Garage sales - our No 1 fundraisers

Blue Mountains East Timor Sisters Project had a great Garage sale in August raising over $3,500.00
The next Garage sale will be in October at 246 The Mall, Leura.
These BMETS garage sales are a great fun community event and they also have many community benefits -
© BMETS collect all the treasures you can't completely throw away and assist you to do your bit to re-use and recycle;
© they sell treasures at bargain prices so that it is accessible to everyone
© and they raise money to send to our partners overseas where they are able to do so much with so little.

BMETS builds friendship and connection between women in the Blue Mountains and women in Timor- Leste. Three BMET Sisters recently visited Timor-Leste and have come back acclaiming the importance and value of our work. “We can do so much over there with what is so little over here..”
In 2006 / 2007 BMETS sent more that $50,000 to a wide range of projects in Timor-Leste as shown below.

· Salary to two grassroots women’s community development workers to assist development of women’s leadership projects
· Assisting Timor-Leste women to come to Australia to strengthen friendships, connections and networks and to raise funds and awareness
· Establishment of 21 scholarships for women and girls in Timor-Leste - 10 at university, 11 at school
· Assisting three women’s tais weaving cooperatives to find markets, supporting up to 15 women and their families
· Contributing over $10,000 towards Mother and Baby Packs to be distributed through the Alola Foundation and supported other Alola projects
· Assisting with the collection and writing of Women Veteran’s Stories from the Clandestine Movement
· Providing funds to complete the building of a Women Veteran’s Centre in a village community
· Resourcing a women’s sewing cooperative in the town of Hato-Builico
· Assisting Pradet in their work in trauma counseling services, furnishing a Safe-Room in Dili Hospital for victims of sexual assault and supporting transport for trauma survivors and staff
· Provided over $6,000 for emergency relief to refugee camps.
· And many other small supports and projects.

So this is a plea for support – donate your goods by dropping them at 246 The Mall any time from now on, come in October and have a great time finding wonderful treasures, volunteer your time to help sort or sell.