Timor-Leste is struggling to rebuild its education sector after many of its school buildings and facilities were damaged or destroyed by anti-independence militia in 1999.
The sector currently faces an array of problems including a lack of learning facilities and a lack of quality teachers.
Improving the sector is a huge task, and the government, who lack funding and human resources, is unable to do it alone.
The presence of church organizations such as the Society of Jesus, which is known for its decades of experience in education, offers new hope to the country's desperate need for better education.
(Photos by Michael Coyne)