Project Sidara, Timor Leste

Background: (2006/2007: Crisis in Timor)

Branca is a volunteer who served in refugee camps in Hera. Her own home became a camp! The catholic church was closed because of the crisis and many people started attending the Sidara church. During that time, she discovered many disabled people in the community and started ministering to them. She shared her vision to others and people helped to buy land beside the current house for the Disability centre. IFLA APR President Mr Damian Tang and Mr Terence Tan worked closely with Branca who has lived among the community for 16 years, serving in the area of education, health and community development.

Problem: Living condition of the villagers in Sidara 

There are 6 villages with around 225 families in this area. Most live in houses made from palm fronds, some live in concrete houses with zinc roofs. Most people have dirt floors, some who have income from work have cement floors. During the rainy season, rain water drips into some houses – poor/damaged roofing. The majority of homes are overcrowded, with sometimes up to 3 families living under one roof. General hygiene (washing hands, taking showers etc) is a major concern. Most people still rear their animals near/inside their home compounds, sometimes the animals enter into their kitchens.

Problem: Water quality and supply

15 years ago when Branca visited the community where the water source is, she found out that many children were dying from diarrhoea, from the contaminated water source. She then started a water project in that community to protect the water source – fencing it up, covering it and piping the water to the homes. Lives started improving as the water quality improved.

4 years ago, Branca visited the water source and found that there wasn’t maintenance done and most of the covering/protection for the water source was destroyed. Many have diarrhoea and water related sicknesses now because they have been drinking from a dirty water source directly. There are also skin problems related to a contaminated water source

There was no running water in the homes, limited water source from the mountains and the water source was contaminated from nearby river during occasion rain season

Solution

Following the inaugural AAPME Resilience by Design Awards 2018, IFLA APR launched the first pilot resilience building project for the communities in Timor-Leste. Project Sidara personally led and project managed by our IFLA APR President Mr Damian Tang and co-managed by Mr Terence Tan, Greenearth Landscape Designers & Planners, has gained traction with sponsors’ funding for the project. Preliminary site investigation and feasibilities studies are also completed. The project aimed to provide sustainable water sources and improve the micro-farming provision and infrastructure for the community. 

Results:

Project Sidara finally achieved its goal of providing water for people of the local village on 27 March when artisian water came flowing from the well which had been sunk to a depth of 72m. The children, women and elders of the village were overjoyed. This project will proceed to the next phase soon, where they will do farm land improvement works and teach the villagers some livelihood skills with input from our landscape fraternity.

We would like to thank our sponsors for their kind contribution to the project. We are pleased to announce that we have successfully received more than SGD25,000 for this ground-breaking initiative. We are honoured to have Mr Guru, Landscape Engineering and Mr James Lim, Uniseal as the anchor sponsors for this resilience building project in Timor Leste.