Rotary Hawthorn funds Junior High School and Technical Trade Scholarships in Baguia, Timor Lestre: up to $2,500 per annum.

It also funds one Technical Trade Scholarship which is considered a high priority as it enables unemployed young people to gain a skill and future income. 

Rotary Hawthorn Technical Trade Scholarship 2021 

Due to the COVID-19 lock-down in Timor-Leste the Dom Bosco College was forced to close on several occasions and months of training lost. This has resulted in an interrupted year for the 2021 students who will now be finishing their course in March 2022. 

Traditionally the Technical scholarships have been awarded to male school leavers in Baguia. However, we are endeavouring to provide more opportunities to young women, so the 2021 Rotary Hawthorn Technical Scholarship recipient was provided to Marcelina Alves Ximenes (right) to study Administration. The selection of candidates is decided with School Principal Sra. Leopoldina Guterres and Sr. Antonio dos Ramos (Baguia Sub-district Administrator). 

Marcelina is from the village of Alawa Kraik in Baguia. Marcelina comes from a family of nine. She is the 3rd oldest of her 7 brothers and sisters. Her parents are subsistence farmers with no other income. 

Marcelina is from the village of Alawa Kraik in Baguia. Marcelina comes from a family of nine. She is the 3rd oldest of her 7 brothers and sisters. Her parents are subsistence farmers with no other income. 

 She is currently doing work experience as part of her course and due to the loss of class-time last year, her 2021 course will not be finishing until the end of March 2022. 

Rotary Technical Scholarship 2020 

The previous year’s recipient of the Rotary Hawthorn Technical Scholarship was Avelino Menezes (left), who studied building construction (pictured above when he was studying). Sra. Leopoldina has advised that since graduating in April 2021 he has secured a job in Timor Plaza (Dili’s answer to Chadstone Shopping Center) and he installs and maintains the air-conditioning systems among other duties. 

The fees at the Training College are over $900 as the students are in training from 9am to 5pm for 5 days a week. Fees include lunch and all safety equipment such as boots if it’s a trade course which are provided by the college. 

The scholarship allows for the daily cost of transport to and from the college on the outskirts of Dili. However, it does not cover other living costs and students live with relatives and have to find other means of supplementing income, such as selling phone cards on the street. 

Senior High School Scholarships 2021 

As at February 2022, the students listed below were all still waiting to see if their marks would be high enough to get them into a University course in 2022. 

These five students were initially funded by Rotary Hawthorn to receive Junior High Scholarships at St Joseph’s in Baguia for the three years from 2016 to 2018. Further funding was then provided to enable them to continue to Senior High School for 2019 through 2021. 

Despite the numerous school closures due to lock-downs, all five students have successfully graduated their Year 12 at the Senior High Schools detailed below. 

The Rotary scholarships have enabled three of the students to study in Dili at High Schools that would have a better standard of education than the Government Senior High in Baguia. These students have relatives living in Dili with whom they can stay. 

The cost of the scholarships is $200 each, or a total of $1,000 per year. 

Photo: Students Lourenco Alves, Patricio Guterres and Rosita Aparicio with teacher Leopoldina Guterres (September 2018). 

1. Lourenco Alves is from Alua Kraik. Both his parents are alive but his father went to jail for 14 months under suspicion of colluding with the rebels. Lourenco was chosen for this scholarship shortly after his father was sent to jail, as he has 5 sisters and 3 brothers. None of the girls are attending school, but the other boys are attending the government school in Baguia. 

Lourenco is now 16 years old and his favourite subject at school is Science. He hopes he can get the opportunity to continue next year into Senior High School in Baguia, as he would like to go on to be a doctor. 

2. Patricio Guterres is from Hae Coni. While both his parents are alive, his mother is partially blind and suffers from poor health and so can’t work. He has 8 brothers and a sister. One brother is at University and two are at the senior high school in Baguia. The two younger brothers are still in primary school and his eldest sister stays home to help run the household. 

Patricio is 17 years old and his best subject at school is Mathematics. He wants to go to Senior High School in Baguia next year, as he is very keen to become a teacher. 

3. Rosita Aparicio is a girl from the village of Samalari. Her father died a few years ago and her mother has 6 children. The eldest is a labourer making bricks, one is at university and the rest are no longer attending school. Even the youngest boy stopped going to school once the father died. 

Rosita is 18 years old and enjoys studying English language at school. She hopes she can obtain a scholarship to attend Senior High School in Dili, so that she can then get high enough marks to get into Medicine and become a doctor. 

4. Flaviano Mariz is from Rufaguia. When his father died his oldest brother was forced to quit university in Dili and come back to Baguia to support the family in a subsistence lifestyle. The oldest sister also stopped attending Senior High. The youngest girl attends primary school up the mountain in Rufaguia, while two stay with extended family members in Baguia to attend the Government Junior High, and Flaviano stays with another family. 

Flavanio  is 19 years old and really enjoys sport! He hopes to have the chance to continue his education at the Senior High in Baguia as he would like to become a teacher when he is older. 

5. Martinho Pinto is from Hae Coni. Both his parents are alive, but he comes from a large family with 8 brothers and sisters. He has one brother and sister who stay at home to work the subsistence agriculture that the family depend on. His younger brothers and sisters are still attending school. 

Martino  is 18 years old and his favourite subject at school is maths. He hopes he can go on to study at the Senior High in Baguia as he would like to become a doctor. 

Photo: Students Martino Pinto and Flavanio Mariz 

On behalf of the Friends of Baguia committee I wish to thank the Rotary Club of Hawthorn for their continued generosity in supporting the youth of Baguia and thereby enabling them to have improved opportunities in life. 

Derarca O’Mahony 

President, Friends of Baguia