Max in East Timor - Houses (Part 3)

Here are some houses from around the countryside near Same.

This is a very clever house. It’s built on stilts to keep cool. The huge thatched roof covers the whole house.

This is where the rice farmer lives. He lives right next to the rice field.

Here are some houses grouped together to make a small village. Sometimes there is a small fence made of tree branches surrounding the house. This is to stop domestic animals such chickens and pigs from wandering away. Some houses are built on stilts to keep cool. There is a washing line hanging between two of the houses. Often the house has no washing line so the clean wet clothes are spread on the ground or on a bush to dry.

In East Timor there has been some unrest and some houses have been damaged and burned down.

When a house is damaged or burned down, the family becomes homeless. Organisations such as the United Nations, Caritas and Mary MacKillop Institute provide shelter, food and medicine for the homeless. Tents and shelters are built away from the danger. These safe places are called refugee camps.