Our 2008 East Timor Playscheme Volunteers

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"No man stands as tall as when he bends down to help a child." James Baldwin

Five volunteers are standing tall right now - they've been selected from a heap of The Body Shop staff applications to head to the remote, southern village of Viqueque in East Timor (Zoom in on the green marker in the above map).

They will be helping to run a fantastic scheme by Children On The Edge that starts in early March. Children in the community will be able to come to a safe space, to learn, play and just be normal kids - an opportunity we take for granted here in Australia.

A normal childhood is one of the first things stolen by poverty. When all hands are forced to be on deck in order to find enough food to feed the family; human rights to education and for children not to have to work - simply aren't a priority.

Children on the Edge's vision is a world without suffering, where all children are able to grow-up in a loving and stable environment; a world in which all children regardless of their race, nationality or parentage have equal access to their rights and the opportunities that will allow them to fulfill their potential wherever they may be in the world. Here are our volunteers that share that vision - I'm sure we'll hear more from in the coming months:

Kerry Robinson - Team Leader, Retail Support Centre
Amber Taylor - Collins Street, Melbourne Store
Mandy Glassey - Epping Store
Katie Phillips - The Glen Store
Lauren Mair - The Body Shop Children's Centre.

Here are some alarming stats about East Timor - the poorest country in Asia and remember just an hour's flight from Darwin:

• Only 27.3 % of East Timorese live in urban areas (2005) and roads which have been destroyed in war or fallen into disrepair mean it’s extremely difficult for the majority of everyone to access essential services.
• Average life expectancy = 56 years of age (2004) (Australia = 80.5)
• Infant Mortality = 52 for every 1,000 births (Australia = 5 per 1,000 births) (2005)
• Child Mortality (Deaths before the age of 5): 61 children die for every 1,000. (Australia = 6) (2005)
• Births Attended by skilled personnel = 18% (1996-2004) (Australia = 100%)
• Human Development Index = 142nd (Australia = 3rd)
• Percentage of children under weight for age (under age 5) = 46% (Australia = not available) (1996-2005)
• Percentage of undernourished population = 9% (Australia = under 2.5%) (2002-2004 average)
• Population with access to improved water = 58% (Australia = 100%) (2004)
• Population with access to improved sanitation = 36% (Australia = 100%) (2004)
• Literacy average = 58.6% (Australia = 99%) (2003).
• Only 41.6 % of the population under 15 years of age is enrolled in education (2004)
• Physicians = 10 per 100,000 people (Australia = 247 per 100,000 people) (1990-2004)
• GNI per capita = US$600 -that’s only about US$2.3 a day! (Australia = US$3,3120) (2005)

Good Luck Viqueque '08 Team! And thanks to everyone who applied for a volunteer position or helped raise money for the centre throughout the year by selling or buying our uber cool Community Trade Tri-Massagers!


Adam Valvasori - Values Manager