By Andie Maxwell, Permaculture Specialist, Hera, Timor-Leste with Reloka staff Secilia (pink top) and Pasquela (green top)
When Andie Maxwell first came across the Palms permaculture position in Timor-Leste, she wasn’t searching for agricultural work. She was searching for change.
She found it — and then some. Working with Reloka Foundation in Hera, Andie spends her days in a colour botanic garden: introducing mulching practices, re-seeding marigolds, managing a natural dyes program that is providing economic empowerment to women in two remote Timorese communities, and learning more from her local colleagues than she ever anticipated.
“I have learnt a lot about using flora for medicinal purposes,” she shares. “So much of the trees and plants serve their purpose, be it anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, cosmetic, and of course edible.”
Her most vivid memory? Attending the International PermaYouth Convergence in Fatuquero, Ermera in October 2025, where hundreds of young Timorese gathered to learn about permaculture and climate change. “I saw such joy on the faces of these young people,” she says. “To see so many brought together by this shared enthusiasm… really struck me.”
And her takeaway from the placement so far? “I’ve learnt that aid is more about education than it is about providing material ‘things.'”
Read Andie’s full story: Permaculture, Purpose, and the Power of Education
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Andie’s project with Reloka Foundation is currently only 30% funded — with $28,460 still needed to sustain the placement. If her story moved you, here’s a direct way to be part of it.
Every dollar goes toward keeping a skilled Australian volunteer in the field, walking alongside a community that asked for exactly this kind of support.
→ Donate to Andie’s project: Permaculture Specialist, Hera, Timor-Leste