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Prime Minister launches initiative to clean up our beaches,
10 October 2006
Hundreds of children and the environment will be the beneficiaries
of an innovative 'clean-up-the-beaches' project launched by the
Prime Minister of Timor-Leste Dr José Ramos-Horta this
week.
On the weekend the Prime Minister paid - from his own pocket
- about 100 children aged between five and 12 years $2 each to
pick up litter for one hour along Areia Branca (Whitesand Beach),
near Dili. The children were given candy and a free hot meal afterwards
at the Prime Minister's residence.
"The beach was completely free of litter after the children
had finished," Dr Ramos-Horta said. "This was educational
for the children, teaching them about the environment and public
health issues, and it was very rewarding for me. I intend to do
this regularly."
Dr Ramos-Horta said he was so pleased with the result that he
will this week meet members of the diplomatic corps and businesses
to encourage them to repeat the initiative along all the beaches
of Dili.
"I would like to see this exercise repeated regularly -
perhaps every two weeks, or monthly," he said.
"I intend contacting all those people who live along the
shoreline to do the same with the children in their area.
"If each business or embassy located along the shoreline
- or for that matter, anywhere in Dili - were to mobilize from
50 to 100 children in this age bracket then we can beautify our
city's beaches, help the environment and help hundreds of families."
The Prime Minister said he would be pleased to see businesses
in other parts of the city embrace the idea.
"If we can engage our children in helping to protect the
environment and also to understand a very early work ethic, then
we will be doing Timor-Leste a great service," he said.
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