On Monday the 25th February, the Marist Brothers of Australia were gifted a parcel of land from local land owners in Lautem, Timor-Leste.
This 9 hectares will be used to build Timor-Leste's first Marist school.
The Catholic primary school will welcome in Timorese children aged 5-11 when they enter into junior high school.. They will adhere to the curriculum set up by the Timorese government, which includes the teaching of Portugese and Tetum, a local Timorese dialect. The Marist Brothers will oversee the setting up and running of the school, with a few Portugese speaking brothers having put their hands up to administer to the school already. Br Peter Corr is already refining plans for design and construction of the establishment.
It's an exciting time, especially for local Timorese who will experience the direct impact of this scheme.
Education in Timor-Leste has been something that not all children have access to, and we are so delighted to see Australians and Timorese banding together to create positive change.
So, how can you help?
Wild Timor Coffee have pledged to help the Marist Brothers with their fundraising efforts for some time now. Some of the coffee on our site you may notice is branded Marist Solidarity Coffee. Profits from Marist Solidarity Coffee sold go towards projects in Timor-Leste like this one.
Buy a bag, help support the Australian Marist Society in their excellent work.