BAUCAU, Timor-Leste - Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4 began construction of a three-room schoolhouse to enhance the educational opportunities of the youth of Timor-Leste on November 30, 2020.
The new school construction project consists of three independent classrooms and will serve 1,500 students. A four-room schoolhouse on another campus in Baucau is planned for future construction.
“Since being deployed in Timor-Leste the citizens have greeted our service members very warmly and with great enthusiasm,” said Steelworker 2nd Class Montrael Jackson, Squad Leader Detail Timor-Leste. “As U.S. Navy Seabees, we build schools for their future leaders. I feel very honored to continue the 11-year tradition of efforts to establish a bedrock for future generations of a very gracious and highly resilient population.”
For more than 10 years, the Seabees have deployed to Timor-Leste and completed 101 construction projects. The current construction strengthens the relationship between the United States and Timor-Leste and provides vital infrastructure. In a country where 70% of the population is below 30 and the economy is largely centralized in the capital, Dili, constructing these school houses provides resources for Baucau, Timor-Leste’s second largest city with a population of approximately 16,000.
“Working in Timor-Leste is a privilege,” said Builder 2nd Class Amy Wise, project supervisor of Detail Timor-Leste. “Going to the jobsite and seeing the children’s smiling faces, make all the long days and hard work worth it. Being able to give the Timorese people and children a safe place to learn is something I will forever cherish”.