2021 Lukluk (VSA) - Magazine - Page 11
placed in assignments that had
been adapted for local lockdown.
Liria Da Silva was one of those
students and she found a place in
Knua Juventude Fila-Liman (KJFL)
- a United Nations Development
Programme sponsored centre for
youth innovation and employment.
Small business markets in Timor-Leste
Photo credit:Kaitlin Scott
Having just returned home from
a four-year stint at Auckland
University of Technology studying
applied science and environmental
science the assignment as a Junior
Waste Management specialist was
perfect for her.
Liria’s assignment is focused
on promoting recycling. The
programme increases public
awareness and knowledge of
sustainable waste management
and promotes integrated recycling
based on the “4R” approach
(review, reduce, reuse and recycle).
“Two things motivated me to take
environmental courses,” Liria says,
“Firstly, when I worked at Bairo
Pite Clinic (a free healthcare nongovernment organisation (NGO)
in Dili), I saw that most of the
children were affected by dengue
fever and malaria. One of the
causes of dengue fever and malaria
is improper waste disposal.
Her achievements so far have
included helping to drive an
awareness campaign on Tiktok and
establishing Loja Matak (The Green
Store), which has provided a space
for local groups and businesses
to sell recycled and upcycled
goods. It’s a great meeting of
environmental and economic
sustainability.
“Secondly, East Timor is a
developing country, with
construction happening all over the
territory, and this contributes a lot
to air and water pollution which
then creates health problems.
“The initiative is part of the
community-based Integrated
Waste Management Facility
(IWMF), which is operated by a
local NGO called REDE HASATIL
and serves as an integrated space
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