ARARAT Learning Centre has joined forces with former Ararat woman, Casey Baxter in helping the children of Timor Leste learn to read.
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Ms Baxter, who grew up in Ararat, had the privilege of spending time in the beautiful mountain village Remexio in Timor Leste (also known as East Timor), along with her husband Anthony.
The people the Baxters met in Remexio were extremely generous, welcoming them into their modest homes and keenly sharing food and cups of tea. ‘Sit down, eat more’ was a common instruction, always said with a large happy smile. Casey and Anthony spent time learning about local health resources and projects - a current initiative was visits to remote villages to provide immunisation and health information.
“Amongst the laughter and singing there were sad and challenging times,” Casey said.
“Meeting a young mother whose children were sick due to the rain coming through their thatched roof, friends sharing their experiences of violence during Indonesian occupation, mothers who refused to seek medical attention for childbirth related issues and being made aware of the alarming prevalence of domestic violence. Some experiences were extremely overwhelming, however the students and teachers were a clear sign of hope for this beautiful country.”
The early learning centre, primary and secondary schools are full of children excited to learn, and Ararat Early Learning Centre generously donated many books to the Infantile in Remexio. The Remexio early educator Senyora Elsa explained to the children that the books were a present from their friends in Australia in a village called Ararat.
“The children and teachers asked us to ensure we passed on thanks to the staff at Ararat Early Centre for their generous donation. They said they would keep the people of Ararat in their prayers,” Casey said.
Many secondary school students are keen to continue to tertiary education. Unfortunately many students withdraw from their university studies, as learning how to use a computer from scratch combined with coursework and financial difficulties prove too much.
The secondary college in Remexio currently has no computers, putting students at a clear disadvantage when they begin university. The Baxters are currently raising funds to purchase computers for the school. All donations are appreciated and will go directly to the purchase of computers. For more information, please go to the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/lwsremexio. To donate, please go to https://www.chuffed.org/project/remexio.