Women Protection, Peace and Economic Development

The implementation of the 'Women's Protection, Peace, and Economic Development' project in the municipalities of Covalima and Ermera is continuing to make positive progress in supporting women and children at the community level.

During this reporting period, the team has successfully organized a 5-day training and workshop on children’s rights and theater skills for 27 children, followed by a Child Protection showcase with around 650 audience members in attendance. The activity created an engaging platform for children to raise awareness on child protection issues through creative expressions and community dialogue.

The project team have also carried out one-on-one support and monitoring activities for 128 female participants (58 in Covalima and 70 in Ermera Municipality) out of a total of 150 women who have previously attended the training. Through this continued one-on-one support and monitoring activities, most of the women participants have carried out micro-entrepreneurship activities and actively joined and established the savings and loan groups to improve their economic resilience. In addition, several of the participants are mobilizing and encouraging other women, community members, and local leaders to participate in and support these community groups. This demonstrate growing community engagement, women’s leadership, and collective efforts toward economic empowerment and social support within the targeted communities.

Throughthe theater Showcase in PoeteteVila, the children participants and community audience members demonstrate strong enthusiasm in listening to the messages conveyed by the children through their performance. The showcase provided an interactive platform for children to raise awareness on important child protection and rights issues through creative expression. The audiences and community leader also provided positive feedbacks regarding the performance, highlighting the effectiveness of the messages delivered by the children through the characters and storytelling presented during the theater show. The activity contributed to strengthening community awareness and dialogue around child protection. During the  discussions with randomly selected children and audience members, one of the child participant said: "When I joined the theatre training on the first day, I felt scared and lacked confidence. However, during the training, I became more confident and motivated because I saw others participating confidently. My friend’s confident spirit encouraged me to participate until the five-day training was completed. With this enthusiasm, I was able to learn theatre with my friends. The most important thing that makes me proud is successfully performing a theatre show with my friends for the public and seeing my father and other audience members watching while laughing happily and feeling proud".

Besides the reflections shared by the children participants, the head of Poetete Villa village expressed his appreciation for the five-day of training on children’s rights ad theater skills by highlighting that the activity have provided children with valuable knowledge and practical skills beyond what is typically learned in school, especially in understanding their rights, building their self-confidence, and strengthening their public speaking skills which would prepare the children for future leadership roles, including taking the roles as Masters of Ceremony (MCs) during community events. He further added: “The messages conveyed through theater performed by the children served as positive examples for other children, students and the community on how to take care of the environment by properly disposing of waste, how to prevent domestic violence, and also how to combat discrimination against people with disabilities so that they can participate in the educational process, including activities organized within the family and community.”

A 39-year-old female beneficiary from Liho village who participated in the one-on-one support said: “Before attending the training, I did not know how to manage money well and save it to achieve my dreams. However, through this program, I learned and have applied relevant information from the training by making an action plan and joining a savings and loan group, and now I can achieve my goal of developing my business. This program made me very happy because I not only learned during the training, but also continued to receive support through follow-up visits from the team. The helped me think of ideas and stay focused on my action plan to achieve my goals and make changes in my life. On the other hand, the action plan has also helped me respond to difficult situations within my family. Through the implementation of the action plan, I realized that it has reduced my dependence on my partner, because I have started managing the income from the business more effectively to meet the family’s daily economic needs based on priorities. I would also like to share that, following the successful experience of the first stage of my action plan, I have started allocating funds into three categories, namely saving for my children's future education, for business expansion, and  emergency situations. I have also encouraged fellow women in my neighborhood to come together and establish our own saving and loan group.”

Women and Child Protection, Economic Development, and the Promotion of Peace and Democracy

 Summary Report: November 2025 – January 2026

The 'Women's Protection, Peace, and Economic Development' project continues to make an impact in the municipalities of Covalima and Ermera. Between November 2025 and January 2026, the project team carried out a range of activities designed to empower women, protect children, and promote peace and economic development within the community.

 Below are the achievements of this period:

• The team organized community theater events in Ermera, attended by around 250 audience members, bringing important social messages to life.
• Three specialized training sessions were delivered to 25 women participants on:
• Women’s Economic Empowerment
• Conflict Resolution
• Gender-Based Violence
• Workshops on savings and loans helped women gain practical financial skills.
• Two five-day trainings engaged 49 children, focusing on children’s rights and theater skills.
• Two Child Protection showcases attracted approximately 550 audience members, highlighting children's creativity and voices.

In Covalima, the project team provided one-on-one support and monitoring for 57 female participants out of 75 who attended trainings. Additionally, in Ermera and Railaco, three two-day workshops focused on Child Protection and Positive Discipline, benefiting 72 men and women.

 As a result, participants reported gaining knowledge and skills in:

• Budgeting and business management
• Savings and financial planning
• Children’s rights
• Conflict resolution within households

 The women and children expressed strong satisfaction and commitment to applying what they learned in their daily lives.

 Voices from the Community

 Women who participated in Conflict Resolution and Gender-Based Violence training in Poetete Vila shared:

"As a woman, this training is very good for me because it covers everyone's rights, child protection, and gender equality. I now know how to participate in community activities and help other women facing violence. I can also educate my own children positively and work with my partner on household tasks, showing respect and equality."

 Women who attended Women’s Economic Empowerment training reflected:

"Before this training, I didn’t fully understand economic empowerment. Through four days of learning, I gained practical strategies for financial management and cooperation within my family. This has motivated me to improve my spending habits and provide better service to clients."

 Children Shared the Key Messages Thorugh Theater

 Audiences in Railaco and Ermera responded with enthusiasm to the theater showcases, where children delivered powerful and inspiring messages through their performances.

 One young participant said:

"At first, I was scared and lacked confidence. But seeing other children perform motivated me to participate. Performing with my friends made me proud, especially when I saw my father laughing and happy in the audience."

 The Director of the Vocational High School, who attended the showcase, highlighted the importance of these activities:

"This theater allows children to learn responsibility and understand real-life issues at home. Parents can see positive changes in their children, who become more aware and responsible through participation."

 A mother also shared that she observed; “her child developing responsibility and life skills through these theater activities, showing that even young children can reflect real-life challenges creatively.”

 Overall, the project continues to empower women, protect children, and inspire communities in Covalima and Ermera to work together for sustainable peace, economic development, and gender equality.