|
The Life, Love and Health Team
Patron - Kevin Bailey is the Honorary Consul General for Timor-Leste in Victoria and the Patron of Life, Love and Health. Kevin is also a director of Action Aid International, a worldwide humanitarian aid agency and The Xanana Vocational Education Trust, which provides training in East Timor. He is a member of the Investment Advisory Board of the Petroleum Fund of Timor-Leste. Kevin was awarded a Williamson Fellowship by Leadership Victoria in 1999 and more recently was recognised as the recipient of the 2006 Fellows Community Leadership Award. He has been made a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International. Earlier in his career, Kevin served with the SAS Regiment in the Australian Army. He is married to Grace and they have seven children aged from three to 20 years.
LL&H Committee
President - John Gosling OAM - Family man (wife Chris) with 8 children and 9 grandchildren. Professional career - 38 years with Guide Dogs Victoria as Guide Dog Mobility instructor and in Senior Managerial role. Awarded Order of Australia Medal for services to people who are blind and visually impaired, particularly in Guide Dog Mobility and Pets as Therapy programs. National Serviceman and served in Vietnam with 6 Royal Australian Regiment in 1969/70. Travelled to Timor-Leste on personal visits on five occasions.
Vice President and Treasurer - Dan Findlay - Co-founder of Life, Love and Health. Both the name LL&H and the idea of particularly assisting in Timor-Leste came to Dan and like all of our volunteers, he has poured countless hours into working to support projects to improve livelihoods in Timor-Leste. Dan is a Financial Planner and has been on several trips to Timor since LL&H was founded in late 2002. Dan has also been instrumental in the establishment of City Friendship relationships and lives in Albury NSW with his wife Kath and 3 children.
Country Director - Luke Gosling OAM - Co-founded Life, Love and Health after a visit to Timor-Leste to celebrate the Restoration of Independence in May 2002. Luke co-produced the film 'Debt of Honor' which aired on Channel 9 on Anzac day 2005/6. Luke has been the Country Director since Life, Love and Health's inception, monitoring Life, Love and Health's partnered projects. Luke was awarded the Timor-Leste Medal of Merit in August 2009 for humanitarian services to Timor-Leste.
Communications Manager - Loretta Walshe - Currently the Communications Manager for Centacare Catholic Family Services. Loretta has worked in public relations and fundraising for Guide Dogs Victoria, Red Cross, CARE Australia, Kildonan UnitingCare, Austin & Repatriation Hospitals, Rural Health Workforce Australia and Cancer Council Victoria. She and her husband Paul Grech run their own design and communications business and have two young children.
Committee Member - Jill Forsyth - Retired midwife and business woman. Enjoys family life with husband, 3 adult children, and grandchildren. Following a lifetime of community service in local communities, through kindergartens, schools, music, sport and Rotary, Jill now enjoys supporting grassroots groups and activities in East Timor and PNG. As a board member of Alola Australia, ISHRA, Kor Timor, Vice President of the GOYA Foundation, and through sharing her own resources, she enjoys developing opportunities to create sustainable employment, education and training for young men and women. Highlights have included the Alola Maternity Pack project, the Baucau soap producers and the recycled paper enterprise Kor Timor.
Committee Member - Ana Saldanha - Born in Dili, Timor-Leste. Ana left for Portugal in 1975 and in 1976, moved to Mozambique where she remained until 1987. In 1987 Ana moved to Australia and has worked for Defence Force School of Languages (DFSL) since 1999, delivering training in the Tetum-Praça Language, Culture & History of Timor-Leste and Potuguese when required. In 2007 to 2009, Ana was appointed as the Acting Training Development Officer for DFSL. She is also on the Tetum Panel for the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters. Ana is currently finishing her Masters in Applied Linguistics at the University of Melbourne.
Committee Member - Bill Dagg - An esteemed Rotarian and longtime supporter of Timor-Leste. Bill runs the Rotary District 9800 West Footscray Donations In Kind (DIK) project in Footscray. Bill and his fabulous volunteers at DIK have organised the collection, sorting and shipping of over 6,800 tonnes of humanitarian and development goods to Timor-Leste since 2000. Through Bill (and Daryl Mills’ work in Dili), Life, Love and Health has been able to support NGOs and schools with computers and exercise books, pens, chairs, desks, vegetable seeds and the list goes on…
Committee Member - Jennifer Jones - - A Secondary School teacher in Melbourne and the Educational Advisor to the Committee. Jenny has previously taught English to children at an orphanage in Dili, Timor-Leste and has also taught Timorese to staff at the East Timor Development Agency (ETDA). During her time in Timor-Leste, Jen also worked with Timorese teachers by mentoring them, which included developing curriculum and resources.
What is Life, Love and Health?
Life, Love and Health (LLH) is a volunteer based, Australian Registered charity committed to community development in Timor-Leste. Our grassroots projects assist the Timorese people to address their fundamental needs and aspirations as they move forward through difficult challenges to their independent future.
Our Vision
To be a dynamic volunteer community development organisation for Timor-Leste that builds Timorese capacity and improves livelihoods and connections between our two countries.
Our Mission
To provide grassroots community development opportunities with our Timorese partners in order to improve the lives of this and future generations of Timorese.
Our Values
• We act with Integrity and Compassion.
• We promote Timorese Leadership and Capacity.
• We encourage engagement and partnership between communities and groups.
• We acknowledge the cultural identity of the Timorese people and our shared history.
• We value our volunteer commitment.
• We work towards a positive and secure future for our communities.
Background
Life, Love and Health was founded in 2002 by Dan Findlay and Luke Gosling. The initial aims of LL&H were both modest and ambitious - to make a difference in the newest country in the world, and the poorest in Asia, as it struggled to rebuild after the destruction of 1999. LL&H aimed to do this by building the indigenous capacity for development through supporting the work of national Non-Government Organisations (NGOs).
Life, Love & Health contributed to the work of the Alola Foundation. Maternal health, including infant and maternal mortality, were and continue to be some of the most significant health issues in Timor-Leste. In addition, the convergence of a broad range of social and economic factors make the lives of women incredibly difficult in Timor-Leste. The Alola Foundation, championed by founder and Former First Lady Kirsty Sword Gusmao, works in many ways to support women and children in attaining better health and better lives.
Through the early years of 2003/04, LL&H also sought to increase awareness of the difficulties still faced by the Timorese people through projects that both sought to strengthen links between our two countries while also raising funds. We focussed on supporting orphanages, traditional handicrafts projects and the maternal health work of the Alola Foundation.
Through the conduct of grassroots projects in Timor-Leste, LL&H has strengthened our ties with other Timorese NGOs that work hard to develop their country and strengthen civil society. They not only provide services and support for communities but also provide employment, particularly for youth, which is such an issue in Timor-Leste today.
Humanitarian Assistance
During April-July 2006, Timor-Leste and particularly the capital city of Dili was in crisis. The increases in ethnic tensions eventually led to widespread civil disorder. Eventually, there was a relative stabilisation created by the arrival of an Australian led International Stabilisation Force.
During this difficult period over 150,000 Timorese were internally displaced into camps or churches or returned to the Districts where it remained relatively safe. These movements of people and the general security situation led to widespread food shortages and LL&H moved from a community development posture to an emergency humanitarian aid response.
There was an urgent need to provide assistance to the men, women and children who had fled their homes in fear and while most of the international aid agency staff were evacuated, our on the ground team stayed to help.
LL&H worked with the Timorese Government and partners such as the International Organisation for Migration and the UN World Food Program to distribute food, water, medicines and basic essentials to the displaced and dispossessed.
John and Luke Gosling |
Current Focus
In 1999, the World Bank estimated that 95 per cent of school buildings, school furniture and materials had been lost through the ongoing violence that marked the long era of Indonesian occupation. There is a 50 per cent level of illiteracy amongst the broader population so it is critical that the next generation is given a good education in adequate facilities.
In 2006, the UNDP estimated that 60 per cent of Timorese people do not have access to adequate sanitation which is a serious health problem. Poverty and inadequate education and health are all interlinked. Since 2002, our emerging strategy has focussed on our ability to contribute in these areas.
Life, Love and Health now partners with several NGOs in a wide range of programs including:
• Water and Sanitation
• School Construction
• Maternal Health Care
• Support of Handicraft Groups
• Youth Agricultural Training
• Facilitation and Liaison for other NGOs in Timor-Leste
LL&H Partnerships
LL&H is partnered with Australian Foundation for Asia and the Pacific, AFAP.
|
