Baucau District Administration
Friends of Baucau communicate and meet regularly with the District Administrator, Mr Luis Aparicio Guterres regarding development initiatives in the Baucau district and sub-districts. We are focusing on strengthening the capacity of the local government through professional support, which has included:
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A number of visits and study tours to Melbourne by the District Administrator and other colleagues.
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We are assisting with the development of the Baucau Master Plan.
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Supporting the establishment of other friendship arrangements between
the
6 Sub-districts of Baucau and communities and councils in Australia.
We seek to share lessons learned with these groups and seek to better coordinate our activities. We are also working with the District Administrator and Sub-district Administrators on the establishment of "friendship commissions" to coordinate friendship activities in Baucau, Timor-Leste.
Other friendship groups in the Baucau district include relationships between:
- Baguia and Stonington
- Venilale and Mansfield
- Vermasse and Monash
- Quelicai and Mildura
- Laga and Gimpie
- Baucau and Yarra and Darebin
To visit to Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA) website, click here
- And, other support where needed, such as holding an appeal for refugee
relief in Baucau in response to the 2006 crisis
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Baucau Buka Hatene
(Friendship and Learning Centre)
Friends of Baucau established and officially opened Baucau Buka Hatene (meaning "seeking knowledge") in June 2004. |
The centre is based on the Australian neighbourhood house model and provides capacity-building programs for the local community. A Community Committee manages the centre and provides a supportive environment, assistance and information as well as a meeting space for visitors, especially women and youth.
The centre delivers a number of programs and services including:
- Language program
- Womenˇ¦s resource room
- Youth program, including the Few Qhotu performance group
- Small business support (in development)
- Computer program (in development)
- Tourism training (in development)
- and Librar
back to topFriends of Baucau employ a Baucau Buka Hatene Coordinator to oversee the running of the centre. The Coordinator for Baucau Buka Hatene is accountable
to a voluntary committee, which has been elected by the community to manage
the operation of the centre. In addition, Friends of Baucau employ a local teacher
to run the English Program at the centre as well as a receptionist and a keeper
of the grounds.
The youth and education working group support the youth, language and library programs at Buucau Buka Hatene.
The Friends of Baucau are currently focusing on support for equipment including computers and a power generator at Baucau Buka Hatene. Friends of Baucauˇ¦s Sustainable Technology Working Group is working in partnership with InfoXchange and the Victorian Government which in 2006 brought to Melbourne six young people from East Timor, including one person from Baucau, to be trained in Certificate III in Information Technology and skilled in the operations of a not-for-profit social enterprise like InfoXchange and Green PC.
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The second building at Baucau Buka Hatene
Friends of Baucau are hoping to raise additional funds to reconstruct the second building on the site, which will provide much needed space for additional meeting places, training rooms and an arts and performance area as the programs at
Baucau Buka Hatene have already out grown the first building completed in early 2004.
Woman's Devlopment Program
Friends of Baucau employ a coordinator for the Women's Development Program to work and support women's development. Friends of Baucau currently work with many women's groups in the Baucau District and have links to several other women's groups in the region and in Dili.
Friends of Baucau aim to assist women in Baucau through programs in:
- Literacy
- Training
- Livelihood - small business development
- Domestic violence support
- Leadership training
- Advocacy, outreach, policy and resource centre
A Friends of Baucau Women's Development Working Group supports this
program.
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Other Friends of Baucau Initiatives
Friends of Baucau respond to Baucau's needs accordingly and work on a number of other projects including:
- The Friendship Schools Project-Friends of Baucau, in partnership with the Alola Foundation, links schools in Baucau with schools in Australia in an exciting initiative that promotes cross-cultural learning and global understanding. Currently linked schools are:
- Westgarth Primary School & Kota Baru No.1 Villa Nova, Baucau
- Pender's Grove Primary School & Buibau Primary School, Baucau
- Holy Spirit Primary School & Burcoli Catholic Primary School, Baucau
- Wales Street Primary School & Remexio No.1 Primary School, Ailieu
- Richmond West Primary School & Aubaca No. 6 Primary School, Baucau
- Clifton Hill Primary School & Soba No 1 Primary School in Laulara sub-distract of Baucau
- Montmorency Secondary College & Aubaca No. 4 Pre. Secondary School, Baucau
- Annie Dennis Children's Centre, Northcote & Pre-Primaria Santa Ursula, Baucau
- General support and assistance when needed which has in the past included donations of equipment to the Baucau Hospital, linking up volunteers from Australia to organization in Baucau and numerous containers of material aid
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