Fostering friendship, support and cross-cultural exchange

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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

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Greater Sydney Landcare
It's time to find out your impact for 2021! Get Yo It's time to find out your impact for 2021! Get Your Hands Dirty is having an end of year event on Sunday 13 Dec 🌼🌿🐌 We're heading to Castlereagh Nature Reserve for a bushwalk followed by session where we'll go through our friend @intrepidlandcare's Co-Design for Wiser Action Workbook. This is a chance to catch up, explore a site full of beautiful rare bushland and learn tools for making your ideas happen on-ground. The event is open to any young people keen to get involved. No need to have participated in GYHD or Landcare before. Registrations are via our website link 🌱
Last weekend we had the absolute pleasure of meeti Last weekend we had the absolute pleasure of meeting 12 inspiring young people for Get Your Hands Dirty - Eco Campout at Mitchell Park in Cattai. It was fantastic to hear about all the activities everyone is already involved with from Landcare to wildlife and climate action! 

The group helped smash a patch of mother of millions and trad in the Reserve. @toms_hooked_on_nature and Avianation took us on epic Nocturnal Nature Safaris and morning birdwalk. Massive thanks to @nswnationalparks for hosting and to everyone who came along! @richiebenson00 
@wsintrepidlandcare 
@mescaofficial

#landcare #greatersydneylandcare  #hawkesburylandcare #npws #spotlighting #bushregeneration #mitchellpark #westernsydney #landcarensw
A great day planting trees in Fairfield on friday A great day planting trees in Fairfield on friday 9th October for the Creating Canopies team. It was a long but fun day out and exciting to be creating an urban native canopy at a hospital in this unusual COVID world!

Landcare NSW and Greater Sydney Landcare Network coordinated the planting of 1200 trees and companion shrubs, planted by about 20 volunteers. This work was supported by the Premier’s Priority Greening our City, Fairfield Hospital, South West Sydney Local Heath District and Fairfield City Council.

We want to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who helped with the tree planting. It was a big day, but well worth it to start an urban forest! #landcare #greatersydneylandcare #landcarensw #trees #treeplanting
Camping, Bushcare and watching for wildlife - coun Camping, Bushcare and watching for wildlife - count us in! 🦜🦎🌿 Are you a young person passionate about biodiversity? This is your chance to help restore threatened bushland and yellow-bellied glider habitat! To get involved, check out the registration link in our profile.
Enjoying the misty mountain view at Coorongooba Ca Enjoying the misty mountain view at Coorongooba Campground. From our bushwalk on Day 2 of Get Your Hands Dirty - Living on the Edge
Huge thanks to the 8 volunteers from Sydney who jo Huge thanks to the 8 volunteers from Sydney who journeyed out to Capertee Valley for GYHD - Living on the Edge! πŸ‘ŠπŸŒΏ

The event was a partnership between Capertee Valley Landcare, Central Tablelands LLS and Friends of the Colo, who were the local hosts for the event, and Geater Sydney Landcare Network.

We got to help restore Capertee River by taking out massive privets, explore an abandoned shale oil works, see bushfire recovery in Wollemi National Park, camp out, and enjoy stunning views!

Thanks to the local Landcare groups and CS LLS for hosting us! We can't wait to do it again!
#landcare #landcarensw #cvlandcare #adventure #bushwalk
(Volunteers in the photo are in a domestic bubble.)
FREE Landcare Adventure coming up for young people FREE Landcare Adventure coming up for young people. Keen to get out now that spring has sprung? 🌼 Come explore Capertee Valley and help restore the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. Registration url is in the comments πŸ‘‡#landcare #conservation #adventure #youth #youthleadership #nature #wildlife #australia #LandcareNSW #sustainability #regeneration #ecology #hike #bushwalk
Greater Sydney Landcare Network had our first Crea Greater Sydney Landcare Network had our first Creating Canopies planting day on Saturday. Robyn Preston MP - Member for Hawkesbury, Landcare NSW CEO Adrian Zammit, and seventeen volunteers gathered to plant 130 trees, which will contribute to an important local habitat corridor for koalas. 

This is the first event, which will contribute to planting 100,000 trees across Greater Sydney in partnership between Greater Sydney Landcare Network and Landcare NSW.

Huge thanks to all the volunteers for the day! 🌳🌳🌳 #CreatingCanopies #LandcareNSW #koalas #trees #GreaterSydney #DPIE
Thinking about what to do after the COVID restrict Thinking about what to do after the COVID restrictions are lifted? Apply for the Spring into Scavange program and lead your community to become waste-wise. They'll teach you the ins and outs of event organisation and community activation through hosting your own Scavenge event in September, October or November 2020 -  dates may change. @seasidescavenge
Last Saturday Get Your Hands Dirty headed out to C Last Saturday Get Your Hands Dirty headed out to Chipping Norton Lakes to take out lantana. They paddled to an island in Lake Moore, which hadn't been visited in years only to find a jungle! Huge thank you to everyone who came along. Also thank you to Liverpool City Council Australia and Bryon from Freedom Outdoors! πŸš£β€β™€οΈπŸŒΏπŸ‘Š
We're at WSU Western Fair today with Hawkesbury La We're at WSU Western Fair today with Hawkesbury Landcare Network. Come say 'hi' and find out what's coming up your local area!
Our next Get Your Hands Dirty event is up! Are you Our next Get Your Hands Dirty event is up! Are you 18 to 25 years old and want to make an impact on-ground? Come join us for this exclusive Conservation Kayaking day in Liverpool! Head over to Eventbrite to register πŸ‘‡
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WILLOUGHBY FRIENDS OF OSSU INC.

ABN:Β 47304274883

Postal Address:Β 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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