Media Release

Canberra Centenary charity project delivers for Dili

ACT Chief Minister, Katy Gallagher, has congratulated the hard-working team involved in raising the funds and delivering a new toilet block for Aimutin Public School in the suburbs of Dili.

“It is a remarkable achievement that just over six months after the Dollars for Dili project was launched, we are already seeing the first tangible signs of the benefits it is delivering for the people of our friendship city,” the Chief Minister said.

“Aimutin Public School currently has more than 1,100 students and 25 teaching staff operating on three shifts a day. I am told there has been a desperate need for new sanitation facilities and so, today, thanks to our partners, Scouts Australia, Rotary International and local volunteers, the Dollars for Dili project has made its first mark.

“The lack of sanitation facilities in the schools of Timor-Leste has resulted in lower attendances, especially among girls and young women. This project, which will be repeated at other schools across Dili, will improve the health and education of young residents in this struggling new nation,” she said.
The Dollars for Dili charity project aims to raise $358,000 in total by the end of Canberra’s 2013 Centenary, representing a dollar for every Canberran.

Donations can be made online at www.dollarsfordili.com.au
For more information on Centenary of Canberra projects, including regular updates, visit www.canberra100.com.au.

Media Contact: Adina Cirson Ph: 6205 0384 (w) 0435 964 454 (m)
Kathryn Roberts Ph: 6205 0242 (w) 0478 472 039 (m)