FPET has identified its program areas, which cover all past, present and currently envisaged projects as:

• Education: This has consistently been mentioned as a priority area and includes primary school buildings and equipment, teachers (training & salaries), school fees, English classes, secondary school access (maybe boarding facilities), technical training facilities and trainers, university student fees.
• Health: This includes clinics, medical supplies, staff, training and possibly sanitation.
• Water supply: This is a high priority need that appears beyond our own resources but there are priorities we can finance and alternative providers need to be sought for the remainder of the problems identified in the FPET sponsored investigation and report by volunteer engineer, Graham Gloag.
• Economic Development: This includes plans for supply of hand tractors, other agricultural equipment and sewing machines. Fishing boat motors, livestock and funding for micro-credit has been supplied.

• Community: This includes a proposed community centre/library building and equipment (proposed for building after schools are completed), vehicles for basic transport needs and some expenditure for community social activities. The biggest single item FPET has provided has been a 4WD vehicle for basic transport needs.
• Relief: Funding has been supplied for food and essential items during emergencies and continues on an ongoing basis for the disadvantaged (eg widows, orphans, amputees).
• Youth: Sporting and musical equipment has been purchased and various social and developmental activities funded.
• Church: Funds have been supplied to buy building materials, furnishings, supplies and other church related items.
• Travel: This includes the cost of visits made to East Timor on behalf of FPET and visits from Atabae to Brisbane. Both are seen as vital to growing the relationship.

Following the previous needs for emergency relief, education and health care have emerged as major areas for our assistance.

Health: A recent World Bank report on progress regarding health programs in East Timor indicated that immunisation coverage for DPT increased from 20% in 2001 to 69% in 2004 and measles from 20%in 2001 to at 60% in 2004. A rise in the number of births assisted by skilled attendants rose from 20% 2001 to 52% in 2004 and that basic health services within two hours walk from home are now available for 86% of the population.

Infant mortality and child health continues to to be a major health issue although some improvement is being achieved. Infant mortality is reported to have decreased from 88 per 1000 live births in 2001 to an estimated 49 per 1000 live births in 2004.

Margaret Hall has been able to initiate a number of much needed proactive community health programs, especially for mothers, infants and the primary school children. Margaret has coordinated well with other health professionals and arranged training for locals who have volunteereed to participate in the community health work.

Many Atabae health problems are associated with the often limited and poor quality water supplies. David Hall has been working with the community to seek solutions to the water supply problems and has recently been introducing rainwater tanks at selected sites.

Education: In December 2004 the World Bank released a detailed report, "Timor-Leste Education since Independence: from Reconstruction to Sustainable Improvement". It indicates that the East Timor Government will be struggling to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of universal enrolment in and completion of primary education by 2015 despite seven out of ten people citing education as their top national priority prior to national independence in 2002. There can be no doubt that education is a major key to the future sustainable development of East Timor. Much needs to be done to raise education standards sufficiently for an independently viable economy.

In response to the national and local Atabae priorities for education, FPET is providing considerable assistance in funding the restoration of primary schools in Atabae Parish and paying salaries for a number of teachers in the church schools which are filling gaps in the government primary school system. FPET has funded the construction of simple boarding facilities at Atabae to enable children from the smaller villages to attend the lower secondary school in Atabae. FPET is funding some students training to become local teachers and is now offering scholarships for other advanced training opportunities.

Funding for education is one of the main purposes for which we need your financial support. Keep watching our website for more about our education related projects because education will remain a long-term priority.