Cash-strapped

By Lia Bichel
FRIENDS of Ermera are strapped for funding to complete their biggest project yet in East Timor.
The group, which consists of 17 people on the committee and more than 100 members, delivered a number of projects in East Timor since it formed in 2002. They have built seven kindergartens, provided training for teachers, given education scholarships to young women and have supplied materials necessary for quality living.
But president Jan Tresize said the Letefoho Water Supply is the biggest project they have embarked on and was extremely important.
The supply is expected to serve about 3500 people in nine villages and the town of Letefoho in the Ermera District. The project has started, but Friends of Ermera’s account for the project has depleted.
“We were fine until the dollar crashed from 95 to 65 cents,” Ms Tresize said. “That hit us really hard and we suddenly needed a lot more money.”
Ms Tresize said the group hoped to finish the project before November, but needs $15,000 to do so.
If the project has to be delayed, it will not near completion until after the wet season is over in April.
The group, which travels at their own expense, has been involved in community consultations and negotiations using Timor Lests’s professional trainers to ensure the project is developed properly and maintained once it is completed. Friends of Ermera have also worked with the district’s National Water and Sanitation Service who have jointly funded some sections.
Ms Tresize made a recent trip to the Ermera District to check on the project and Friends of Ermera’s programs and meet with the local village Water Committees.
She said the system would help relieve pressure on children and would help to improve health and hygiene.
“They have to walk distances of up to four hours each way to get water. Children might have to do this in the morning, then walk home, walk to school, then get more water after school,” Ms Tresize said. Donations over $2 are tax deductible. Anyone wanting more information or to donate can contact Jan Tresize on 5944 4676.