At midnight on Monday, May 20, the new nation of East Timor will celebrate its independence and inaugurate its first president, Xanana Gusmao, following a turbulent transition. After Timorese residents voted overwhelmingly to secede from Indonesia in 1999, Indonesian militias attacked villages, raping, murdering and looting, displacing tens of thousands.

World Vision staff were among the last to evacuate East Timor in 1999, and the first to return. World Vision provided emergency aid to more than 225,000 villagers affected by the attacks. As recovery continued, the organization provided health services to more than 120,000 children as well as seeds for farmers. More than 2,000 children in East Timor have benefited from World Vision sponsorship programs.

President Bush is sending former President Bill Clinton to participate in the Independence Day festivities. Clinton sent peacekeepers to East Timor during the three years of violence between the referendum and this week’s celebrations.