By Capt Sarah Hawke

Capt Arran Hassell and Sgt Katarina Babic, ASNCE with some of the kids from St Clara’s orphanage. Photo by Flt-Lt Tania Smith, MPA

As ADF personnel continue to work tirelessly as part of East Timor’s UNPKF, many are spending their spare time helping orphanages.

One is Saint Clara’s Orphanage based near the Dili Cathedral. St Clara’s has 12 children from the ages of five to twelve, many of whom lost their parents in the violence around the period of independence in 1999.

The Franciscan Sisters order established the orphanage in 2000. Since then Australian personnel have continued to support the Sisters and the children by taking them to beach, donating food and money, helping develop the infrastructure of the orphanage and giving support by visiting on a regular basis.

Three Franciscan Sisters currently look after the children. Sisters Margaretha and Paskalia are from Medan Indonesia and Sister Ambrosia is from Ossu, East Timor.

While the Sisters receive money from their congregation and the Church of Hosanah in Dili, it is still a hard job to keep the orphanage going, but was gratified for the support from Australian military personnel.

Sr Magaretha said that some ADF personnel had sent money to the orphanage after returning to Australia.

Recently the command element raised hundreds of dollars and was able to secure the assistance of Army engineers from the AUSBATT to rebuild the orphanage roof. Other initiatives such as a pump for the well have also been pursued.

Much of the effort behind these recent initiatives has been attributed to former ASNCE staff, Maj Simon McDonald and WO2 Sue Henderson.

Capt Arran Hassell another soldier who contributes his few spare moments to the children.

“Enjoying the company of the children and the Nuns of St Clara’s has been a highlight of my tour. It is a chance to properly interact with people of the local community and better understand their joys and hardships,” he said.

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