Creating Leaders: Providing education and support to underprivileged children in Timor-Leste
Creating Leaders is an Order of Malta scholarship program in Timor-Leste. The Scholarships support underprivileged children to participate in formal continuing education. Without your help, these children could never complete their schooling.
Like many developing countries, Timor-Leste has high levels of poverty and low national human development. Education is an important vehicle to employment, independence, social and political empowerment and consequently, national development. However, a cycle of poverty often creates barriers to the children’s participation in education.
The Creating Leaders scholarships provide not only the payment of school fees, but other assistance and support to help the children overcome barriers that would prevent their participation in education, such as transport, uniforms and meals.
Guiding principles of the scholarship:
* The children eligible to scholarship will come from disadvantaged situations.
* Children who are nominated must demonstrate academic promise and enthusiasm for their studies
* The children to be awarded a scholarship will be taught that it comes with a responsibility of “service to those they too can help”, according to the fundamental ethos of the Order of Malta.
The program aims to assist the scholarship children develop to their full potential and prepare them for taking a fundamental role in the leadership of their country, so that they become positive agents of change and progress.
We currently have 9 children who qualify for scholarships. Sponsoring a child in the Creating Leaders Program costs $100 per month and is tax deductible.
Meet some of our Scholarship students:
Agario
Agario is 15 years old and currently studies at St. Ignitions Loyola, grade 9. Next year, he will be in grade 10 (Secondary). He lives in Kuluhun-Dili with his family. He has six siblings, but since they do not have enough money and rooms, his mother had allowed his older brother and youngest sister to live with an uncle in different city. Agario’s mother is a housewife, and his father passed away last year. Consequently, his mother finds it very difficult to support all of them. Despite all this hardship, Agario always studies hard because his dream is to become a doctor in the future.
Amélia
Amélia is 14 years old and is one of 10 children, cared for solely by their father as their mother is deceased.
Amélia dreams of being a professor. When she isn’t studying, she enjoys reading and watching movies. Her favourite subject at school is mathematics as she loves problem solving.
Caetano
Caetano is 14 years old and live in Bebonuk with his three siblings and his parents.
Caetano loves to share his learnings from school and wishes to pursue a career as a teacher. When he isn’t studying he enjoys playing football and marbles.
When told he has been selected for the scholarship, Caetano said, “Through your help today I can study in my favourite School Externato and I am very happy to get this scholarship and this opportunity. I will study hard to achieve my dream”.
