A Project Of Love For East Timor

After a bit of ummmming and arhhhhing and a few blips along the way, I am pleased to say wedding planning is in fact, moving (rapidly) in the right direction! There have been a few changes to our plans, but we hope this will just make February 16th 2013, even more special!

 Cam and I had a few questions a while ago about why we have chosen to use our celebration as a fundraiser and also why we chose East Timor and particularly HIAM Health (If you have no idea what I am talking about read here before going any further!). I thought it was a good time to come back and answer some of those questions and share the story of our decision to support this particular charity. Unfortunately the last few months have been typically Cam and Jess crazy and we haven’t been able to dedicate nearly as much time as we would have liked to seeking donors. Please have a read and if you have contacts in the wedding and related industries please pass on our story by sending a quick email link – we would love to hear from them!


 From the very start of the wedding planning process Cam and I knew we didn’t want gifts – we wanted to mark this incredible time in our lives with something more meaningful. We wanted to do something that would outlive crockery sets or linens or fandangled kitchen appliances. We wanted to do something that would bring all the important people in our lives together to achieve something special and symbolise our values and, of course, our love.

 As many of you know, the past eighteen months has taken our lives down some interesting paths, many that we could have never imagined we might travel. No matter what has been hiding along the way we have had amazing support from friends, family and complete strangers. When something seems like it is throwing us the impossible there has always been someone there to step in and make things look brighter. We are so grateful for this and the experience has grown our desire to do something for those who don’t have access to the same support networks or resources. Our Wedding seemed the perfect occasion.

 A few people have questioned our choice of charity, particularly why we didn’t choose to donate to Cystic Fibrosis Australia or a similar cause. In the past few years there have been times when CF has become our entire world. CF is a very time consuming illness, there are a lot of treatments just to have the most tomorrows possible and they are a daily reminder of the challenges this illness brings. We wanted this project to celebrate things other than CF, because although it is a big part of our lives we do not want it to be our life. Cameron and I also both recognise how lucky I am to have been born in a country where there is amazing medical technology and a system that can support a good standard of care. So many live without this type of access to healthcare and although there are serious problems in our system, it is actually one of the best. For both of Cam and I, the idea of not being able to provide the people you love the most, the most basic of medical care is heartbreaking.

 East Timor holds a special significance in our relationship. Very early on in our relationship I applied for a trip with World Vision on a study tour. It was something I had wanted for a very long time and I had applied two years prior but missed out. There were a number of standout applicants and the final decision came down to being able to make a video clip about ourselves in a matter of days. Admittedly I was (and still am) a bit of a techno-tard. I had the creativity and inspiration for my clip but had no idea how to put that into a video. Cameron having his amazing ‘can-do’ (invincible) attitude borrowed a video camera and filmed my idea. He then sat up all night cutting and editing the clip. I have no doubt his efforts played a big role in me being awarded the trip. That short 10-day trip to East Timor changed my life. In the year following my trip Cameron spend a lot of time driving me around from speaking event to speaking event (part of the role of going on the trip). We spent a lot of time in his 1984 Ford Telstar ("The Beast") and did a lot of talking. It formed a strong foundation for our very special relationship and made us realise what a great team we are!

 Timor is a country of contrast. A country with breathtakingly beautiful scenery but a very ugly past. A country of smiling children and loving people that carry incredible turmoil, heartache and trauma. They are people with incredible hope and faith and undeniable love for life. Timor is one of the world’s poorest nations yet it is literally right on Australia’s doorstep. Malnutrition is a huge problem in Timor, effecting an estimated 55% of children under the age of 5. Infant and childhood mortality are very high.

 After a bit of searching and a lot of emailing, we found HIAM Health. We wanted a small organisation with focus on health but also wanted to know any donation we made would be responsibly spent. When we found HIAM it was perfect. HIAM works with malnourished children and their families and has a fantastic approach to educating and empowering families to not only treat but also prevent malnutrition under the supervision of founders Australian Jill Forsyth and Timorese Rosaria da Cruz. While children receive treatment at the facility families are educated about nutrition and accessible, affordable ways to provide meals for their family including growing and caring for their own garden. As well as their treatment facility HIAM offers community workshops, home kitchen garden training, out-reach services to the isolated Atauro Island and Train-the-trainer initiatives (training woman to be leaders and educators of nutrition in the own communities). Cam and I both love the holistic approach HIAM has as well as their focus on empowering families and communities. Unbelievably, HIAM Health is the only facility of its kind in Timor and we both felt an instant feeling that this was the organisation we wanted to support.

Learning about the importance of good nutrition

 Cam and I really are excited about this project; it truly makes us so happy to know as a couple we can make (be-it small) change in this world. For us, a wedding is so much more than the perfect dress or the best cake or the most beautiful wedding reception. Don't get me wrong those things are pretty important (ok, very important), but at the end of the day those things don't last. A wedding is ultimately about commitment, commitment to nurture one another to be better people. It is about faith and hope and dreaming big. But mostly it is about Love, love for what is important to us, love for those important to us and love, big, big love for one another. This project symbolises all those things. We can't do it without your help though so, please, if you know someone who might be interested in supporting through the donation of goods or services please share a link and share the love (yup, I said it!)

Love Love Love
J x