Creating Leaders Student profile – meet Betinho
Betinho (pictured with his mother) currently lives in Taibesi, Dili, and thanks to the Creating Leaders Scholarship, he is studying in Casait Secondary School in Grade 10. He is expected to graduate from secondary school in 2027 and hopes to continue his studies beyond secondary education to become a lawyer.
Betinho’s parents are separated, and he lives with his mother and six siblings. Betinho’s father provides US$160 per month to support the family, however this is not enough to cover their expenses. Therefore, in addition to caring for seven school aged children, Betinho’s mother supplements the household income by selling coffee to people who visit her home to play cards. However, this is not a consistent source of income.
Betinho is one of 10 new students joining the Creating Leaders program in 2025, bring the total number of students active in the program to 19.
Creating Leaders is an Order of Malta scholarship program in Timor-Leste. The Scholarships support underprivileged children to participate in formal continuing education.
The Creating Leaders scholarship provides not only the payment of school fees, but the cost of uniforms, transport and school lunches.
Gifts $2 and more are tas deductible for Australian taxpayers.
