Friends of Aileu

About

Friends of Aileu is a community-to-community relationship linking Melbourne’s Merri-bek and Hume City Councils and people with Aileu, Timor-Leste.

The partnership is called a ‘friendship relationship’. It began in May 2000 with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding and the subsequent signing of a Friendship Agreement in 2005, which has been renewed at 5-yearly intervals.

Find out about the projects and programs we support in collaboration with our partners in Aileu.

Principles

1. Sustainability

Sustainability is at the core of our friendship with Aileu. We promote sustainability by building meaningful connections and building trust between our communities. We focus on projects that are environmentally sustainable and have a long-lasting benefit to the community.

2. Mutual understanding and respect

We aim to build trust, establish meaningful relationships, and promote mutual respect. We work directly with the people of Aileu and respect their traditions and customs. We believe understanding and respect are central to creating strong and lasting relationships. 

3. Timorese-led decision-making

Genuine solidarity involves promoting East Timorese decision-making and self-determination. Our work is driven by the direction and needs of the Aileu community.

  • Timor-Leste, which became an independent nation in 2002, is one of Australia's closest neighbours. In fact, its capital Dili is only 720km from Darwin. Timor-Leste is home to 1.2 million people (2015 census). Over 70% of these people live in rural areas. Both the rural and urban populations of Timor-Leste engage in agriculture and livestock rearing.

    The official languages of Timor-Leste are Portuguese and Tetun. However, many people speak Indonesian and increasing numbers speak English, both of which are recognised as working languages.

    The Aileu Municipality is a largely mountainous area inland immediately south of Dili and the municipal centre is a small town less than 20 kilometres directly south of Dili, reached by a 45-kilometre drive through forest, farmland and coffee groves.

    Aileu is one of Timor-Leste's 13 municipalities or administrative sub-divisions (formerly called districts). It is home to 49,000 people (2015 census). Almost all households in Aileu depend on agriculture or livestock raising.

    Timor-Leste's municipalities are gradually growing their service delivery and governance responsibilities as part of the decentralisation process. Over the coming years, the Government of Timor-Leste plans to transition the municipalities to fully responsible local government entities with elected assemblies.

    You can find out more about the historical relationship between Australia and Timor-Leste in our Australia and Timor-Leste (PDF).

Get involved

We welcome everyone living, working, studying, or volunteering in Merri-bek or Hume, as well as anyone interested in Timor-Leste, to join us in supporting this important friendship! 

Ways to Get Involved:
  • Join our mailing list
  • Make a Donation
  • Attend fundraising activities
  • Volunteer to assist with the organisation of these activities
  • Purchase Wild Timor coffee
  • Join the Friends of Aileu Community Committee

  • You can contribute to the friendship relationship by:

    • helping to staff information stalls at community events
    • submitting ideas for awareness-raising or fundraising
    • assisting at fundraising events, such as our annual Trivia Night
    • contacting local organisations and businesses that may be interested in assisting with fundraising
    • contributing articles to the quarterly newsletter
    • hosting visitors from Timor-Leste
    • communicating with our friends in Aileu and helping with the management of friendship activities there
    • becoming a member of the Friends of Aileu Community Committee.

    Our relationship with Aileu also provides opportunities for new and enduring friendships, formed through sharing stories, food, music, and culture.

    Email the Friends of Aileu Project Officer if you are interested in volunteering for Friends of Aileu activities or projects: friendsofaileu@merri-bek.vic.gov.au

    You can also register your interest by completing our Volunteering with the Friends of Aileu form (PDF) or Volunteering with the Friends of Aileu form (DOC).

  • You may want to make either a general or project-specific donation to Friends of Aileu. Read about our projects in our projects section below. You can also purchase and send a gift certificate donation for your choice of project.

    All funds donated to Friends of Aileu are transferred to Timor-Leste partners to support agreed projects in Aileu. At this stage, tax-deductibility is not available.

    For information about how to make a donation email the Friends of Aileu Project Officer or view the guidelines below:

  • You can also support Friends of Aileu by purchasing some delicious Wild Timor Coffee! It is available in 200g packs (ground or beans) for $13. Purchase from one of our Customer Service Centres or email the Friends of Aileu Project Officer to purchase.

    You can also buy Wild Timor Coffee in-store or on the Wild Timor Coffee website. Part of your purchase will be used to support Wild Timor coffee's own social programs in Aileu and elsewhere in Timor-Leste.

Community Committee

The Friends of Aileu Community Committee is a group of Merri-bek and Hume community members who make decisions about the friendship relationship. They run programs, raise funds and advocate for the people of Aileu to develop their community, economy, and local democracy.

For further information please contact our Friends of Aileu Project Officer by email friendsofaileu@merri-bek.vic.gov.au

News and Events

[Add in most current projects and local and Aileu events]

Friends of Aileu Newsletters and Annual Reports

We produce newsletters and reports for the Friends of Aileu partnership.

See below for the latest Newsletter, and the Annual Report covering the calendar year 2023.

Friends of Aileu Newsletter October 2024

Friends of Aileu Annual Report 2023.pdf

Friends of Aileu Annual Report 2023.docx

Please contact our Friends of Aileu Project Officer by email friendsofaileu@merri-bek.vic.gov.au if you would like a copy of any of the other newsletters, annual reports, reports of visits to Aileu, and presentations.