Topu Honis, which means "Guide to Life" operates two Shelter homes in Oe-cusse, one is in Mahata at the coast where the older youth live and enjoy the oppurtinity to visit the Junior high school. The second one is in the mountain village of Kutet.

After meeting the children and a hot rice lunch, we set off by foot along an unsealed road that faded into a surreal landscape. The path morphed into a trickling stream as we began the ascent and soon we found ourselves scaling uphill into a jungle river.

Historic Vessel Vegas crew visits the Topu Honis Shelter home in Oe-cusse, East Timor

Over 40 children from Mahata led us on a 4.5-hour trek up the mountain to Kutet. Everyone was laden with the donations of school and medical supplies from Vega

The trek was not all-hard work as we often stopped to refresh ourselves in the deep pools of that cool mountain stream.

Dusk was approaching by the time we reached Kutet. Just getting here had been a grand adventure.

I couldn’t wait to see the place in the morning light. Historic Vessel Vegas crew visits the Topu Honis Shelter home in Oe-cusse, East Timor

Topu Honis is modeld like the homes of the Timorese village.

Kits-4-Kids schoolbags, donated by the German European School Singapore - 50 bags went to the students in Kutet where they attend the village primary school

Dr. Ruth translates the letters from the schoolbags into bahasa indonesia.

Mira

We had great moments observing the childrens happiness when they opend their new schoolbags and compared all their new treasures

Anjelina

Aldo is happy to recieve a letter from Heike Sauer

The children spent the afternoon enthusiastically replying to the letters they had received in their schoolbags from the Singaporean children

Dr. Ruth conducts a class on Vitamin A deficency, a big problem in Timor Leste

Adat dance during the cermony

Father Richard with Oliver

The church is a combination of traditional Catholic processes and the “adat”; the local belief system of the Meto people.

It's time to visit the service

Alexis having a good time

Before church the children included us in their games

Boys wearing the ModuSpec shirts brought by Vega in 2011

Father Richard in front of the church on Sunday

Father Richard in front of the church on Sunday

Boys styled in the traditional Meto dress

Alex and her new friends

The planting beginns in April and is stagger the plantings so there will be a continuous supply of fresh vegetables from June until November.

The best producer is the eggplant, which bears fruit well into the beginning of the wet season.

On one terraced hillside, gamal, a fast-growing, tree-like legume is planted, with pineapples in between. On three wider terraces, there are all kinds of vegetables.

The garden in Kutet is quite hilly, the seeds and fertilizer Vega delivered in 2011 where put to good use.

The local school in Kutet only goes to the fourth grade.

The homes in Kutet and Oekusi are in the middle of villages, a kind of village within a village.

After two days we had to leave

We took a different route back to Mahata

We went along the landward side of the dry, desolate mountains towards the coast

Kits-4-Kids schoolbags, donated by the German European School Singapore - 50 bags went to the students in Mahata where they attend the junior high school

Kitchen house in Mahata

Lili Tarung, caretaker at Mahata opening one of the art boxes Alex brought from Australia

Palmira Coa a student who was raised by the Topu Honis orphanage is getting ready to start studies at the university in Kupang. She is one of the 3 students in Oecussi, East Timor who recieved Laptops from Vega.

The coastal facility also has the advantage of five water wells.

In Mahata they grow different types of crops.

Watermelons grow well on the coast, but not in the hills. The same goes for tomatoes. We learned that they can grow carrots well in the hills, but not on the coast.