"Participation of women in Timor-Leste’s economic life must be reinforced"
The Secretary of State for the Support and Socio-Economical Promotion of Women, Veneranda Lemos Martins, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Artca Indonesia [tourism development company], represented by its Director, Anjar Budiani, to give training to the women of Timor-Leste in the production of traditional "tais" (regional manual weaving), in order to modernise it. The event took place on September 15th, 2016, in the Maria Gorete hall in Caicoli, Dili.
Veneranda Lemos emphasised that the Secretariat of State for the Support and Socio-Economical Promotion of Women (SoSSSEPW) established this agreement with Artca Indonesia, to increase the participation of Timorese women in economic life, namely for those accessing the Public Transfer Fund. The SoSSSEPW selected the group of women who will participate in the pilot project for strengthening women's participation in economic life.
The Memorandum refers the diversification of "tais" as an important productive sector for women living in rural areas. In addition, it also mentions the rehabilitation of the coffee sector and women’s training to trade in this area.
Artca Indonesia started to provide training to women through the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Environment (MoCIE), to make the "tais" more attractive – not just to sell them, but also to make them attractive to tourists.
"We have already identified groups of women who had access to the SoSSSEPW transfer fund. The team is now selecting a group of women who produce better quality “tais”, to provide them with more financial support and training, given by the Artca Indonesia, in order to improve production," stated Veneranda Lemos.
The SoSSSEPW plans to invest in preparing women for the next ten or twenty years, in order to share responsibility for the country's economy, together with men.
The Memorandum signing ceremony was attended by SoSSSEPW’s Director General, Maria José Sanches, the National Director for Gender Policy and Development, Henrique da Silva and other officials from that Secretariat of State.
