An orphanage built and a health centre in the capital Dili soon to be operational

The Sovereign Order of Malta’s latest achievement in Timor-Leste is the recently inaugurated orphanage for 26 children aged from 6 to 18. The facility, managed by the Dominican sisters, is in Hera, a few kilometres from the capital Dili. It is surrounded by agricultural land which can help to make the structure self-sufficient and at the same time enable the children to learn a skill.

In addition, a new health centre will be created adjacent to one of the most disadvantaged areas of the capital Dili. It will be on the ground floor of a commercial building in a large shopping centre, the Timor Plaza, which the owners have generously made available to the Order of Malta for a nine-year period. The health centre should be up and running by the beginning of next year.

With the support of Srª Isabelle Ferreira Ruak, Timor-Leste’s First Lady, the Order of Malta has also launched a scholarship programme for promising students from the south-east Asian country. This is a “capacity building” project for enhancing existing knowledge and skills in a country with a very high rate of poverty.