Maude Froberg in Dili
Monday mornings are usually marked by a certain hustle and bustle, as the weekend is over and everyday routines once again prevail. In Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste (East Timor), it is no different, but today, the winding traffic, when approaching Lecidere Beach just near the parliament, suddenly seems to slow down.
Under the blossoming white frangipani threes, people are energetically sweeping brooms and fluorescent-coloured hands are picking up litter. Step by step, the area is being meticulously cleaned.
Since early morning, around 100 volunteers from Cruz Vermelha de Timor-Leste (East Timor Red Cross) have gathered to offer their service to the community on 5 December 2005, International Volunteer Day.
One of them is Armandina Lopes, 24.
“I think it is important that we keep the public areas clean. It simply does not just look good. We are also calling on people to take better care of their environment,” says this first aid trainer, who normally dedicates her weekends to training.
In Timor-Leste, a tiny Southeast Asian nation that gained independence from Indonesia in 2002, barely half the population has access to safe drinking water and sanitary facilities. Health statistics are among the worst in the world. So any improvement in environmental cleanliness can pay off for people’s health.
In front of Armandina, her colleague, Luis Pedro Pinto, a branch developer co-ordinator with the Red Cross, is slowly moving from one fish monger to another, informing them about the voluntary clean-up and the importance of not littering the area.
“We are well received by everyone. I would say there is a true appreciation of what we are doing, so people are willing to listen. Hopefully, they will be more careful with litter in the future,” says Luis Pedro Pinto.
As Luis Pedro Pinto points out, environmental care is one of the programmes of the Timor-Leste Red Cross, so it is natural to highlight the issue on International Volunteer Day.
“We are very happy to see that more than 100 hundred people turned up today,” affirms Luis.