Alola adopted the motto of 『Strong Women, Strong Nation.』 The entire country can be strong with the full participation of women in every aspect of national development and in every aspect of social and cultural life.

Halo, respected viewers, and welcome to Good People, Good Works. Timor-Leste, a country located on the eastern end of Timor Island in Southeast Asia, is known as the 『world's youngest nation』 as it became independent in ２００２.

Today, we'll go to Dili, the capital, to visit the Alola Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes the rights of women and children and nurtures women as leaders. The Foundation was established in ２００１ by the nation's first First Lady Ms. Kristy Sword Gusmão, who is the wife of His Excellency Xanana Gusmão, Prime Minister of Timor-Leste. She currently serves as the Foundation's chairwoman.

She is also the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Goodwill Ambassador for Education and is the chair of the UNESCO National Commission for Timor-Leste.

http:／／easttimorlegal.blogspot.com／２０１０／０７／national-languages-conference-５-to-６.html http:／／embaixadoraedukasaun.blogspot.com／ (interview in English) (Ms. Kristy Sword Gusmão = female) Ms. Kristy Sword Gusmão (f): Women and children are amongst the most vulnerable sections of society both here in Timor-Leste and in many countries, and they often lack the political clout to actually have a voice, and to be able to articulate their special needs.

And this is the problem not only here in Timor, but all around the world. So we need to pay special attention, and ensure that women and children do have a voice, do have a say in issues affecting their lives, including policy, government legislation; these are all really important issues for the future of a country.

The １３２-member strong Foundation staff works hard to provide a range of services to the women and children of Timor-Leste, offering programs through the following four departments:

For more details on the Alola Foundation, please visit www.AlolaFoundation.org