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!