An alumni shares her experiece that the way we think and act influences our choices

Born and raised in Caicoli, Dili, Marcia Exposto e Silva grew up in a poor family. She had a happy childhood but her parents circumstances meant that she and her siblings had to help them by selling vegetables to sustain their daily needs. Growing up Marcia didn’t have a specific goal, she just wanted to […]

Alumni helps strengthen Timor-Leste’s Police Institutions

Chief Superintendent in Timor Leste’s National Police force and Australia Awards alumnus Hermenegildo do G. da Cruz wanted to become a leader and serve vulnerable people in rural communities from a young age.

At Flinders University he studied Criminology and International Relations where he was encouraged to face challenges, solve problems and to think independently. His studies also introduced him to the benefits of grassroots community policing and the importance of having a credible police force.

Alumni champions inclusive education

According to the 2015 census there are over 40,000 people with a disability in Timor-Leste. Many, especially those living in remote rural areas, don’t have access to education and are denied the chance to learn and develop their talents. Those living with vision impairment are especially disadvantaged, as people generally haven’t heard of braille and […]

Australia Awards Alumni bring clean water to rural communities in Maubisse

Friends since their first day at school Nelida and Maria always dreamed of working together on a community project. When they finished secondary school, with the help of Australia Awards Scholarships, Maria studied for a bachelors degree in Environmental Science & Business Law at The University of Western Australia, whilst Nelida’s degree in Civil Engineering […]

Building a business and creating new jobs

Tome Hula Muda Goncalves from Liquica was interested in the design of buildings and cars from an early age. At twenty he studied civil engineering at university in Surabaya but, when his family home burned down during the 1999 post referendum crisis, he returned to Timor-Leste. Back in Timor he got a job with an […]

Australia Awards Alumni and Member of Parliament has big plans to develop Timor-Leste’s Information Technology

Dr Abel Pires da Silva, Australia Awards Alumni and Member of Parliament, has big plans to develop Timor-Leste’s Information Technology. He started his journey to improve his countries information and communications technology when he was just 12 years old and first realised how much he liked computers. At 14, leaving his Aldeia in the mountains […]