Special Edition - UNIFEM Brisbane

Connect East Timor is delighted that the release of this newsletter coincides with the Brisbane UNIFEM Committee’s 17th International Women’s Day Breakfast Celebrations on Tuesday 7th March 2006.

We are very pleased to dedicate this edition to the women of East Timor.

It was apparent from the earliest days of the Connect East Timor (CET) initiative in 2001 that improving health and education services to benefit all women (and their children) of East Timor needed to be given a high priority. People associated with Connect East Timor have been directly involved in urgently evacuating women in difficulties with childbirth.  CET knows that East Timor has one of the highest infant mortality rates of the developing world.  This is one the main motivators behind the CET Campaign.

CET’s vision is very clear.  Our mission is to connect communities and families in over 480 villages across the length and breadth of East Timor with a basic, low cost and reliable two-way, solar powered VHF radio system.  This sustainable technology will provide publicly accessible communications for some 300,000 people (about 40% of the population) at an annual cost of USD3.00 per person.  No other technology can achieve such low costs.

These radio systems can carry a wide range of information and applications,  limited only by imagination.  Potential uses include: emergency calls, remote medical advice and assistance, ‘School Of The Air’ lessons to reach kids in villages where there is no teacher, coordination of government business, community and family information and news, two way conferences of special interest groups such as women’s groups or youth, and the like.

CET implemented its first radio system through a demonstration project at 8 villages in Atabae sub-District of Bobanaro in May 2005.  The radios have proved their worth.  They have saved lives, speeding needed ambulance services or medical attention for a number of people in difficulty, including several women experiencing serious problems in childbirth.  They have helped to educate 2000 people on health issues, and have been used by Care (an international NGO) to coordinate a child health monitoring project within Atabae sub-district. 

CET is planning to undertake a more ambitious Pilot Project involving 16 villages in 2006.  We expect to commence full scale deployment of radios to all the villages from 2007 depending only on the generosity of our donors and supporters. 

For a total funding requirement of only USD 2.8M it will be possible to connect all 480 villages and 300,000 people across East Timor and provide support to this system for the first three years.  If there is any doubt as to what a difference such a system would make to the women and children living in these villages, just ask the women of Atabae who have been helped during the first project! t

Welcome Terry Sullivan, MP

Terry Sullivan, MP and Member for Stafford, has been a very good friend of CET for several years, assisting with approaches to several important donors.  He has also been to East Timor and has seen the situation there for himself.  Many have noticed that it doesn’t take long in any meeting about East Timor for his passion for the people and for their circumstances comes to the fore.  CET is therefore very pleased to announce that Terry has kindly agreed to be a Patron of the Campaign and to assist with the promotional and fundraising elements where he can.  Thank you Terry!