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East Timor Support - Friends of Maliana

Friends of Maliana, Leichhardt For more information on the Friends of Maliana group, please contact Maire Sheehan on  nswaustimorfn@gmail.com

Council Supports the Community of Maliana, East Timor

The Friends of Maliana group is a partnership project between the communities of Leichhardt Local Government Area and the people of  Maliana west of Dili in East Timor.  In 2005, Leichhardt Council and the Friends of Maliana group signed a formal friendship agreement with the District Administration in Maliana to recognise this partnership.

Leichhardt Council established the group in 2001, a year before the historic East Timor made the had its first vote for independence. Since then, the group has raised money for vital rebuilding projects in the town of Maliana and supported the advancement of East Timor as a new and emerging nation.

Friends of Maliana Update - November 2008

Leichhardt Council and the Friends of Maliana group have progressed to the next stage of the refurbishment of the Ginasio building in Maliana as part of the ongoing commitment to the community of Maliana, Timor Leste and the friendship agreement between the 2 communities.

In 2005, a delegation from Leichhardt Council and Friends of Maliana travelled to Timor Leste to meet with the community there and discuss ways the community here could assist in the reconstruction efforts. Whilst there, the Delegation also signed a formal Friendship Agreement with the District Administration in Maliana to cement ties between the two communities.

The Ginasio is a building of great significance to the people of Maliana and has the potential to bring the community together for sporting events and gatherings to assist with reconciliation after the terrible events that occurred there during the 1999 violence. The people of Maliana identified the refurbishment of this facility as a key way to help this reconciliation process.

As a result of negotiations over the past 2-3 years, a detailed set of plans have been developed which all parties have agreed to and discussions with a local construction company to do the work are near completion. Stage 1 of the project will see local materials being sourced to replace the entire roof (almost 2,500m2 area), electrical rewiring and securing the building.

Council and the Friends of Maliana also held a fundraiser recently to raise money for scholarships for young people in Maliana to attend the Dili Institute of Technology to learn valuable trade and vocational skills. This helps to fulfil the long term commitment Council and the Friends group has had to local skills development.

What’s Planned for 2009?

• Liaison with the newly established Maliana/Leichhardt Friendship Committee in Maliana and engaging a local Liaison Officer to achieve success with its aims;

• Commence work on the refurbishment of the Ginasio Building in Maliana which has been planned for over 3 years;

• Establishing Scholarships to the Dili Institute of Technology for young people in Maliana to attend and learn valuable vocational skills;

• Setting up of mobile library & staff training to provide books to schools in remote areas, in conjunction with Maliana library;

• Continued support for the Municipal Library including installation of a solar panel kit to run computers and other equipment;

• Supply of solar power panels and storage units to 3 Maliana high schools as well as provision of DVD players, equipment; and

• Continued support for Tekee Tokee Tomak music project including establishment of new music schools in Timor Leste. 

Fr iends of Maliana now on Facebook! (February 2008)

 The Friends of Maliana have now established a Facebook group which is open for anyone to join. for more information, go to Facebook website and search for Friends of Maliana group.

Delegation to Timor Leste - December 2007

A delegation from Leichhardt LGA trvelled to Timor Leste in November/December 2007 to prepare the groundwork for the next stage of the projects the Friends of Maliana have been workingon since first getting involved in 2001.  Along with Deputy Mayor, Cr Damian Cobley-Finch, Cr Maire Sheehan and Media Officer Shane McArdle, other members of the delegation included Jill Collier (Principal, Sydney Secondary College - Blackwattle Campus), David Rapaport (Architect, Emergency Architects Australia), Chris Hollonds (Builder over seeing the projects) and Jane Waddell (Nurse interested in new Hospital in Maliana).  

For more information on the projects the Friends of Maliana are working on and raising funds for, go to the Maliana Projects Page.

Click on the following link for more infomation on the Friends of Maliana group  Friends of Maliana Leaflet - 268 KB.