Connecting children in Australia and Timor-Leste by enabling them to create and share their stories.

Foto Friendship is a volunteer led community project than began in Dili Timor- Leste in 2014.

Under the guidance of mentors, high school students in Australia and Timor-Leste are encouraged to think about and photograph their life as a way of introducing themselves to each other. Each young person creates and curates their own series of photographs, exploring and expressing their personal identity, life, aspirations and dreams for the future.

The photo stories have been showcased widely in public exhibitions in both Australia and Timor-Leste and can be viewed in our online galleries. You can also watch our video.

Our Vision and Mission

Foto Friendship’s vision is to foster creativity, communication and connection between the children of Australia and Timor-Leste. Foto Friendship’s mission is to build skills and give a voice to the children of Australia and their less advantaged neighbours in Timor-Leste. To achieve this we teach participants photographic skills and to explore identity, visual storytelling mediums and techniques. In doing so we aim raise awareness about the history and contemporary life of children living in the young, developing nation of Timor-Leste and create ongoing communication and collaboration between school communities in the neighbouring countries.