 |
|
A moving part of Leo’s interview included her experiences of living in Baguia throughout the War of Independence. Leo recalled, as a young girl, how her family survived for 5 years without a home as they were constantly bombed by the Indonesian Airforce most days starting at 8.30 am. Once, Leo ran carrying her 1-week-old baby sister to escape from the bombs. This resulted in the family resorting to living in caves without food and water. Nevertheless, her mother kept the children alive by foraging for bush food in the forest. At the end of this period, Leo had lost most of her hair and body mass due to malnutrition.
As Leo spoke, we were left with the impression that the old days were not necessarily “good old days.” School in Baguia finished at Grade 6. Grades 7,8,9 were completed in Bacau, a two- day trek away. Young Leo completed her middle school education away from home, walking back to Baguia every six months from Bacau for the school holidays. High School was completed in Dili and still there was no transport to Baguia.
After high school Leo returned to Baguia as a Volunteer teacher but she longed for a university degree. Volunteer teachers still are employed in Baguia. They usually are high school graduates without formal teacher qualifications. Volunteer teaching brought in a steady income to help her family so there was no extra money to pay for university. Leo’s mother was adamant that she was to stay in Baguia but Leo was determined. She promised her mother that she would be able to finance her own studies and left for Dili. Leo then took on various jobs to achieve her dream in Dili. She cleaned houses and worked again as a volunteer teacher, making enough money to finance her sister’s university fees as well as her own.
Leo’s transition to community leader was encouraged by her husband. It was John who suggested she write to the Ministry of Education to try and improve facilities for schools in Baguia. Leo and Maria remember teaching conditions for Baguia in 2006. Then, in Timor Leste, school publications were hand written onto stencils and printed on an old fashion Gestetner Roneo machine. Eventually, the teachers in Baguia were the proud owners of a typewriter but it was shared by various schools.
Raising 6 children on her own after John passed away from a sudden illness, did not deter Leo from helping her community. She continued John’s NGO work, “With One Seed”, opening her home to family and other students from remote areas and advocating on behalf of her community. In the local and education communities, Leo continues to lead by example by demonstrating a quiet resilience and humility. In her own words, “Transparency and humility are very important.”
 |  |
 |  |