Weekly Digest Brings News to Remote Districts
(November 20, 2003)

The Resistencia Nacional dos Estudantes de Timor Leste (RENETIL), one of the largest youth organizations in Timor-Leste, is helping to fill the news and information gap around the country by distributing a weekly news summary. Neon Metin, which means "firm will" and "inner strength" in the local language of Tetum, contains information from daily newspapers and weekly magazines in Dili and provides summaries on political, economic, social, cultural, and other important issues.

RENETIL is a youth organization established by Timorese students in Indonesia in 1988 to campaign for Timor-Leste's independence and later, to engage Timor-Leste youth in national reconstruction. RENETIL members gained valuable experience in the production and dissemination of information in the run-up to the 1999 referendum on Timor-Leste independence.

Each week RENETIL members distribute about 500 copies of Neon Metin and 300 copies of a one-page information sheet to all of Timor-Leste's 13 districts. The information sheet covers civic education topics such as the roles of national police and army, voter education, and political parties. The organization puts a special emphasis on rural areas where access to print media is limited or nonexistent.

Neon Metin has received very positive feedback--it gives people useful information on events around the country and government activities that they would not otherwise learn. Mario Perdro da Costa, the distributor in Baucau district, said, "People in Baucau, especially the students at the high schools, are very happy with Neon Metin. Reading Neon Metin is a good way to get information. Also, it's free and newspapers are expensive."

USAID's small grants program has supported RENETIL since April 2002 with grants totaling more than $64,000. Neon Metin offers citizens an opportunity to expand their participation in civic affairs. This is critical to Timor-Leste's political, economic, social and cultural development. It also provides a source of valuable information in areas of the country most remote from the central government in the capital, Dili.

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