Hunter East Timor Sisters (HETS)

Hunter East Timor Sisters (HETS) was formed in December 2008 and is a volunteer group of women from the Newcastle region who support projects that assist women and girls in East Timor (Timor Leste). HETS formed following a request for support from  Beba Sequeira, a Timorese activist, who visited Newcastle in late 2008.   Beba is the director of Asia Pacific Support Collective – Timor Leste  (APSC - TL)  which was set up by Jude Conway, a member of HETS, in Dili in 2000 as an NGO to support women in the newly independent Timor Leste. 


 

HETS wants to contribute to improving opportunities for women in Timor Leste by raising funds for projects run under the guidance of APSC-TL. By selling Timorese hand-woven cloth (tais) products sourced directly from the women weavers through community events HETS is able to increase sales as income for the women weavers and also to contribute to funding educational scholarships for young women and girls in Timor Leste. HETS also wants to raise awareness of current and past issues in Timor Leste, one of our closest neighbours. 

 Upcoming Events:

Jude Conway with Timorese recipients of educational scholarshiips in 2010

 Recent Events :

Meredith Burgmann, with authors and compilers Beba Sequeiras and Laura Abrantes at the Sydney Writer's Festival session on their book 'Secrecy The Key to Independence' Sunday 20 May 2012

Margaret Osland, Odete Belo, Laura Abrantes, Jude Irwin, Therese Osland, Beba Sequeira, Louise and Anne McLaughlin at 'Curry & Conversation' dinner in Newcastle, 16 May 2012.

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East Timor - Timor Leste

East Timor (Timor-Leste) is one of our nearest neighbours and one of the world's newest democracies. The East Timorese people have faced a history of colonisation, oppression and violence and continue to demonstrate resilience and determination. At present the country is peaceful but the East Timorese still face enormous obstacles with widespread poverty, ill health and limitations in education and employment opportunities.
Photographs below were taken in July 2010 by Anne McLaughlin.

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Blue Mountains East Timor Sisters

Blue Mountains East Timor Sisters (BMETS)
formed in 2004 and the group assists in the funding of community-driven APSC-TL projects in Timor Leste. Funds raised by Hunter East Timor Sisters are transferred directly to BMETS for these projects run by APSC-TL, some of which  are outlined in this video below. more info on BMETS here