Mike Winkler Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 I work for an education organisation in the NT. For the past two years we have had a relationship with a new school in Dili, St Anthony’s International School (SAIS). SAIS was founded by Cristina Costa Ribeiro and Cesar Dias Quintas. Cristina works for TradeInvest and has an MBA from Charles Darwin Uni; Cesar was one of Xanana’s bodyguards in the late 80s and 1990s, and is the son of the Liurai of Los Palos who was killed in 1999. They are inspiring people. Their philosophy is that the only way forward for Timor-Leste is to develop young people capable of working at high level jobs – in politics, business, diplomacy, medicine, engineering etc – rather than relying forever on assistance from outside the nation. They believe that a prerequisite for this is high proficiency in English, so they have founded a school where all instruction is in English. As you probably know, the Timorese government only funds schools that teach in Tetum, so they have to fund this school themselves. To help support their work my organisation has established a GoFundMe: gf.me/u/gv4wzq I made a few short videos at the school last week that give some idea of who they are and what they are doing: https://youtu.be/vt6AyWrky2I https://youtu.be/uGqi5RIShGE https://youtu.be/-DQlIrMu06c If there is any financial support that the 2/2 can give this great school, they (and we) would of course be most grateful. If further information is required, I would be delighted to answer any queries. Mike Winkler - mike@aisnt.asn.au Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Winkler Posted March 23, 2018 Author Share Posted March 23, 2018 Enormous thanks to the 2/2 Committee member who just made a most generous donation. I have been in touch with Cristina and Cesar, and they want me to pass on their heartfelt gratitude. A reminder that if you are in Dili and would like to visit the school - to see a fine example of Timorese trying to take the next step towards a self-directed future - we can organise this for you. All best to all members of the 2/2, Mike Winkler (mike@aisnt.asn.au) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Committee Colleen Thornton-Ward Posted April 11, 2018 Committee Share Posted April 11, 2018 Hi Mike I will be up in Dili for the elections. Would love to come and see the school. Colleen (cthorntonward@gmail.com) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Winkler Posted April 11, 2018 Author Share Posted April 11, 2018 Hi Colleen, Many thanks for your generous donation. I will send you an email about a school visit - it is amazing to see them in action! All best to you and the 2/2, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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