Around 30 passionate people took to the Perth hills on Sunday 19 May to take part in the Trek for Timor. Walking from Kalamunda Uniting Church to Foothills St Martin’s Uniting Church in Forrestfield, the group were raising money for Lafaek Diak’s mobile health clinic.
Lafaek Diak translates in English to the Good Crocodile Foundation. It works towards providing access to quality education, healthcare and sustainable food security for people in Timor-Leste, and is one of the Uniting Church WA’s international partner organisations.
Alison Dyall, from St Augustine’s Bunbury Uniting Church, was involved in organising the event. She said the funds will go towards paying a driver for the clinic.
“Lafaek Diak, or the Good Crocodile Foundation, has a mobile clinic as well as an ordinary clinic, and it services about 20 villages on a rotational basis,” Alison said. “The mobile clinic goes out two days a week and the driver at this stage is voluntary, but he has a family to support so they really want to be able to pay him.”
“Sometimes the village isn’t all that far away, maybe half an hour or three quarters of an hour in the car. They might only be gone for the morning, but sometimes it’s a lot further away. Sometimes there might be a hundred odd people waiting there to see the staff and they might be out all day.”
Back home, the Trek for Timor took participants on a 9km hilly route via Lesmurdie falls. Participants were warmly greeted at the finish line by Foothills Uniting Church with a cheering squad and afternoon tea.
“The organising group wanted to make it a reasonable distance and also up and downhill a bit, because that could be the sort of distance that people in Timor might have to walk if they want service by the mobile clinic,” Alison said.
“If you’ve got a sick child or you’re sick yourself and you have no access to a medical centre, and you have to walk 10 kms up and down hills, you may not make it.”
So far, Trek for Timor has raised around $3 000, with donations still welcome. Send donations to:
BSB: 036 001
Account: 921 789
Account Name: Uniting Church Investment Fund
Reference: ETimor 709647
Heather Dowling