2008 Tax Appeal

Have you ever traveled in a country that uses a language and alphabet you don’t understand? Even with a guide book, a whole world of meaning is closed off. Imagine having that experience every day of your life.

This is what it is like for hundreds of millions of women around the world who are illiterate. Everyday activities are challenging and time consuming. It is hard to find information about what is happening around you and harder still to contribute your ideas and have an influence.

Literacy is a right. A right that most though certainly not all of us in Australia take for granted. The ability to read and write provides a platform for learning, working, leisure and participation throughout our lives.

In East Timor, literacy is a right that has been denied to many women. Some 65% of women are illiterate.[1] Whole generations missed out on education because of occupation and conflict.

East Timor, one of Australia’s closest neighbours, is also among the world’s poorest countries, ranked 150th out of 177 countries on the UN’s Human Development Index, just ahead of Zimbabwe.[2] The probability of dying before age 40 is about one in five. East Timor’s development challenges are enormous. Most schools were destroyed after the independence referendum in 1999. Nearly two years after the civil conflict of early 2006, more than 100,000 people are unable to return to their homes.[3] The shooting of President José Ramos-Horta in February was a reminder of why many still fear further violence.

Women want to contribute. But without basic literacy and numeracy skills, they will struggle to lift themselves and their families out of poverty, or to help build East Timor’s future.

IWDA’s project partner, the East Timor Young Women’s Association (GFFTL), is committed to increasing the capacity of women to access information, to promote their rights, and to participate in public life and decision making. GFFTL’s literacy classes cover a range of issues including rights, gender-based violence and democracy. GFFTL is now expanding its work in the eastern districts of East Timor to provide financial literacy training and support practical income-generation activities in remote villages. With your support, women like Junita Esteves can build a different future.

This tax time, you can give women in East Timor the opportunity that lasts a lifetime. Your support will benefit not just an individual but a family, a community and a nation. Giving women the skills and knowledge to improve their own and their family’s wellbeing and play an active role in building East Timor’s future is vital if the country is to tackle the challenges it faces.

Your support is what makes this work possible. Both IWDA President Coleen Clare and I want you to know just how much your donation means to IWDA, our partners and most importantly to the women and communities we work with.

Remember, individuals really can make a difference.

Yours sincerely,

Jane Sloane

Executive Director

DONATE TODAY to support IWDA’s 2008 Tax Appeal! Donate at our secure website or call 1300 661 812.

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[1] http://www.uis.unesco.org/ev.php?URL_ID=6401&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201
[2] http://hdrstats.undp.org/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_TMP.html, accessed 22 April 2008
[3] International Crisis Group, ‘Timor-Leste’s Displacement Crisis’, Asia Report N°148, 31 March 2008

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 14th, 2008 under Recent.