TIMOR • TIMOR
DESARROLLO PARA TODOS: LA SITUACIÓN ACTUAL EN TIMOR-LESTE
DEVELOPMENT FOR ALL: THE CURRENT SITUATION IN TIMOR-LESTE
the year after independence. We currently have convents in the capital, Dili, in Bazartete and Kasait. Today, I would like to write about a situation at Tuti Convent in Dili to think about Timor-Leste’s development after independence. One of Tuti Convent’s apostolic activities is a nutrition project for malnourished children. Half of Timor-Leste’s children under the age of five suffer from malnutrition. We invite these children and their caregivers (usually mothers) to receive nutrition and hygiene education and to receive nutritious meals. Last November, the government demolished part of this convent building, particularly the kitchen and toilets, which are essential for the nutrition project. Before the demolition was implemented, a PR car apparently came by once or twice, announcing that some of the houses in the area would be demolished to make way for road expansion and sewerage construction. However, the sisters and staff were unaware of this. So they were stunned by the almost sudden demolition caused by the excavators.
The theme of the 2025 Jubilee Year is hope, which, on the flip side, reflects the world today’s climate, which is filled with injustice, conflict, and anxiety. The Japanese word for “hope” ( ) is composed of two Chinese characters: ( ) “ki” and ( ) “bou”. “Ki” means “not easily realized,” and “bou” means “desire.” In other words, “hope” means “desiring something that is not easily attained.” What Timor-Leste hoped for was a similarly valuable yet difficult-to-achieve situation: the exercise of the right to self-determination, or, in simple terms, independence. Throughout 450 years of Portuguese colonial rule, three and a half years of Japanese occupation during World War II, and finally 24 years of Indonesian occupation, the people of Timor-Leste always held dear the lofty ideal of national independence. This hope, not merely dreamed of but one that we literally shed blood to achieve, was realized in May 2002. During that time, particularly during the Indonesian occupation, our Institute engaged in various acts of solidarity with the Timorese people in several countries. This led to the founding of a convent
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