The St. John of God Foundation and the Portuguese Hospital Mission in East Timor are running a youth development project in the region. During July and August, the Foundation is promoting a campaign to support the education and professional training of youth in the Manatuto district of East Timor. According to what the Foundation’s authorities have declared to the Fides press agency, the future of East Timor, which obtained independence in 2002, depends in large measure on the training of youth, because over half of the population is below the age of 25. However, political instability, chronic poverty and high unemployment, especially among the young, has fomented social unrest, led to the rise of youth gangs, and developed a culture of violence which caused 30 dead and over 150,000 displaced people between April 2006 and May 2007. In inland zones the situation is even more dramatic, due to the lack of resources and the high level of displaced population. As far as education is concerned, the system is clearly inadequate, not only due to the shortage of qualified teachers at all levels, but also the lack of commitment on the part of families and communities to invest in and support the education of children. The main objectives of the campaign that the Foundation is running in East Timor are as follows: improving the quality of basic teaching; helping pupils to achieve an improved basic education that will prepare them better to tackle the challenges that the future will bring; facilitating the university education of the young; improving the secondary school facilities in Laclubar; and promoting a better involvement of families and communities in the education of the young. The project aims to award 15 annual scholarships to the pupils with the best marks and from poor families, to enable them to continue their studies at the National University of East Timor in Dili. The Foundation will also award 5 scholarships for a teacher-training course for primary school teachers, establish two school libraries and a children’s resource centre in the Community Centre at Laclubar.
