USAID Women in Development (WID): Country Snapshots - East Timor (Timor-Leste) and Economic Growth

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The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste is a new country. It gained its independence from Indonesia and ratified its Constitution in 2002. East Timor held its first elections in September 2001 and elected 24 women to the Constituent Assembly. Today women constitute 25% of the Assembly.

Twice as many women die in childbirth in East Timor than anywhere else in the Western Pacific or East Asia. Some 200 midwives serve a population of 924,642 (2004 national census).

More Fast Facts...

Country Snapshot: East Timor and Economic Growth

Photo of a women working on a pottery wheel. Caption Reads: A potter from the Bili Bala Olaria women's group adds the finishing touches to a new water filter. (Photo by Osório Correia, USAID/DAI Small Grants Project)
A potter from the Bili Bala Olaria
women's group adds the finishing
touches to a new water filter. (Photo by Osório Correia, USAID/DAI Small
Grants Project.)

Photo of Romana who borrowed $50 from Moris Rasik to start selling rice on market days. It is her second business. (Photo by Millissa Day, USAID/DAI Small Grants Program)
Romana borrowed $50 to start selling
rice on market days. It is her second business. (Photo by Millissa Day, USAID/DAI Small Grants Program.)

USAID/East Timor supports economic growth through the following activities and projects:

Bila Bala Pottery Project
Cooperative Café Timor
Irrigation projects
Microfinance support

Bila Bala Pottery Project

Supporting the Bili Bala Olaria pottery project in the Mantutu district, USAID is working with World Vision to help revive a Timorese tradition destroyed during years of violent conflict. Women potters are making modern ceramic pottery fitted with imported water filters, 100 of which the district's health department ordered, almost doubling production for a full month.

Cooperative Café Timor

Focusing on agricultural development and trade, USAID supports over 20,000 farmer members - many of whom are women - as part of the Cooperative Café Timor organic coffee cultivators' federation, an innovative approach to producing and marketing the nation's primary cash and export commodity.

Irrigation projects

USAID's economic growth program supports activities to increase employment and diversify income sources for women and men through policy analysis, capacity-building, advocacy, and training. Through a small grants program, 4,000 farmers benefited from small scale irrigation projects, undertaken with local partners such as cooperatives, local NGOs, and women's groups. Nearly 300 men and women received training in technical, maintenance, and/or marketing skills.

Microfinance support

Microfinance institutions in East Timor focus on poverty reduction by offering financial services to poor women, providing loans for small businesses and income-earning activities, and offering savings opportunities for better household and risk management. At the highest level, USAID's support helped establish the industry in East Timor through the Microfinance Working Group, now a role model for other developing countries. On the ground, it has helped individual institutions provide more than 13,000 loans across the country.

East Timor Program Objectives

Economic Governance
Health
Legal Rights
Governance
Women's Literacy
Civil Society

Selected Activities

Bila Bala Pottery Project
Cooperative Café Timor
Irrigation Projects
Microfinace Support
Health Care Services (Cooperative Café Timor)
Civic Forum
Women's Communication Forum
Women's Caucus
FHA Literacy Project
Strengthening Independent Media
Association of Men Against Violence (AMKV)
Domestic Violence Legislation
Gender-based Violence Research
Domestic Violence Justice Support
Survivors of Torture

Visit USAID/East Timor link to the Mission
Global Snapshots: East Timor Homepage

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Last Updated on: June 09, 2008