SISWP


Trapped in a Dark Hole SI Joondalup SISWP


Ailsa Rothenbury, SI Joondalup, reports


It’s hot and humid, the torrential downpour has finally ceased. It’s 1am in Dili and I am watching the BBC coverage of the mine rescue in Chile, again. The president is there and they have spent millions of dollars on a momentous feat. Eventually, I start to see a


connection between the situation of our girls in Dili and the situation of the trapped miners. National independence does not always bring personal success and freedom immediately. I got to thinking about the two youngest girls we are supporting in their bid for education and a way out of being trapped in a situation of domestic violence and rural poverty in the Dili hinterland where food security is a major administrative problem. The problem in Timor-Leste


is complex and chronic but is crucial to the maintenance of social stability and must be addressed if the nation is to


succeed as a democracy. As food security is one of the most fundamental human needs, its absence is both a symptom and a cause of a malfunctioning society. To avoid state failure, the government of Timor-Leste must meet the expectations of its citizens by delivering certain public goods, of which human security is arguably the most important. Food security is not just a rural issue – in Dili, almost 40 per cent of households experience food shortages (World Bank 2003). Food security is dependent


on financial security. Access to education and achievement of educational goals are the escape capsule for our scholarship girls. The cave-in was political not industrial. The trip from the depths to the light will take longer than the time it took to drill through the bedrock of Chile to the 33 trapped men. And the problems the girls face


are more insidious because they are not starving, are not bleeding nor obviously drowning. The girls appreciate the


opportunity given to them by their neighbour, Kirsty Sword Gusmao, who connected them to the sponsorship programme that SI Joondalup took up in 2008. They are working hard at their studies, coping with family life and the need to travel everyday by truck or bus into Dili. The roads are dreadful so studying en route is impossible. When the girls complete


their studies, they will be able to give something back to their community, locally and nationally. Their neighbours will require a ‘hand up not a hand out’ - the study mode encourages this process. Soroptomist International


young women as they continue their personal fight out of poverty and deprivation. Changing channels, I get


Home and Away. Lovely house, in a lovely suburb with a family with a range of relationship problems. They can drink the water


from the tap, the toilet is a dual water saver flush model, the kids ask ‘what’s for dinner’? In rural Timor Leste this does not happen. On TV the children have a room to themselves, Dad has a job, gets annual leave, if a family member dies there is grief counselling. In rural Timor Leste this does


is recognising the value of education for women and girls. I hope that we will continue to facilitate the education of these


SIGBI Stars of Tomorrow Sujatha Balakrishnan, SI Bangalore, SIGBI, reports


“Stars of Tomorrow” an educational initiative of SI Bangalore, started with the vision that children from families of all income groups should have access to high-quality education. Many government schools in India have vernacular instruction, with the result that students of these schools are weak in English. The Stars of Tomorrow Project steps in to address this issue. The Project was inaugurated on World


Literacy Day, 8 September 2009. It started with the Gopal Ramnarayan Government School, in Bangalore North and it is hoped to expand the project in the coming years. The English teachers include SI Bangalore members with a few volunteers; students from engineering and management colleges and young professionals. An integrated curriculum focuses on


communicative English combined with personal hygiene, human values and leadership development. The classes are bi- weekly, held after school.


TIS December 2010 Page 8


other programmes over the past year for the students. On 14 November 2009 – Children’s Day – an important event in the Indian calendar, they held a talk to expose the students to inspiring role models. Two young girls from similar socio- economic backgrounds who are well educated and successfully employed in the fields of nursing and business management joined the event and spoke to the children on how education, particularly for the girl child, can lead to an empowered life. One of the club members who is good at art and craft work, entertained the little children with puppets she had made, enacting various fables like The Hare and the Tortoise, the Two Swans and the Tortoise, The Crocodile and the Monkey. On World Peace Day 2010, the


Besides these classes, the club has held


not happen. My trip to Dili has made me more aware of the things I already knew, but has motivated me to act rather than just let others do it. Our education sponsorship capsule will help to pull them up into the light of self confidence and community respect.


Children’s Day: One of the girls who spoke to the children about education and how it could empower them


schools on the theme of World Peace. The most creative entries were awarded books as prizes. The club’s vision for the programme is to


Soroptimists held a painting competition for the children of Gopal Ramnarayan School and two other neighbouring government


instill confidence in these young students through improved communicative English skills, and also through counselling, to encourage them towards acquiring college degrees which will help them cross horizons hitherto unknown.


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