Australian aid-agency Palms Australia is currently appealing for volunteers to assist overseas communities.
Originally known as the Paulian Association, Palms Australia started in Sydney in 1956 and has been sending Australian Catholic volunteers to assist in the development of health, education and other facilities in Africa, Asia and the Pacific since 1961.
Kalgoorlie-based Veronica Chong has been volunteering with Palms Australia for the last ten months in the remote village of Atabae in the Aidabaletan sub-district, mentoring and helping individuals to build cohesive, active and sustainable communities that are based on social justice and mutual respect. She tells her story to The eRecord.
Arriving at this small village, located in the central city of Dili, Timor Leste with a population of about 2,240, Ms Chong said that the main source of income is through agriculture as well as in the areas of health, education and small business.
“As the Community Development Officer, my role included mentoring of individuals and project management. The objectives of community development work is aimed at building cohesive, active and sustainable communities that are based on social justice and mutual respect.
“It seeks to initiate the process of improving the social, cultural and economic life of the villagers to overcome poverty. It is about developing self-reliance in the individual to enhance their skills capacity to bring about growth and development that is sustainable. The idea of ‘give a man a fish he lives for a day, but teach a man to fish he will live for a life time’,” Ms Chong explained.
While her work was primarily community-based, Ms Chong also had to carry out other crucial tasks that involved interacting and making connections by forming networks, working with individuals, and engaging with agencies and government bodies.
“Building these relationships in the early stages of my placement was key to gaining the trust of the community and I am now able to engage in purposeful dialogue and together work through the many needs, and attempts to promote a fairer distribution of resources within the community,” she said.
“It has no doubt been very challenging in the first six months, adapting to local culture, learning new languages, life-styles issues, living conditions, isolation and the lack of infrastructures, such as access to water and electricity.
“Then the hope of introducing new concepts, such as the fundamentals of community development, that of social justice, gender equality and empowering women in an entrenched patriarchal community was at times overwhelming.
Being privileged to have this opportunity, Ms Chong adds that by sharing her skills and experiences as well as what she has gained in the last nine months working with the local community, has helped her immensely.
“Through being involved with the local community, it has helped me to become a more discerning person when it comes to making decisions of community needs and projects to achieve its objectives,” she added.
If you think your skills and experience can make a difference to people and communities around the world, register for the Information Session on Saturday 6 May, from 11am to 12:30pm at City of Perth Library, 573 Hay Street. For more information contact Ms Joey Cheng on 0434 252 676 or email joey@palms.org.au.