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Fair Trade Experiences in Cambodia, Vietnam and Timor Leste

Timor Leste

Fostering Pride In Traditional Arts and Crafts

Presented by Rui Carvalho

The Alola Foundation was established in 2001 by East Timor’s First Lady Kirsty Sword Gusmao.The name Alola is the nickname of Juliana dos Santos, a 14 year old Timorese school girl who was brutally kidnapped and raped in the violence of September 1999. She is still held in West Timor by her abductor.

Alola’s initial focus therefore was on raising awareness locally and internationally on the issue of gender-based violence as experienced by the women and girls of Timor Leste. The Foundation now works in direct partnership with indigenous East Timorese women’s NGOs and groups to create employment opportunities, promote human rights, strengthen community participation in development and increase the status of women.

In 2001, the Foundation collaborated with Oxfam to determine the feasibility of developing a fair trade export industry for the local Tais (traditional hand-women fabric which are the basis of East Timorese traditional clothing and costume. Designs and color are specifically associated with districts and illustrate the environmental, cultural and linguistic differences between these districts and their communities). The study has assisted Alola in the development and implementation of a 5-year handicraft industry Development and Marketing plan which is currently in its early implementation stage.

East Timorese women continue to be the backbone of their communities. In many cases, they are the sole income-earners for their families doing informal work or through production of traditional handicrafts, including Tais. Involvement in the weaving industry, and in other cottage industries, provides a sense of continuity with the past and fosters pride in the traditional arts and crafts of Timor Leste.