ASSERT featured on BBC Lifeline

The BBC Lifeline team recently came to Timor Leste to film an appeal on behalf of ASSERT and the Cambodia Trust.

The Lifeline appeal was broadcast on BBC television in September, bringing the work of ASSERT to a wide audience.

Our grateful thanks to BBC Directors/Producers Jill Dawson and Stephanie Harvie, Presenter Nick Clarke and everyone on the Lifeline production team, for helping us to raise awareness and vital funds for our work.

Click here to find out more about the people featured in the Lifeline film.

[Photo: Louise Maher, Senior Physiotherapist, with Juliana, a young girl featured in the BBC film ]

Political Unrest In Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste has experienced extensive political and civil unrest since 28th April 2006, resulting in the presence of international peace keepers (including Australian, New Zealand and Malaysian army personnel and Portuguese paramilitary police), the resignation of the former Prime Minister Mári Alkatiri, and the development of Internally Displaced Persons camps throughout Díli. At the height of tensions in late May to early July, the TLSPR was closed, but it has now reopened. A large proportion of the population continue to live in the Internally Displaced Persons camps and ASSERT is now completing surveys in these camps to identify any disabled people who may be staying there.

 

Scholarship Programmes

ASSERT has received funding support from The Charitable Foundation of Australia for the training of two East Timorese national staff to study physiotherapy in Indonesia . This is very important to the success of our programme, and essential in terms of achieving the aims of ASSERT in training local staff. Three candidates attended the entry exam in Solo in July 2006. The two successful candidates will commence study in September 2006.