world wide walk passing by Baucau

This is a man that I have meet yesterday when I was coming back in Baucau from Dili. His story is quite special and inspiring, have a look on his web page: www.wwwalk.org

MDG Fund visit in Baucau

Last week the Millennium Development Goal Fund Secretariat Sophie de Caen from New York visited Timor-Leste. Her visit included also a day visit in Baucau.

Before to talk about the visit let me say something about the Millennium Development Goals Fund: MDG Fund is an initiative carry out by several countries which aims to provide financial support for projects which meet the objectives of the UN millennium development goals. For who was more interested about such topic it is possible to find more information about the Millennium Development Goals at www.un.org/millenniumgoals .

The objective of the Secretariat visit in Timor-Leste was to visit one of the country which has been selected for implementing specific projects in order to archive the Millennium Development Goals in 2015. As FAO and UNICEF received some funds for implementing projects in Timor-Leste and Baucau is one of the focal point for both agencies, a day visit in our lovely town has been planed.

FAO and UNICEF have both been engaged for the two weeks before the visit to plan in the detail the visit of such important delegation. In fact together with the MDGF Secretariat and all the agencies chiefs, also Mr.Finn Reske-Nielsen, the operational responsible of the United Nation Mission in Timor-Leste would take part to the visit. That’s means all the UN high level figures in Timor-Leste would have come to Baucau. No mistakes in logistical organization as well as security planning would have been tolerated.

Our assignment was to plan a visit to one of the community where FAO is currently implementing a project and to show how the work is going on. The same for UNICEF with its project.  Of course our projects are different in term topics: we are working in agricultural development and UNICEF is operating in children education topics.

I have to say that to have the chance to present our project to UN high level people as well as to present them to our communities was a kind of good feeling along ht previous days. I think it is important for the UN high spheres to get in the field even if it is only a matter of few hours in an official meeting. But the main question was… where to go and what to present to such ema boot guests?

I should find out one of the most interesting community, near Baucau town and with an easy interlocutor for working with. After few talks with my local team, we definitely all agreed with the suco (community ) Gariwai. Why such choice you will ask. Gariwai is the hugest suco in our project, it is located few km from Baucau on the way to Venilale, but the most important feature of Gariwa  is that the suco chief which correspondent of our major (sindaco) is a woman. Furthermore she is even Portuguese speaker. Gariwai was perfect for us!! In fact Senora Maria de Jesus Belo is a very nice person, she is very active for the community and very willing to all kind of initiatives. Maybe because she can speak very well Portuguese, I also developed with her since the beginning a very direct and special relation. For instead I feel comfortable to give her a phone call or to drop by her place whenever I am passing by. Very interesting is also the fact that she set up a form of collective action in Gariwai. In fact three females groups which are engaged in agricultural activities and some manufactures production are present in the suco. I can say that Gariwai is a very clear example of how much important are the women in Timor, which is still a sectarian and machista society.

We immediately thought that to show and to valorize this kind of activities would be very good for the local community in order to promote their initiatives. So decision was taken, Gariwai was our place.

After several visits and meetings with the suco chief in order to plan the visit, the D-Day finally came.

With a slightly delay on the fixed time, while all of the Baucau UN staff were ready with all the cars in line at the Bacuu airport, the white old Russian helicopter with the black UN label laded. All the people (22) got out and so the formal welcome started. Of course I was especially waiting for Fabrizio, the FAO country coordinator and in fact my chief in Timor which was represented FAO in the visit. The first place that the long cars caravan visited was at the District Office for the ordinary greetings with the local administration.

The morning visit has been planned in our project and for the noon in the UNICEF one. In order to be ready for the visit Custodio and Jose, the two local agronomists in my team early in the morning went to Gariwai in order to be sure that everything was ready.  Anyhow in order to be ready also for the welcome ceremonial at the time that the delegation was at the District Office I also went to Gariwai.

After about 45 minuts the delegation arrived in Gariwai. Two of the guests received the Thais, the traditional scarf that in the Timorense tradition is given to the guest at their arrival as welcome. During the meeting the women association explains their works and at the same times also the worries. Many women and not only had the chance to speak and say their ideas to the big delegation and I think this was cause of happiness for the community.

After the meeting the community offered some traditional snacks and café. About an hour and half after their arrival in Gariwai, the delegation left in order to go back to Baucau for continuing the visit. Of course I stayed in Gariwai for the after commentaries and the impression from the people. So I could see a very interesting reaction: since all the important people left, the audience started to clean the snacks left on the table. Everybody became more spontaneous and loud and since I was the only international remained but they did not care about me, for the first time I felt the feeling to be no so extraneous anymore to the community.

Maybe this was my true achievement of the day.

my car

Just to present my means of transport here in Baucau. Here it is! I have to be sincere; it looks a bit old and maybe even not so efficient as it should be expected from an UN vehicle but… I like it very much. It is powerful, it is able (until now) to cross rivers, pounds, all kind of muddy roads and it is not so striking. Ok, it is a big “malai” car, but at least it is not the classical white car with the big UN black character on both sides. It is green (some friends say not very beautiful), the FAO logo is small and I can get many stuff in the back. It is definitely perfect for my incursions in the field.

here we go.

in the field with P. Locatelli

After a (long) while in Baucau and still without a functional internet connection, finally I am back in Dili and so here I am again.

Several things are happened during the last weeks but today I want to talk about one of the element which enrich strongly the area where my project is going on and let me say, also my experience here in Timor-Leste.

I want to talk about an Italian priest named Padre Locatelli. He is a very interesting and special man and his story is so complex, long and interesting that I am not that one able or accredited to write down about it here. The only thing I would like to do it is just to introduce him and to show some pics from my first visit in a community together with him.

Padre Locatelli is originating from the north Italian city of Bergamo but he spent long periods in Turin where he was engaged in theology studies at the local Salesians college. After to complete his studies, during the 1960s he was sent as missionary to the nowadays Indian city but at that time Portuguese colony of Goa. He served there as missionary for several year until the British invasion. As catholic missionary which means represented of the Portuguese system, Padre Locatelli was displaced person out of the country. Following the Portuguese colonies, in 1964 he arrived in Timor-Leste, as at those time it was still an integrant part of the Lusitanian territory. He was sent to the Salesians school of Fatumaca in the Baucau district, where in fact he is still living and working.

In so long time in Timor Padre Locatelli had the chance to know personally the last part of the Portuguese time in the islan, the Indonesian invasion in 1975, the struggle for the independence until the proclamation referendum 1999 and the United Nation transitory regency until nowadays complete autonomy of the youngest democracy of the world.  According with the Padre Locatelli personal life story it is easy to find out a strict symmetry with the Timor-Leste history. He gained a vast popularity from the population in the rual area especially in Baucau district but at the same time he is highly listened also to the highest political spheres. As I already said I am not the right person who is able to write about the personal story of such man and here is not the right place to do it. Just I wanted to present a person which is fundamental in my Timor-Leste experience as well as for my project activities.

As I am new in Timor-Leste as well as in Baucau, to use my easy contact due to my common origins with Padre Locatelli was an obligation. Because that the two agronomist introduced me to Padre Locatelli in one of our visit to the valley. In order to get familiar with him and with the area but especially with the local people I immediately asked to P. Locatelli if I could follow him in one of his visit in the communities. In fact P. Locatelli uses to visit several communities in the Seiçal Valley in rotation every week end in order to celebrate the Mass. Moreover he utilizes the time to spend together with the people in order to keep in touch with the population and the economical and social development of the area. For instead he is the promoter of several local development project especially in the field of irrigation.

It was one of my first visit in the south west past of the Seiçal Valley and I really enjoy to go together with P. Locatelli in the rough track with his Land Rover. Here some pics.