Atauro Island. . .
Robert here, I spoke with Helen last night, not long after she had returned to Dili from Atauro. Helen had gone out to the island (just 25 km north of Dili) the day after arriving in Timor last week. It is about 25 km long and 9 km wide, with a population of 8000 people. She said there were six cars on the island and hardly any roads to speak of. After leaving the area around the main town of Vila, travel is by foot on a network of walking tracks, or by water in outrigger canoes fitted with outboards.
Working with an Australian Aid International (AAI) medical team, including both Australians and local Timorese, Helen visited several small villages, holding clinics and performing routine healthcare for the people who live a basic, subsistence life in this remote area of East Timor.
Helen described Atauro as being quite green and beautiful after having had some welcome rains. The ocean was warm and clear and she was able to do a bit of snorkeling in between clinics. The days are hot and she described the spectacular view of a huge full moon rising up over the turquoise sea as she sat in the little raised bungalow where she was staying.
It is the weekend for Helen now, a chance for a bit of downtime in Dili, with friend Meg who has been so helpful with things. The plan is that on Monday she’ll go up into the mountains out of Dili to the village of Emera for a few days to work at a community based clinic run by Timorese with partial public funding. After that she’ll be going back out to Atauro by next Monday.
As we spoke, I could hear noises in the background and she said there was a pig rooting around down below the window and a group of children rushing past yelling and playing. So, it all seems to be going well and Helen sounded very happy to be out there doing her thing, making contacts and seeing some very interesting places. Hopefully she’ll be able to send some photos for the next posting.
If you’d like more information on AAI and their work in East Timor you can check out their website at: www.aai.org.au
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