A new chapter for children in Timor-Leste

Eight-year-old Dircia (pictured above) loves to read. She is at the top of her Grade 2 class when it comes to reading and writing. “I am getting better at reading and writing,” Dircia says. “My favourite book is Mountains and Rivers . It’s about mountains and rivers, and animals drinking water. There are elephants, dogs and giraffes.”

If Dircia’s circumstances were different, or if she had been born a generation earlier like her parents, she may not have learnt how to read or write. In Timor-Leste, where Dircia is from, children can spend years in primary school without learning to read.

The latest assessment of reading skills carried out by government consultants found that more than 70% of Timorese students at the end of Grade 1 could not read a single word, and 40% at the end of Grade 2.

With a history marred by war and conflict, limited learning resources such as books, and poorly trained teachers, have contributed to low literacy rates across the country. This, in turn, has led to high rates of grade repetition and drop-outs in primary schools.

Dircia is an exception, but hopefully she will one day become the norm.

Through ChildFund Timor-Leste’s literacy project in Manatuto municipality, east of the capital Dili, Dircia has not only learnt to read and write, she is soaking up every piece of new information she discovers.

“In Mountains and Rivers , I learnt that Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan,” Dircia says.