Work, rest and play.....
I have settled into working in Dili and am doing some very interesting things.
I visit two prisons each week, one to run a group for young men aged 18-25 and one where the women are housed- where I do a similar thing. I am training two colleagues to do group work and use creative arts and dance, Nina and Zinha. We have a lot of fun together!
I also spend time at the Fatim Hamatek (Safe House) in Dili which is the emergency accomodation and response team to domestic and sexual violence. I am helping the staff think about creative arts for their own relaxation as well as working with clients.
I’ve been enjoying trips to the island for scuba diving, my weekly walking group on Saturdays exploring the hills around Dili and running along the beach after work. Here are a few photos to show you what I’ve been up to.
The prison in Gleno- an hour from Dili where the women are housed.
Mana Nina and Mana Zinha my two colleagues who I work with at the prisons.
The women after we made flowers depicting qualities about themselves. There is one wee baby here who is 18 months old and has to leave at 2 years, who they all adore- luckily his momma is to be released around the time he turns two so no separation. Most of these women have children that they have not seen for several years, their biggest heartache.
When you have no paper use chalk and the floor- the boys drawing around each other to do outlines of a good man and a bad man….and writing the things each would do around the figures. Provoking much discussion and reflection in our Making Good Choices course.
The boys starting to write on their figures, Mane Diak, Mane Ladiak,- see the folded up bedding - this is the main hall we use and the prison is over crowded so 6 men sleep in here at night.
More art work with the women of Gleno prison. We always have a good dance session before we move onto art.
I am also trying to set up a sewing workshop in the women’s prison. There are some broken treadle sewing machines that I have got one of the other volunteers partner- Bryan to look at and mend. Along with Bryan’s wife- the wonderful JD who is also a volunteer - she has experience of setting up small fundraising projects and is helping me to find funds to pay for materials and a sewing teacher to come in and teach the women to sew things that can be sold. Thus giving them a skill they can use when they leave prison and also enabling them to earn a bit of money that my organisation will hold onto for them and give them when they leave prison. They can then set up some sort of small business and be more self sustainable. Many of them, in abusive relationships, have killed their husbands. Domestic violence is often the result of money problems in Timor so women’s economic empowerment is a really important issue.
Bryan fixing the sewing machines!
The staff at Fatin Hamatek with play dough and having fun! My approach to training staff has changed. I now have a creative table and bring in new art activities to do and sometimes one or two staff join in and sometimes all of them do. Then we can have a discussion as to how this might help people and they can experience for themselves the benefits of play and art activities.
PRIDE march in Timor culminated in this display of dancing and music. It was great to see people celebrating diversity in this catholic country.
I recently had two trips to Atauro Island just off the coast of Dili. One for scuba diving- where I stayed at Adara- home to the Wawata Tapu, the mermaids of the sea - women who help their husbands spearfishing and free dive wearing sarongs and jumpers and wooden goggles, and here’s me diving in July needing two wetsuits because I got so cold!. These little boys had made wooden boats and were playing with them just by the out rigger that took us onto the dive boat that you can just see in the back ground.
My second trip to Atauro was to Barry’s Place on the opposite side of the island where I endured two days of reading in a hammock and snorkelling. Saturday is market day and Beloi comes alive with people selling their wares. There is over fishing In Timor in all coastal communities- because fish is often the only way they can make any money and eat good protein. On Atauro they have set up parts of the waters as marine reserves to protect the fish and this is working.
Back at my house here are my three furry companions- the two dogs who live in the compound and the cat who does not belong to anyone but is fed my me and my next door neighbour. Always happy to see me and always happy to eat up any space food I have!
My last visit to the island staying at Barry’s place with JD- next to me and her sister Toni and friend Bobby…there may be some rum in those coconuts!
The Gleno women doing a dance exercise- even the guards join in! See them by the door.
So you can see I am having a fabulous time here in Timor-Leste and will be very sad to leave.
If anyone is thinking of volunteering in the future- don’t hold back…you won’t regret it. And my advice would be don’t look for a post— as these can sometimes seem to ask for very high tech skills. I would just just send in your CV to VSA and ask if they are interested you. What is needed here is people who are flexible and adaptable and can cope with letting go of control. I realise that here what is needed is teaching some of the most basic foundation stones that we take so much for granted in NZ. For instance expecting people to use art to express themselves when they have never had a childhood or schooling with access to art materials means you have to begin from a very different place. Same with dance- people struggle to express themselves but are very happy to copy- hence me learning lots of silly dance steps via Youtube- and then introducing simple exercises to help people increase their capacity for expression and connection to the body.
Not long now until I depart this wonderful island that has got under my skin and where I feel very at home. Obrigada barak ema hoto hotu Timor Leste.