Over the last ten years I think we have learnt more from the people of Soibada than we have taught them. We made many naïve mistakes in the beginning. We were so shocked by the standard of living and the hardships the people endured that our natural inclination was to fix it for them. This is such a band aid solution but it took us a while to realise it. The key to sustainable development and change is actively listening to what the community is asking for.
In the last couple of years a regular request has been for CPR and first aid training. Soibada is extremely isolated and it can take up to 8 hours to drive down to Dili. There are Cuban trained Timorese doctors in the clinic these days and they identified the need for more villagers to have basic first aid skills.
A couple of years ago Newport Surf Lifesaving Club donated some mannequins and sent two trainers to Soibada to pass on some basic skills. The training was so well received and the locals were keen to do it again.
As half our team headed to the maternity clinic to install the water tanks the rest of us made our way to the Nicolau Lobato Senior High School.
The school sits high on the hill overlooking the centre of the village. The first time I visited there many years ago the students didn’t take me by road but we climbed the almost vertical mountainside from the bottom road. Wearing a dress and my signature hat I was grateful to have my boots on. It wasn’t an easy climb but I was ably assisted by the group of giggling school children skipping along behind me. Dozens of little hands pushed me up the hill. If it wasn’t so funny it would’ve been excruciatingly embarrassing.
This time however, we had the luxury of a bumpy 4 wheel drive through the village and up the hill. The guys were making good progress and gave us a wave as we passed the clinic. Roadwork and low hanging overhead wires brought us to a standstill and we had to walk the last bit of the journey. We carried the insipid looking CPR mannequins under our arms but it was the volleyball gear that drew many sideways glances as we processed down the rocky dirt roadway towards the shacks that were called a senior high school.
The staff were almost as excited as the students on our arrival and came running out into the central courtyard. On one side there was a dilapidated building that was once the local governments headquarters. It was now the teachers office space and a couple of classrooms. The other classrooms have woven walls with gaping holes. The most satisfying view for us however was the almost complete hospitality training classroom that was funded by Pittwater community and constructed by the school students, their teachers and their parents. It is here that Soibada’s future as a tourist destination will be shaped!
After a rowdy welcome we split into several groups. I distributed the Days for Girls hygiene kits to the younger female students. The boys disappeared to do some CPR training with Rosemary from Avalon Surf Lifesaving Club and another group went off for a knitting lesson with Kerry and Rae. I will tell you more about each of these programs in coming weeks but for now I have to say that the activity that was the greatest hit of the days was the dancing!
Tamara Sloper-Harding OAM
Chairperson Pittwater Friends of Soibada
Email: tamara.harding@bigpond.com
Ph: 0403 226 699
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/Pittwater-Friends-Of-Soibada
Website: www.pittwaterfriendsofsoibada.org.au
