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Order of Malta Australia

News

Orphan Support Programme

05/02/2013 


Timor-Leste has a high number of orphans and no state welfare system to care for them.  With high mortality rates of mothers in childbirth and basic poverty preventing families from supporting extra children, orphanages play a vital role in society.  The Order of Malta has ‘adopted’ the Carmelite Sister’s orphanage in the town of Maubara, and with the help of volunteers from Australia has reconstructed the bathroom and laundry facilities at the orphanage which were in dire need of repair.

In addition the Order of Malta is facilitating the construction of a Carmelite Home for Young Women and a Community Centre in the capital Dili.  This building will eventually be the home for those orphans who have ‘outgrown’ the Maubara orphanage and who wish to continue their education to high school and university. To assist with the education of these orphans, the Order has established the Order of Malta Scholarship Program which will fund the girls’ accommodation and tuition fees.  The First Lady of Timor-Leste, Ms Isabel Ferreira has generously agreed to be the Patroness of this important program.

Since Timor-Leste became independent in 2002 the Order of Malta has undertaken varied humanitarian initiatives across the country.  The Order’s Embassy supports the medical infrastructure of the island, through projects such as funding the construction of a tuberculosis clinic at Venilale and a birthing clinic at Malabe, as well as donating a container full of birthing equipment to the Ministry of Health for the hospital in Baucau.

The Australian Association

The Australian Association, formed in 1974, currently has in excess of 300 members and aspirant members across every State and Territory of Australia. We also have ongoing and strong links with the Order’s National Associations throughout the Asia Pacific Region including in Singapore and the Philippines and with members of the Order in New Zealand, Hong Kong SAR, Thailand and Korea. The Order of Malta is committed to serving Our Lords the Poor and Sick worldwide and has done so for over 900 years. This website shares with you the history, mission and current activities of the Order of Malta in Australia, and provides links to the work of the Order world-wide.