UNVs speak out ...................

VOLUNTARY SPIRIT EMBEDDED IN TIMOR-LESTE

Working as a United Nations Volunteer (UNV) at the Secretariat General of the National Parliament of Timor-Leste, Mr. Pascal Amlard-Rambert has no regrets about quitting his high-profile job in Europe where he was an information technology (IT) consultant with international organizations like the European Commission and the European Parliament as well as technology giants Electrabel, Belgacom Mobile or the Paris-based Altran Tech whose definition of architecture and implementation of consolidation financial reporting solution has been adopted in 200 cities worldwide.

“I needed to take a break in my career in Europe and was wishing for a job not focused only on money returns for funds boards and shareholders” the 46 year-old Frenchman says, adding that he had a long time desire to work on an assistance project or advice mission as part of “the next step of a personal history which started in Africa where I was born and grew up.”

His responsibilities at the Parliament’s offices in Dili includes re-enforcement of Information and Communication Technology strategy for 2006-2009 to facilitate an ICT environment for the National Parliament which is compliant with international standards. “The selected approach is to work on capacity building for progressive ownership by the National Parliament of its ICT services to be provided to its internal customers,” he says.

Pascal is among 167 UNV Volunteers currently based in Timor-Leste and performing essential tasks in such areas as community development, maternal mortality reduction, justice sector support, humanitarian activities and technical as well as management support activities.

Many of the UNVs are based in the rural ---and remote---areas of the country where access to basic social services is limited and therefore their presence is highly appreciated. In the Timor-Leste enclave of Oecussi for instance, Mr. Jitendra Prasad Jaiswal, a UNV Upland Agriculture Specialist has been working closely with local farmers since February 2005 to promote new technologies and agricultural inputs which are proving quite popular courtesy of the project Oecussi Ambeno Community Activation Programme (OCAP) funded by the European Commission.

Saying that many new agricultural development concepts together with new varieties and improved technologies on food and vegetables crops and soil and water management have been introduced over the past three years, Mr. Jaiswal remarks that the project “is now making substantial impacts in the field supporting livelihoods and improving the welfare of the people.”  

By November 2007, record 199 self-help groups (SHGs) comprising about 2,542 households (i.e. approximately 11,414 people) from all the 18 sucos of Oecussi have directly benefited from the agricultural development activities conducted by the project. Meanwhile, OCAP has trained 30 trainers from OCAP, government and NGO staff and 2,542 community members on various conceptual and technical topics related to crop production, seed multiplication as well as soil and water conservation practice.

Mr. Domingos Guterres, the Coordinator of Haburas Timor Leste Commercial Vegetable Production Group, proudly says that “we are now able to grow vegetables independently and have replicated similar methods in our individual gardens”. He adds that “the life of our family is now better due to increased income by selling of vegetables, the group savings have increased and now we have access to money to spend on buying basic household items, schooling of children and starting new small enterprises.” Meanwhile some group members have bought cattle and other small livestock to further supplement their income. Most significantly, he says “the cohesiveness among the group members has increased by working together in a SHG”.   

“Usually UNV works through partnership with other UN agencies, Government or NGOs,” relates the UNV Timor-Leste Programme Manager, Mr. Rafique Haider. The UNV contribution he says has a distinct focus on access to services and their delivery, inclusion and participation and community mobilization through voluntary actions.

“In Timor-Leste, UNV is supporting civil society organizations in promoting citizen participation at the grassroots level. Promotion of local volunteerism, especially youth volunteers and engaging them in socio-economic development activities is one of our key themes,” Rafique observes.

Through the UNDP project Supporting Civil Society in Promoting Citizen Participation, it is anticipated to promote the concept of local volunteerism by increasing the capacity of Timorese CSOs to provide civic education campaigns for the purpose of enhancing political stabilization nationally. To facilitate this effort, the CSO project has placed a national UNV in each district to support the work of the NGOs involved in Civic Education in those districts. The project is funded by USAID, the New Zealand Government and UNV. Its main partners are CARE International, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), NGO Forum, Rede Feto, National Youth Council and the Student Solidarity Council.

“The work of the National UNVs has been crucial in achieving the outcomes of the project,” emphasized Project Manager Simon Poppelwell “they are the people that know their districts and communities far better than we do and thus are able to interact on a more intimate level with the CSO Partners and the communities in general.” 

My thoughts as a volunteer

By Dr. Jane Revilla

Most of my 40 months as a UN volunteer in TLS have been spent as an obstetrician-gynecologist in the Dili National Hospital. The hospital, like the rest of the health system, is still in rehabilitation phase. It is far from perfect; essential supplies always seem to be out of stock and you just have to do with what’s available, even if what’s available is far from ideal. Many expatriates come and go, contributing their skills to help alleviate the health of the Timorese people. The financial gain is not much, but the psychic reward is tremendous. And in my 3 and ½ years here, I have learned that I do not mind that one bit. Volunteering my services as a doctor has enriched my life, living in a different country, immersing myself in a different culture, and meeting many people of different races and persuasions (quite challenging, believe me), many of who are also sharing their time and talents to help Timor-Leste on its road to recovery and stability. I believe this is more than enough reward. A person does not have to be learned to be a volunteer. Everyday, there are needs that have to be met, there are hands reaching out for help. Whether these needs are of major significance or of small consequence, the question remains the same - do we have the courage to step out, feel a void and meet even just one need? Because if we do, we will realize that a heart of a volunteer beats inside each one of us, waiting to be set free to beat for others, waiting to touch other people’s lives. And this heart links us to the rest of humanity – what better reward can we ask for?

My Volunteer Story

My year 2007 here in Timor-Leste has brought a genuine meaning to the word “volunteerism”.  Apart from being an International UNV IT Consultant for UNDP’s Support to Civil Service Reform Project assigned at the National Directorate for Public Services, a door has suddenly opened giving me an opportunity to provide social contributions both to my fellow Filipinos working and residing in this country, and to my Timorese brethrens as well. 

A non-profit Filipino organization was established here in TL since 2002, which is the Association of Filipinos in East Timor (AFET) with almost 300 active members to date.  And being the President of this association for this year, I was able to perform social and charity work for the first time.  And I actually feel good about it.  Some of the charity projects that we have done for this year are the four rounds of blood donation activities (which we call “A Gift of Life for Timor”) at the Blood Bank of the National Hospital in Bidau involving the participation of more than 50 Filipinos and International blood donors here in TL; financial assistance and donations in kind to the Viqueque families whose houses were burned; gift donations to the ALMA Foundation (these are the children with physical disabilities); and providing financial assistance to selected kids, whom we will send to school next year.

They say that volunteering brings benefits to both society at large and the individual volunteer.  And yes, volunteering and making important contributions made me a better individual.  Very vague, but true!  By the way, I hope to see and meet some of you every Sunday at the English mass in the morning at the Imutin church.  You can always catch me singing with the church choir. 

*This story was written as part of IVD 2007 commemoration.*