Fair Futures for 250 women & girls in Timor-Leste

Dear supporters,

This month, our Timor-Leste based partners completed their FIRST EVER Business Plan! It’s well written, thorough and - most importantly - demonstrates a deep understanding of what they need to do to achieve their goals. But to fully appreciate what an extraordinary achievement this is, it’s important to understand the social and economic barriers these extraordinary women confront every day:

• 80% of LO'UD Cooperative members can't read or write
• Only three members are computer literate
• Cooperative leaders have no formal business training
• The business environment is emergent and constantly changing

AND they’ve NEVER done anything like this before! We gave them a simple template and they’ve turned it into a comprehensive road map to guide them on their journey to sustainability. I’m sure you’ll join me in sending them enormous congratulations!

In the national language of Timor-Leste, troka malu means exchange, or giving to each other. Each of us has assisted this community of women sow the seeds of fairer futures – and this includes you and your generous donations. What the women give back to us is the satisfaction that we’ve done something equally important – we’ve helped!

On behalf of LO’UD women, we’d like to say ‘obrigada barak’ (thank you very much) for  your continued support!

Deb and the ETWA team

PS: Attached is a screen shot of this sensational document!

Dear supporter,

This is probably the most exciting news we’ll share with you this year.

Over the last 12 months we’ve grappled with the question that every ‘aid’ organisation should ask itself regularly:

‘Is our work supporting strong, sustainable organisations,

or is it creating dependency on our assistance?’

It’s a pretty major issue right?

We analysed inputs and outcomes and discussed this question with our partners in Timor-Leste. We realised that in many ways our praxis was making women entrepreneurs reliant on us; we weren’t supporting sustainable change. So, after lengthy discussions with our Timor-Leste partners and our Australian volunteers we’re excited to tell you what we’re going to do.

Support Business Sustainability Processes

The grants will be managed in a way that support women’s immediate needs and helps them focus on shaping and achieving their business aspirations over time. We’ll help them through the application process and business plan development, and be beside them through the implementation phases over the coming years, providing advice, ideas and practical support to help them build their ability to sustain their enterprises now and into the future!

We couldn’t do this without your continued financial support, but we’d also love your feedback and ideas! So please get in touch and join us in supporting Fair (and sustainable) Futures for women & girls in Timor-Leste.

Until next time!

Deb and the team