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.
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:
• Maternal
and Child Health
• Education
• Economic Development
• Advocacy
The chief executive officer
of the Foundation
is Ms. Teresa Verdial
De Araujo.
Our principle is equality,
fairness, participation
and respect.
So everywhere if you
mention “Strong Women,
Strong Nation,” –
(people say)
“Oh that’s Alola.”
And in all of our programs
we try to
support the government.
So the four
main programs here
actually are related to our
government’s priorities.
We are very lucky
to have a program
that’s connected to our
government’s priorities
and the MDGs, Millennium
Development Goals.
Many of the issues faced
by women in this country
both in the maternal and
child-health spheres, in
the advocacy’s sphere too,
and in the areas of
economic empowerment,
they are experiences
that many women
in the region and indeed
around the world share.
And I think we've come up
with a number of
innovative projects
and programs to address
some of these issues,
all of them
with a very clear
principle and foundation
in building the capacity
and the education levels
of people, mainly
women and children
at the grassroots level.
Most of
the Foundation’s work
is community-based
with extensive networks
of groups
and support workers.
The programs have
achieved great results,
and due to
the heightened awareness
of women’s rights,
more and more women are
joining the organization.
So we create programs
in our district.
Sometimes once a year,
once or twice we always
call Alola officials to
attend a meeting in Dili
so they can see each other
from different districts.
Because we also have
very different ideas.
If they can meet,
it will be very good,
eespecially for women.
They return home happily,
because they have shared
stories with each other.
Over time, we’ve
broadened our mandate,
our mission if you like,
to include services
and public
education campaigns
for women on maternal
and child-health issues,
on exclusive breast feeding
and setting up
grassroots structures
to support the knowledge
and education
of women and young girls
about the importance of
certain practices such as
exclusive breast feeding.
Timor-Leste’s maternal
and infant-mortality rates
have been among the
highest in Southeast Asia.
Thus the Alola Foundation
started the Maternal and
Child Health program
in 2003 to increase
the number of safe births
and improve the health
of babies by building
awareness of the best
breastfeeding practices.
Halo, my name
is Angelina Fernandez.
I work as a nurse,
providing services
for expecting mothers
and infants.
This program
especially promotes,
breast feeding skills to
take care of the baby and
to deliver the baby safely.
We pay attention
to improving nutrition
for toddlers with parents,
especially from breast milk
because here there are
many children who
lack adequate nutrition.
Also the rate
of infant mortality
is increasing.
Therefore,
it is very important for us
to introduce to them
the importance
of exclusive breastfeeding
for the infants
instead of introducing
supplemental foods
too early.
According to statistics,
90% of women
in Timor-Leste
give birth at home.
Alola has thus established
what are called
“Mother Support Groups”
in nine
of the country’s districts.
Currently 32 Groups
with more than 200
volunteer members
are providing
free consultations
to pregnant women
regarding maternal health
and advice on infant care
to new mothers.
To make this program
successful,
Alola Foundation
makes efforts
to collaborate with
the Ministry of Health
and with other parties
competent in the training
of breast feeding
throughout the nine
districts and
to train health workers
to support groups
of mothers, which in turn
can inform society
that breastfeeding
is important, and
inform the community with
other programs on how
to deliver a baby safely.
They can contact
health workers to get help
with delivering the baby
at home.
And this work includes
finding solutions
for families
that have difficulties
accessing transportation,
and helping in
emergency cases, such as
when complications arise
when the time comes
to give birth so that
they can be transported
to the hospital.
Tais, or the traditional
handmade textiles
of Timor-Leste,
are an important part
of the nation’s
cultural heritage.
To encourage
economic development
and help women increase
their family income,
Alola Esperansa Lta,
a subsidiary of the
Foundation, operates the
Alola Textile Center and
Taibessi Sewing Center,
which produce Timorese
crafts and textiles.
The Textile Center
partners with
local women weavers
who earn money when
their items are sold at the
Foundation’s Alola Shop.
The Foundation
also employs 30 women
at the Sewing Center
with their handiwork also
showcased at the Shop.
Economic development,
this program
looks at how to improve
women’s economic status,
and also pays attention
to culture, especially tais,
to increase family income.
We provide training
to them about
the quality and color
and also how
they should set the prices
for tais (they have made).
My name is Helen Gomes.
I am the manager of
the Alola Esperansa Shop.
I want to introduce to you
to our shop a little bit;
we have different kinds
of products
that are made from tais,
as you can see on TV.
The available products
are handbags and wallets.
And we have handbags
for women
and also for men.
And there are many models
for the wallets.
Those products
are made from tais.
We work together with
the Alola Foundation
program, for
economic development
in the district
to find groups
who can make tais
and they deliver it here.
We buy the tais
then we send them
to our production center
in Taibesi.
In order to attract buyers
we make
different kinds of products
which I mentioned earlier
from the available tais,
because besides the tais,
people sometimes
also want to buy
wallets, handbags and
clothes made from tais.
After several years
of promotion,
Alola products
have received the
international community’s
attention, and some items
have been stocked at the
Museum and Art Gallery
of the Northern Territory
in Australia.
Oxfam Shops, which are
run by the international
development charity
Oxfam,
feature products produced
by disadvantaged people
around the world.
In 2009, the Oxfam Shops
in Australia decided to
carry Alola’s handicrafts.
The Education and
the Advocacy departments
also play important roles
in helping the Foundation
fulfill its mission.
There are two programs
offered by the
Education department.
One is the Friendship
School Program,
where a small number
of Dili-area schools
are linked
to Australian schools
to promote ties between
the wonderful children
of these two
neighboring nations.
In the School Visit
Program, members of
the Education department
visit Dili-based schools
to aid teachers with
curriculum development
and introduce students
to new ideas.
Activities that are part
of the program include
painting, creating collages,
storytelling and story
reading, art activities
to decorate classrooms,
and outdoor games.
One of
the key components
of the Advocacy program
is the Women’s
Resource Center which
was established in 2003.
Among the varied offerings
of the Center
are computer literacy
and life skill courses.
I’m very, very proud
of the work that the staff
of the Alola Foundation
are doing both in
our Education program,
in our Advocacy program,
and I think it's
very important as a staff
that we have a very strong
sense of team spirit
of working together
towards the same goal of
empowering the women
and children
of this country to play
a full and active role
in the life of the nation,
and I just encourage
all of the staff of Alola
and everyone involved
to be mindful always
of our constituency, and
keep always their interest
and their needs in mind.
We’d like to sincerely
thank former First Lady
Kristy Sword Gusmão,
Teresa Verdial De Araujo,
and the other members
of the Alola Foundation
for continually seeking
to advance the welfare
of women and children
in Timor-Leste.
For more details
on the Alola Foundation,
please visit
www.AlolaFoundation.org
Bright viewers,
thank you for presence
on today’s program.
Please join us again on
Good People, Good Works
next Sunday
for the conclusion
of our series profiling
the Alola Foundation.
Coming up next is
The World Around Us,
after Noteworthy News.
May all the world’s
women and children wear
happy, beautiful smiles
every day.