Timor Leste will be Declared Free of Illiteracy Thanks to Cuba

Yes I can <> Yo sí puedo

Timor Leste will be declared free of illiteracy in 2012, after more than 117,000 people have learned to read and write with the Cuban method Yes I can, confirmed the Cuban Embassy in Dili.

 According to the article published in cubaminrex thousands of Cubans teachers located in 27 communities in Timor Leste work with the objective of declaring the country free of ignorance in the coming months.

The number of people who have been taught to read and write is 80 percent of the population detected as illiterate, said the document.

The initiative of teaching the residents of this nation began in 2003 when the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, proposed the program to the President of Timor Leste, Kay Rala Xanana.

In this context, Fidel Castro also raised the issue of Cuban health programs to improve the deteriorated human development indicators in Timor Leste.

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Aboriginal community benefits from Cuban literacy program

Australian aid boost to help Cuban health aid initiative in Timor-Leste

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Dr Dan Murphy of the Bairo Pite clinic in Dili 

Australian contributions may become the latest asset for an already thriving Cuban health aid programme in Timor-Leste and this is likely to start later this year.

The Australian government has announced this year a $9 billion increase to foreign aid spending over the next four years with a significant focus on Timor-Leste.

The announcement comes in conjunction with the first independent review into the effectiveness of Australian foreign aid in 15 years.

The review panel has recommended a four-year strategy, where projects are frequently reviewed, and is currently working with the Australian government to set goals for the increased funding.

The panel drew particular attention to the need for value for money and maximum impact for the resources deployed. Building and making better use of effective international partnerships was also recommended.

The Cuban Medical Programme in Timor-Leste, established in 2003 by the previous Fretilin-led government, has saved an estimated more than 17,000 lives, remaining one of the most successful in the world.

Timor-Leste President Jose-Ramos Horta is a strong supporter of the Cuban aid programme, last month recommending the Cuban aid team for a Nobel Peace prize.

Favourable outcomes

University of Sydney lecturer Dr Tim Anderson has closely followed and studied the Cuban programme and says a tripartite agreement involving the government of Timor-Leste would be an effective use of Australian aid funds and produce favourable outcomes for the Timor-Leste Health Care System.

A linked Cuban/Australian programme was discussed by Australian Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs Richard Marles during his visit to Cuba last week.

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Source: Pacific Scoop Report 
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President of East Timor Visits Cuba

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"I want to thank Fidel, Raúl and the Cuban government and people for their contribution
 in developing sectors such education and healthcare in east Timor"

José Manuel Ramos-Horta

The President of the Democratic Republic of East Timor and Nobel Peace laureate José Manuel Ramos-Horta arrived in Cuba on Thursday to pay an official visit to the island at the invitation of the Cuban government.

Welcoming the visitor at the José Martí International Airport was the Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marcos Rodríguez. Following, the distinguished visitor thanked Fidel, Raúl and the Cuban government and people for selflessly helping the Southeast Asian nation boost areas such as healthcare and education.

During his visit, Ramos-Horta will hold official talks with the Cuban President of the Councils of State and Ministers, Army General Raúl Castro. The program of activities also includes a meeting with relatives of the five Cuban antiterrorists being unjustly held in US jails for more than a decade.

Today, the Timorese president will place a wreath at the monument of National Hero José Marti at the Revolution Square, and will tour the memorial devoted to the lifework of the Cuban independence hero. Accompanying him are Timorese Foreign Affairs Minister Zacarías Albano de Costa, Timorese Ambassador to Cuba Egidio de Jesús and other officials.

Cuba and East Timor established diplomatic relations on May 20, 2002, the same day the Asian nation officially declared its independence.

Over the years, Cuban collaborators have fought against illiteracy in that nation, schooling an estimated 46,000 Timorese via the Yo, sí puedo teaching method. In addition, some 600 young people from that nation have graduated from the Havana-based Latin American School of Medicine; and currently, some 219 Cuban doctors are providing free medical assistance in the Asian nation.

Source

> Fidel meets with President of East Timor