Then, we listened to the voice of recovery and resilience. The personal presentation made by representatives of HIAM-Health, an organization that seeks to educate families about nutrition and more efficient farming methods, taught us about the issues many agricultural Timorese face. The same Timorese woman who had defected to Canada had come back to Timor, fighting corruption and wishing to recover what political ground had been eroded by the past.

And finally, we were moved by the voices of song. On the day we travelled to a village in Gleno with HIAM-Health to build garden beds, we sang as we worked, and, at the end of our time there, sang for the villagers, who moved us with the soulful sounds of “Oh Helele”. At both of the schools we visited, we heard traditional songs: at SOLS 24/7, their school anthem shook the skies, and at Ba Futuro, we danced along to guitar-strummed melodies, some of which radiated joy, some of which reflected melancholy. In Timor, we learned their songs and played with their children; we were given a chance to catch a glimpse of the Timorese culture.

The beauty of Timor-Leste was made even more remarkable by knowing the ugliness it had risen from. The hope shining through the faces of students, of villagers, of all the Timorese we met was made more meaningful because of the despair it had replaced. And the voices? The voices can speak for themselves.

- Zoe Ong (Student - SAS Interim 2015)