Weaving together the past and the future in Timor-Leste

Grupo Naroman Fitun Xefe (group leader) Mana Lucia with member of the group and Women’s Program Support Officer Amoy Gusmao in Suai Loro village in Suai, Covalima District, Timor-Leste

Grupo Naroman Fitun is a group of women working together through the IWDA Taking Steps Project to weave the traditional textiles of Timor-Leste (tais) in order to generate income to buy basic household needs and items like shoes for children. But Naroman Fitun’s  plans can so easily be destroyed by the natural disasters that are a constant part of life in Timor-Leste.

IWDA Program Manager for Timor-Leste, Glenda Lasslett, shares a recent story.

The flood washed away their rice fields. With Alita Conceicao and Moises Gusmao I met the Naroman Fitun (Star Light) group in the house of their group leader, Mana Lucia da Silva. Suai does not have electricity during the day but there was enough light to see the warm colors of the traditional tais and the quality of their work. But the tais that I had commissioned for a forthcoming IWDA exhibition had not been made, because a flood had washed away their rice fields: the women’s priority was to salvage what they could and start building new fields.

Weaving would have to wait. Such dilemmas face many poor communities vulnerable to the vagaries of weather. The Taking Steps project seeks to work with local women to help them identify what steps can be taken to improve their daily lives through developing sustainable livelihoods (improved agricultural productivity, food security, cash income) and increasing their participation in decisions that affect them at local and national levels.

The women of Timor-Leste feel the brunt of the food insecurity that cycles around flood, drought, pest invasions, and loss of seeds due to poor storage. The Taking Steps project features a small activity fund to support sustainable livelihoods for women and their communities. The first proposal from Fitun Naroman was for a sewing machine so that they could sew tais and make clothes for their families. The second proposal is for storage of their seeds and rice. These are small requests but ones that make a difference by bringing women together to share their resources and expertise and by providing small funds for sustainable group projects.

Timorese woman with traditional woven tais

Marketing is often a challenge in Timor-Leste. The Taking Steps project will support Fitun Naroman and other women’s groups to sell their tais at a central site in Suai. More tourists are coming to Suai and there is a potential market.

The next step in the program is to organise district gatherings of women to share their learnings around sustainable livelihoods and advocate to the government on what could be done to support women and their communities in a sustainable way. We have a long way to go, but groups like Naroman Fitun are stepping forward, using their skills with traditional tais to work towards a better future for themselves and their communities.

For more information on the Taking Steps project, and to download their latest report, please click here.

Taking Steps to Timor-Leste

IWDA will also be Taking Steps to Timor-Leste - a 10 day trekking challenge to Timor-Leste which offers a unique opportunity to experience the beauty, struggles and hopes of the world’s newest nation. You will also spend invaluable time visiting IWDA partner, the Cova Lima Community Centre, and the women IWDA work with to access income and build sustainable livelihoods. Click here to read more and download an information pack.

Tags: East Timor, Economic Justice

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 30th, 2010 under East Timor, Economic Justice, Recent.