Dili, July 13, 2026 (Media Democracia) – A young man named Imanuel Castelanu, originally from Baucau Municipality, Laga Administrative Post, Soba Village, Butufau Hamlet, who now lives in Kuluhun, Nato Hamlet, continues to work as an electronics technician fixing broken phones, replacing screens, batteries, and accessories in the area in front of the Government Palace to support his daily life.
During an interview, Imanuel said he has been working in this place for a long time and it helps him earn an income, even though it’s not much.
“I come every day to wait in front of the Government Palace from 9 AM to 6 PM. The income I get isn’t much; I usually earn US$15 to US$25 per day. But this doesn’t kill my work spirit, because the experience I learned from my colleagues gives me the strength to continue.” said Imanuel, in front of the Government Palace (09 July 2026).
He also explained that in 2021 he started learning how to repair phones from a friend named Marsal in the Largo area. After learning and gaining enough experience, he decided to stand on his own to earn his own income and chose to work in front of the Government Palace.
“I started with only US$10 in capital. From there I kept developing the work until today. Now I can repair phones with services like replacing screens, replacing batteries, and other repairs.” he said.
However, Imanuel stated that he faces big difficulties because he still doesn’t have a permanent place to run his business. He said that when municipal authorities conduct inspections, he has to stop working and move to another place.
“The biggest difficulty is that we don’t have a permanent place. Often when the authorities come, we have to stop work and go somewhere else. We Timorese are just trying to find a way to support our lives, because there still aren’t enough job opportunities.” he said.
His message to fellow young people is: don’t be afraid and don’t be ashamed to learn and apply the skills you have. There have been a lot of changes now, and what’s most important is that we create our own job opportunities for our future. Age keeps increasing, so we must have the willingness to work and not depend only on others.
Report by : Trainee Nico
Photo: Trainee Lourenco