Representatives from internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, as well as some villages in Dili, attended a workshop organized by Catholic Relief Service (CRS) to mark the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the crisis. Representatives from the Ministry of Interior and a Parliament member took the time to listen to the IDPs' concerns.

Since April 2006, the capital has seen periodic civil unrest that has led to arson, looting, and communal violence. A year hence, there are still 40,000 IDPs living in make-shift camps in and around Dili for whom going home remains merely a dream.

USAID assistance has enabled Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to deliver a comprehensive response to the crisis that includes provision of management services for 17 IDP camps--five in Dili and the rest in the eastern district of Baucau--sheltering up to 22,000 people and promotion of community reconciliation in collaboration with the Government's Simu Malu ("mutual acceptance") project. The “Simu Malu” project promotes dialogues between communities in the hope that this will help resolve conflicts and eventually encourage people to return home and rebuild their lives.

“CRS support has helped the community to heal from the trauma of the crisis,” says Sebastiao Ximenes, community leader of Moris Foun, one village where CRS is actively working.

With CRS support, two neighborhoods in Moris Foun made a traditional pledge to explore the root causes of the conflict that resulted in violent clashes between their youth, which in turn, forcibly displaced more people early this year. The community members signed the Tara Bandu, a traditional peace agreement, in mid-March. Following this ceremony, over 600 people returned to their homes by the end of March.

CRS followed this up with a "Vision of Peace" workshop in which community members were able to express their views of what peace in their community would look like. The community members recommended organizing sporting events, painting groups, and dialogues between conflicting communities. According to Sebastiao, the sporting events and dialogues brought a sense of trust and security to people.

While much needs to be done to resolve the IDP issue, people like Sebastiao are not losing hope. “My job is to take the needs of the people to the Government and NGOs. I will continue to listen to my people and try to figure out how to bring them home,” Sebastiao explained.

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