you at a planting day soon. We’ve still got a long way to go yet, but we’ll get there together 😊💪🌿🌳

About Creating Canopies: @landcare_nsw and Greater Sydney Landcare are planting 200,000 trees as part of the Greening our City program to help reduce urban heat in Greater Sydney. Proudly funded by the NSW Government.

#CreatingCanopies #LandcareNSW
#GreaterSydneyLandcare #GreeningOurCity
#UrbanHeat #TreeCanopy

@nswdpe
Calling volunteers of all ages - this is a great o Calling volunteers of all ages - this is a great one for kids!

Come along and join us for a Conservation Workshop at the Fairy Glen Garden at Harris Creek Reserve in Holsworthy. We’ll be planting grasses to create habitat for birds and doing an eco-craft activity. 

The Fairy Glen Garden is a beautiful natural area sprinkled with magical fairy homes made by the local community. We hope to see you there! Sign up on eventbrite so you don’t miss out - link in our bio. 

This event is run in partnership with @liverpoolcitycouncil, who received funding for bushland restoration at the Fairy Glen Garden through the Places to Roam Grant Program. Proudly funded by the NSW Government.
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WILLOUGHBY FRIENDS OF OSSU INC.

ABN: 47304274883

Postal Address: PO Box 213
Northbridge, 2063
New South Wales
Australia

Contact the Friends of Ossu

Within Australia
Ph: +61 0410 545 585
Ph: +61 0403 055 397

Email: info@friendsofossu.org.au

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