I have just returned from Timor-Leste, where I was doing some research for the upcoming Wheel2Wheel expedition and visiting our friends at Action for Change Foundation (ACF) in the capital city, Dili.
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It was an enjoyable and illuminating time. Prior to this Wheel2Wheel project, I knew very little of this new nation except vague memories of news reports about the conflicts and fighting surrounding its hard won independence from Indonesia a decade ago. Following this visit, I have been able to form some great first impressions of a warm – both in its weather and the spirit of its people – and welcoming tropical paradise, emerging from a violent struggle for independence, but growing in confidence, political and economic stability, and international recognition. It is an exciting place to visit at an exciting time in its development as a nation.
One of the rewards of working on W2W has been to conduct in-depth research on each of the 10 countries we are visiting and beyond that, in some instances such as with Timor-Leste this trip, heading into the field to work with our charity and NGO partners on the ground, understand their work and the social context in which they operate.
So our desk research in this case involved learning about this emerging country, it’s history (and recent history of conflict), the economy (USD 2,600 GDP per person on a population of 1.1 million; influx of foregn aid post-conflict; recent development of offshore oil and gas resources) and social statistics (youthful population distribution, high rates of unemployment). Our discussions with academic researchers, international NGOs and foundations with experience in Timor Leste helped us identify an issue – a generation of young people whose education and life opportunities have been disrupted by conflict – and we drilled down further to identify a great local organisation delivering community-based solutions for this target group.
Let me take a moment at this point to acknowledge people who provided guidance and feedback in this research: Dr Sara Niner of Monash University, Edward Rees of Peace Dividend Trust, Peder Pedersen of The Charitable Foundation, Ludovic Hubler of Peace and Sport, and the numerous other guiding lights along the way – you know who you are – Thank You!
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Action For Change Foundation (ACF) is a local organisation dedicated to providing young, local people a pathway in life and a path to employment. They achieve this through providing organised sports – for which there are very limited opportunities in Timor-Leste – vital job-skills training, and job placements. School-aged children and youths are encouraged to participate in organised sports including football, taekwondo and table tennis where they have a social and physical outlet, learning values of peace, respect and fair play. School leavers, university students and graduates attend training courses in English, Information Technology and Public Management (for government jobs) in order to improve their employment prospects. They also complete 1 month job placements in various government departments, and some of the participants receive job offers based on these internships.
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ACF founder, Jose de Jesus, is an entrepreneurial, dynamic young Timorese man. He is soft spoken but speaks loudly in actions, as a social activist and community organiser. Motivated by the hardships he endured during the 2006-2008 conflicts in Timor-Leste, and recognising that someone needed to take responsibility for rebuilding the local community, he took it upon himself to organise local sporting competitions. And similarly, he decided to create ACF to provide the key skills training that will help those in his local community to find jobs in the nascent economy. He quietly goes about his business, but he is greatly respected by the 600 or so participants in ACF programmes each year, by local and international funders, and by us on the Wheel2Wheel team.
So the field trip to Timor-Leste allowed me to improve my understanding of the community and economy of the country, to spend time with Jose, and to learn about the operations of ACF first hand. And one of the key challenges I immediately recognised when studying ACF financial information was just how difficult it is to run a grass-roots community organisation, particularly in terms of managing cashflow. A familiar situation to any business person or financial manager, there is a lot of juggling between paying the bills on time and receiving the cash income for your services. In the case of ACF, while they receive some basic fees from participants of their courses, there is a gap between how much people can pay and how much these services cost to provide – a gap met by a number of different funders. However, the real catch is that often the funders pay their contribution 6 months or more after ACF needs to spend the cash, and ACF needs to finance this gap with its own modest cash reserves! That ACF has been able to serve as many local young people on a tight budget under these difficult trading conditions is a small miracle… let alone the challenge of trying to grow their organisation.
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Our focus with ACF will be to raise funds and try to deploy them upfront on projects that will help build the sustainability of the organisation, improve its cash management cycle, and its ability to secure appropriate long term funders. All this with the ultimate goal of allowing ACF to continue to provide its valuable services to the local community, and make their training available to even more young Timorese.
In addition to the deep dive with ACF, I was able to spend a little time in Dili investigating logistics such as shipping Morgan’s bike from Dili to the next stage starting in Darwin, and exploring travel ideas for Timor-Leste. I was fortunate to meet some fascinasting people, both local and international, who all share a passion for Timor-Leste and are committed to helping to develop the profile of the country in their various capacities as administrators, United Nations peacekeepers, development workers, journalists or entrepreneurs. I received some excellent insights from this tight-knit community.
My first impressions were of a land of contrasts: a tropical paradise with a picture postcard coastline vs extremely basic living just a few streets back from the beach; evidence of past conflict vs modern redevelopments; incoming public and private investment vs poverty and unemployment; nice newly paved roads vs dodgy dirt tracks. But contrary to any concerns about security, I was warmed to find a relatively peaceful and stable environment, and friendly people with open hearts and smiling faces.
I can’t wait to see the enthusiastic welcome that Morgan is sure to receive on his arrival in Timor Leste around June 2011!
And, so, with my time running out, I took the opportunity to jump on a motorbike and enjoy a little time out on the open road. And what a great experience to share!… one that will have to wait till my next blog entry…
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