Supporting Timorese youth training

Timorese Youth, Graham Crumb, Flickr

Published on LinkedIn, 30 August 2020.

I read a heart-warming and inspiring story this week in the ANU's Development Policy Blog about a young Timorese man, Cornelio Dos Santos, who left his regional home in Timor-Leste on a journey to make a better life for himself and in turn for his family, through education. 

There are so many aspects to this story that inspire great admiration for Cornelio. 

Leaving your family and a farming life in an isolated region of Timor-Leste to move to Portugal, Australia, or any other country is no small undertaking. Yes, there is the lure of success and making something more for your family, but there is also the risk and apprehension that comes with moving from the known to the unknown. Such a move is not for everybody but given the goodwill capital that Timor-Leste has built around the world, I feel confident that most countries you care to think of would be willing to help any young Timorese person on such an adventure.

I am able to look at his life with some personal experience because I moved from my native Pakistan to study in Canada after finishing school, hoping to make a better future than the one I saw before me in Karachi. I recall vividly feeling both excitement at the prospects and apprehension about how I would make my way alone. And of course, my experience was easy compared to the Timorese one.

Cornelio’s story is equally about the selflessness to help others and motivation to achieve success for one’s self. He understands that his success will lead to a better life for him, his extended family and Timor-Leste as a country. His respect for his elders, being sent away for three years to study agriculture so he could return with skills to advance his community can only be admired.

It is no accident that the world looks at Timor-Leste with great fondness because Cornelio’s is a classic Timorese story. The Timorese people have worked hard over decades to win their independence and have done so admirably, to say the least. I look fondly towards the many Timorese I know from my twenty years living in Dili. They are highly motivated and rightly proud of what their country has achieved, and I suspect that Cornelio’s plan to work as hard as he can while in Australia, will continue throughout his life and career. Because that is what I see in so many young Timorese.

The years of study and then living overseas might have its difficult times, but when he looks back, I am sure he will have no regrets – only inspiring stories to pass on to the next generation of Timorese youth. We should all watch Cornelio Dos Santos as a future leader in Timor-Leste. 

I hope that all of us who have the opportunity to speak to other young Timorese will encourage them to embark on similar journeys.