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Timor-Leste: Bakhita Centre

by Conor Ashleigh

I first visited the Bakhita Centre in 2005 my time in the mountains was spent as a volunteer teaching English in the local schools. One of the most incredible parts of returning to the Bakhita Centre is noticing the growth that has taken place amongst the project, every aspect including the health clinic have mushroomed while also maintain a high quality of service delivery.

Spending three weeks living at the Bakhita Centre in August 2009 I sought to document the life of the coffee farmers in the area and to understand the labour intensive nature of producing coffee. While working on this story I also naturally spent quite a lot of time following the work of the Bakhita Centre, regularly I would drive around in the ambulance to pick up or transport patients to the district hospital. I experienced stages of much childbirth and a few times was scared the mother might give birth in the back of the Toyota Land cruiser.

While there is a large number of international nongovernmental organisations including the United Nations working in Timor-Leste, I believe it is important to highlight the work and change being created by local people in their own communities. After working in paid and volunteer capacities for NGO’s in Australia, South Africa, Uganda, Nepal, India, Cambodia & Timor-Leste I can say that the Bakhita Centre is one of the best examples of self determination and grassroots development I have ever witnessed.

Conor Ashleigh On behalf of Bakhita Centre

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