By Margaret Maccoll
Tewantin State School students have done their part to brighten the lives of their East Timorese counterparts, with hundreds of educational care packages.
The decorated shoeboxes will now make their way to Sao Miguel (St Michael) school, about 30 minutes west of Dili, and include exercise books, rulers, erasers, pens and pencils as well as personal items from each student.
The community school has 150 kindergarten and 250 primary school students, and the area also caters for several other schools that are in need of basic educational supplies, but Sao Miguel receives no help from the Ministry of Education in Timor.
The project has been going for 10 years and Tewantin State School deputy principal, Rick Cass said his school was delighted to be involved with the program that is shared with Tewantin, Cooroy, Coolum and Pacific Paradise State Schools. It all happens in partnership with the Tewantin Community Bank branch of Bendigo Bank and the Rotary Club of Noosa.
“It’s been great for all students to get involved and give something back. We’re all actively involved with the project again this year and all our students have had a ball putting the care parcels together. It’s been wonderful to see the results of their hard work, and Bendigo Bank and Rotary will then assist in getting these parcels into the hands of the kids who need them most,” Rick said.
The 500 shoeboxes expected from Tewantin will join 1500 others from Cooroy, Tewantin and Pacific Paradise state schools to create a shipment that will change the lives of 2000 East Timorese kids.
“Every shoebox will be personally decorated and contains items to further the education of a child less fortunate than themselves. Each student has enclosed something small of theirs such as a soft toy or a tennis ball. It’s added something simple, but personal to each box and it was quite the moment when the kids held up their boxes at assembly,” he added.
