Ahisaun + Dili International School Partner for Better Facilities

With Maryanne Nolan.

Ahisaun, a Timorese NGO working to improve the lives of persons with a disability in Timor Leste, has hosted some generous Year 8 students from Dili International School this past week. The students helped to repair and revive Ahisaun’s facilities.

Students first visited Ahisaun in early November to scope what they could contribute and work started in early December. With eight tasks now finished (and some chickens on their way!), Ahisaun will host an official launch of the new and improved centre in January.

Palms participant Maryanne Nolan worked with students and Ahisaun staff to make this project a reality. Here are some of the exciting changes at Ahisaun.

Task 1: Repairing the plumbing in the water tanks and the kitchen.

Task 2: Repair the lighting in the kitchen (and remove some pigeons!).

Task 3: Add gauze to the windows to keep the mozzies out. For those with a profound physical disability and limited mobility, mosquito-borne diseases can be debilitating as access to services is limited.

Task 4: Repairing the drainage around the building to reduce the number of places in which mosquitoes can breed in the facility.

Task 5: Creating teaching resources and storybooks in English and Tetum. This creates resources for Ahisaun residents as well as developing Dili International School student’s language and creativity skills.

Task 6: A new mural at the entrance to Ahisaun may seem superficial when compared to some of the other activities. However, this visual captures the ethos of the organisation to every visitor, promoting visibility and acceptance of persons living with a disability in Timor Leste.

Task 7: Chickens are on their way to their new chicken coop. This coop will give Ahisaun access to fresh eggs, reducing costs for the organisation.

Task 8: The brand new vege garden will also give the organisation capacity to grow its own food for residents. Though this is cheaper, building the garden and chicken coop is just the first step. The challenge for Ahisaun is now keeping this garden growing.

Maryanne has been working with Ahisaun since August as an Administration Mentor. She has been developing Ahisaun’s local partnerships to achieve financial and operational sustainability. You can support these local partnerships by becoming a regular donor to this project.