Secretary of State for Equality attends the launch of the "Rede Soru Na'in" Tais Weavers' Association shop
The Secretary of State for Equality (SEI – acronym in Portuguese), Elvina Sousa Carvalho, joined the President of the Republic, José Ramos-Horta, at the launch of the "Rede Soru Na'in" Tais weavers' Timor-Leste association shop, in Dili Square, on August 15th, 2023.
The launch of this shop is the result of a partnership between UN Women, Timor Aid, and the Alola Foundation, aiming to preserve and protect "tais" as Timor-Leste’s original cultural identity. 
The products are manufactured by groups of weavers from various municipalities in the country who belong to the " Rede Soru Na'in" association.
"Tais" was recognised as Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO on December 14th, 2021, and National Tais Day is celebrated annually on that date.
During the launch ceremony, Elvina Sousa Carvalho, "on behalf of the Secretary of State for Equality", congratulated "the Association of Weavers, which, with the support of UN Women, Timor Aid and the Alola Foundation, has managed to open this shop to sell the products manufactured by its members". The Secretary of State also extended her appreciation to UN Women, Timor Aid, and the Alola Foundation, "which have been working hard for several years to support establishing a network of weavers at the municipal and national levels".
President José Ramos Horta expressed his deep appreciation to the " Rede Soru Na'in " for its commitment to preserving one of Timor-Leste's primary cultural identities, the traditional "tais". 
The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Timor-Leste, Fumni Balogun, the Head of Mission of UN Women, Amy Nishtha Satyam, the Director of Timor Aid, Céu Lopes, and the Director of the Alola Foundation, Maria Guterres, also attended the event.
The " Rede Soru Na'in" shop is open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Dili Square complex.
