[2] de Carvalho grew up in villages south of Liquica on the north coast of East Timor, and was 9 years old when in 1975 his father was murdered by members of FRETILIN.

In 1988, with his education disrupted by the war, Carvalho graduated from the SMA 5 school in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

It began shortly before East Timorese independence (formed in 1998) and has attracted wide acclaim for its efforts to support environmental programs and Timorese values, particularly Tara Bandu, a customary law that enables traditional ecological wisdom.

The organization runs classes and supports programs to create sustainable livelihoods, through agricultural, craft, and ecotourism projects.

[6] In the parliamentary elections in East Timor in 2017, Carvalho took fifth place on the PLP's list [7] and thus became a member of parliament.