International Cooperation for Development and Education: a preliminary study on the challenges and possibilities of a shared experience between Brazil and East Timor

Abstract

The aim of this article is to systematize the results of preliminary studies on the challenges and possibilities of developing a shared international cooperation work in East Timor. In this sense, starting from the questioning of the role of International Cooperation for Development in developing countries, we have as an initial hypothesis that after the restoration of independence in 2002 and the arrival of international cooperation agencies, which arrived in East Timor in order to “help” in the construction of the nation state, the biggest challenge the country faces is confronting the contradiction between, on the one hand, meet the requirements of international agencies, captained by the United Nations (UN) and the World Bank, to put the Timorese State and its institutions in the tracks of “globalization” and, on the other hand, to hold and to preserve their cultural identity. Therefore, based on bibliographical studies, on the theoretical and methodological assumptions of  Marxist dialectics and on the thought of Paulo Freire, as well as on the experience lived by the authors through the Teachers Training Program and Portuguese Language Teaching in East Timor, we conclude that commitment, political will and respect for cultural differences between those involved in cooperation actions are ingredients needed to overcome the challenges and move forward in building a shared international cooperation relationship.