This month:

A Message about East Timor
Message from the Chairperson >
Scholars >
Future Projects >
Latest News >
Fundraising >
BFMT Scholars Reflections >
BFMT Websites >
Our Sincerest Thanks
Information on how to Donate >

A MESSAGE ABOUT EAST TIMOR

On the 11th February, a group of rebel soldiers who have been protesting the sacking of 600 soldiers in 2006, attempted to assassinate the President of East Timor, José Ramos-Horta and the Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmao. They failed and the President is now back in control having been successfully treated in Australia. The leader of the uprising died in the attack and recently some of the others responsible have been apprehended so maybe this will help restore stability. However, this act of violence against two of the most decorated men in East Timor brings home the conflicts that this young country is facing.

It has been a long struggle for SE Asian’s poorest nation since its Independence in 1999, almost a decade ago. Dozens of people have been killed and over a 100,000 people displaced during the recent violence. People have lost their homes and are living in camps. As one person living in a camp said to BBC reporters; “East Timor is like a child; we are not ready for choice; we are not ready for democracy.”

There just aren’t enough jobs for the people in a country already bereft of resources. Yesterday’s heroes are now being replaced by today’s unemployed youths who become involved in rebel unrest because there is nothing else for them to do. The government has made steps to try to rectify this has been the public works going on to restore the infrastructure of the capital, Dili, which is creating a significant number of jobs for unskilled labourers. This definitely is a promising start and one that will hopefully establish some stability in this country.

Whilst many analysts in East Timor believe that the government is able now to clean up the system and bring about important changes in the country, they also believe that there is no guarantee that the unrest won’t happen again if they don’t go further in tackling the underlying problems of the country's institutions. One of the major deficiencies is a shortage of trained middle managers; people in the government capable of setting priorities and taking difficult decisions. It is just this kind of person that the Trust hopes to produce through improving secondary education.

Only a year ago, a reporter from the BBC found a group of young lads sitting around a tree in a small village in East Timor, singing a sad song about their country. When questioned about the forthcoming elections, a man called Oti replied: “Everything's very limited for us, so whoever becomes President, I want him to improve education and agriculture, and to solve the problem that's happening now." This is something that the Blair Forster Memorial Trust would like to achieve, too.

Message from the Chairperson

There has been a steady increase of awareness in East Timor globally and as a result, a growing interest in the Blair Forster Memorial Trust mainly through our dedicated Trustees who have, through their connections with the International Baccalaureate (IB), United World Colleges and other International Schools, have helped make our Aims known to the wider community.

As you have learned in the Message About East Timor, the country is crying out for help. And you can help us help them just by talking about the Trust and what it is trying to do for East Timor. You can do this in casual conversations or more formally. Whenever you see an opportunity to bring East Timor into the conversation, take it. You will be helping us enormously, for you are planting a seed of awareness in each person you talk to and you don’t know when that seed may germinate and grow into a real commitment to help either financially or in more direct ways.

We will be experiencing some changes in the way we manage the Trust as Barry Drake will be leaving Hong Kong next year, and John Green is leaving Li Po Chun but remaining in Hong Kong for at least another year. We will soon be running our meetings by virtual technology which will mean we will be a global Trust!

We will need your support in the years to come as you will see from all our projects that we are planning. So please help us help the people of East Timor by being proactive in spreading awareness. Please check out our newly updated website which has all the information about the Trust.

Wendy Forster
Chairperson BFMT

Scholars

We have come a very long way since we started in 2004. Thanks to your generous support, we have continued to contribute to the education of the following:

• By the end of this month nine scholars selected by the BFMT will have now completed their International Baccalaureate (IB) studies and are, or soon will be, studying at universities around the globe.
• Five scholars are in the middle of studying for their IB Diplomas in overseas schools and four more students will be commencing their scholarship with the 2008-2010 intake.
• We have now supported 15 secondary students in East Timor to continue studies that they would not otherwise have been able to fund through our sponsorship of the scholarship program managed by the Alola Foundation (www.alolafoundation.org).
• Also through Alola, we are supporting three primary teachers to be trained in East Timor.
• The BFMT has supported Anche, a teacher trainer at the college in Baucau, in completing her extramural degree from at Charles Darwin University. This will give her the professional skills she needs to help her train new teachers in East Timor more effectively.

On top of this, we are looking at other ways where we can help support the education of young students in East Timor. Ideally, if we achieve our goals, we would be able support the primary as well as the secondary schools. In particular we are looking to build a partnership between Renaissance College in Hong Kong and the Catholic Teacher’s Training College in Baucau, which will allow teachers from Hong Kong to spend periods as volunteers assisting the staff in Baucau with their work. Certainly, it makes sense in the long term to improve the standard of education in primary schools, but to do this, we need more funds and more helping hands. This is our dream. In the meantime, we help where we can.

Future Projects

A project that we are trying to look into is a very exciting one. If you remember, Oti wished that the new President would improve “education and agriculture, and to solve the problem that's happening now.”

Obviously, we have already established aide that will help in the field of education, but agriculture is one area that is desperate for help. And whilst the project itemized below is in its infancy, it is a project that might just be what Oti was praying for. Obviously, this is very dependent on funding and time, but it nevertheless is an area we hope will be addressed and one that we might be able to realize.

Simon Bolivar United World College (SB UWC) Scholarship Scheme Project

Chris Gallimore, who runs our UK BFMT branch and is Secretary to the UWC National Committee, the Executive Director of SB UWC of Agriculture Foundation (FUNDACEA), Izamar Alvarez, and Peter Bultmann, has been working, together on a proposal to initiate a Scholarship scheme to send students from Timor Leste to attend the three year Diploma (Graduate) Programme at the Simon Bolivar United World College Simon Bolivar UWC in Venezuela.

SB UWC is one of the United World Colleges and is a sister college to Li Po Chun United World College. The course that SB UWC offer is designed to train students practically to work in agriculture after graduating, with a strong focus on self-sufficiency and rural development. 70% of the instruction is practical work.

We are proposing to :

• select Timor Leste students (in conjunction with local organisations) on the basis that they have completed secondary education, have an enthusiasm for agriculture and intend to return to Timor Leste to put into practise what they have learned.
• raise funds with the assistance and support of SBUWC where appropriate. A target figure of £100,000.00 ($US 195,000) is envisaged but the Project might well begin with as little as £50,000.00 ($US 98,000). This sum would ensure the first cohort would be able to complete the Diploma;
• collaborate with SBUWC in other ways as and when the opportunity arises.

The proposal is still in its infancy. The main problem we are facing is funding, as both the college and the Trust do not have the available funds to support this project during the three year course. We would need funding for the airfares, accommodation and holidays, as the student would remain in Venezuela for the entire 3 years. At the moment, we are approaching companies and embassies for their support. Once we have the means, we will be able to put this exciting proposal into action. The benefits that this would have on East Timor are enormous. If you feel you can help in any way and would like to contribute, please contact Chris Gallimore.

Latest News

Of course, in our hearts, we can not forget Jonia Mendonca Guterres, a Li Po Chun UWC graduate of 2006 who tragically died whilst at St. Lawrence’s University. Ann and John Green met her family in December, 2007 and had a very emotional visit to her grave where they laid flowers and lit candles. The Trust has facilitated donations from people who knew Jonia that will help to pay for the schooling of her siblings. Our special thanks go to all who donated money in her memory.

Read more about Jonia here >

Anche (Francelina Marques Cabral)
Anche, born in 1985 in a village in Los Palos (5½ hours by 4WD from Dili), is one of eleven siblings.  Anche’s family are farmers.  After Anche finished her schooling she went to attend a computer course in Dili, after which she began work in a shop in the capital for three months.  Anche then came to work as a secretary for ICFP (Instituto Católico para Formação de Professores), the Catholic teacher training college in Baucau, East Timor’s second city.  However her talent was obvious and she was soon offered the opportunity to become a teacher trainer.

Whilst Anche had no formal qualifications as a teacher, something which is common for many teachers in Timor Leste, she proved to be an energetic presenter with a natural talent for the classroom.  Anche now works as a tutor in Classroom Management as well as continuing to be involved in the Health and Physical Education In-service Program.  Anche is very committed to her family and gives them all she possibly can from the small salary that she earns every month.  Indeed her two youngest siblings share her tiny room and attend school in Baucau, where the standard is higher than in their home village.  Her sister Anse had a congenital heart defect and Anche has also been responsible for arranging for her to have a very successful operation in Sydney, paid for by Australian volunteers working in East Timor, to repair this. 

To give some formal background Anche has begun working on her Bachelor of Education through distance learning at Charles Darwin University in Darwin.  She has now completed a number of units, whilst also working full time, but she needs to complete four intensive units on campus to complete her degree and the Trust has been funding her travel and accommodation expenses for these.  Anse’s operation slightly delayed Anche’s studies, but she hopes to complete her BEd at the end of 2008, then she will start work towards an extramural MA in education with the Australian Catholic University. John Green12 May 2008

Fundraising

We are very grateful for all of you who have donated either their time or money to the Blair Forster Memorial Trust and for your continued support. We have maintained our commitment to raise money through yearly sponsored walks in Hong Kong as well as rely on friends, family and other supporters for their generous donations. Read More >

BFMT Scholars Reflections

Some of our scholars share their experiences in this new section - Reflections

• Ana Belo
• Pascoela
• Elsia
• Natalino

Read their experiences here >

BFMT Websites

Our official website is www.blairforster.org. (this site)
We decided to combine the two websites into one to save confusion. We would like to thank Jo Dehaney for managing our website and we also wish to thank Ken Chatland who helped with setting up our UK website: www.blairforster.org.uk

Our Sincerest Thanks

1. Li Po Chun United World College
2. United World College of South East Asia
3. United World College of USA
4. Red Cross Nordic United World College
5. Lester B. Pearson United World College
6. Penang International School, Malaysia
7. Prem Centre, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Fees at these schools vary, but typically a two-year scholarship would be worth US$40,000 - 50,000.

I would also like to thank the students at Li Po Chun United World College for their continued support and for their efforts in raising both funds and awareness of East Timor to the wider community.

I would also like to personally thank each and every member of the Trustees for all that they have done towards making the Trust what it is today.

Information about how to donate:

Send your e-donations to www.cafonline.org
Type ‘Blair Forster Memorial Trust’ in the Search and we will come up. Proceed as instructed.

OR

• Send a crossed cheque payable to ‘Blair Forster Memorial Trust’, to either of the persons below:

c/o Chris Gallimore
Vine Cottage
Kings Lane
Snitterfield
CV37 0QB
Stratford-Upon-Avon
UK

c/o Wendy Forster
P.O Box 410
Ma On Shan Post Office
Ma On Shan
New Territories
Hong Kong SAR

For more information, please contact:

Chris Gallimore
Email: chris@blairforster.org
Tel: 01789 731071 (from the UK)
+44 1789 731071 (from outside the UK)

Wendy Forster
Email: wendy@blairforster.org
Tel: +852 26316929 (non-office hours in Hong Kong)

Wendy Forster
Chairperson Blair Forster Memorial Trust
May 2008

BBC Profile: East Timor
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