Help rebuild a family home

Hello. If you are reading this, I thank you.

I am setting up this Go Fund Me page today in the hopes of rebuilding a run down family home which belongs to some dear friends of mine in East Timor.

Here’s a very quick back story:

In 2004 I went to East Timor as a volunteer for Australian Volunteers International on a 2 year contract. I was working in a clinic in Tibar, about a 15 minute drive from the capital, Dili.

Toby and I and a friend called Sally met a beautiful woman named Beatriz (Betty) at Klibur Domin. She was staying there as her eldest son Pedro had cerebral palsy and was severely under nourished. She also had a second boy named Tomas (who has special needs) and was pregnant with another child. In fact Sally helped her deliver her beautiful baby girl in our van on the side of the road on their way to hospital. She was named Permizia (Mizi). Betty had her fourth child, another baby girl during the height of the crisis in 2006. She was named Crijane (Crizi).

To cut a long story short, they have had a hard life. Betty’s husband left her for another woman and left her to raise the 4 children alone. In 2017 Toby and I visited with our 4 children and while we were there Betty’s eldest son Pedro passed away. We came back to Australia with heavy hearts and then 3 months later we were given the news that Betty had died suddenly. We were (and still are) absolutely shattered by her death. Not only had we lost a good friend but she had left behind 3 children, practically orphaned. Tomas, Mizi and Crizi’s father Almarino had now passed as well.

All 3 children were placed in separate houses with distant relatives. A dear friend and ourselves have been sending over every month which has been graciously accepted. Mizi has just finished Year 12 and is going to university to study social work in return for some work for the church. Crizi is currently in Year 10 at a good school. Tomas cannot work and is being looked after by his sisters.

Mizi and Crijane are now young adults and are staying with an aunty. They don’t have a bedroom but sleep on the floor in the hall of the house. They don’t have any where to put their belongings and no privacy. It’s their fervent hope that one day they will be able to move into their old family home.

Unfortunately the house has become derelict with the passing of time and is unsafe to live in. It has some major structural issues which will need repairing before the children can move in. It also requires a new roof and electricity. I have a friend over in East Timor who is happy to assist in hiring a builder to complete repairs on the house to make it habitable however this is going to cost a lot of money.

Please may I ask everyone to consider donating to this worthy cause. Any donation is appreciated and I am happy to share my phone number and keep you posted with updates on the project. I also have more photos and videos of the house which I cannot post on here. Feel free to message me if you would like to learn more.

Thank you for your consideration.