Dili, November 6, 2024 (Média Democracia) – The “Hakbiit Feto” shop established by the secretary of RFTL has been officially opened by the Ministry of Trade Industry, Secretary of State for Equality, European Union in Timor-Leste benefiting 15 women’s groups from four municipalities, as part of the “Hakbiit Feto” project implemented by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and RFTL with financial support from the European Union and the Australian Development Agency.
ADRA Representative, Sanjay said that today take action to address Gender Based Violence and also empower women through opportunities and participation.
“Women’s empowerment and combating Gender Based Violence, women’s empowerment is a war that has been fought in silence for many years, not only in Timor-Leste but in many places in the world. Today, we are taking action that is now underway and facing a path that brings change to the social inclusion of women and a movement to increase opportunities for women to become implementers in Timor-Leste,” said ADRA representative, Sanjay in the opening ceremony, in Rede Feto, Caicoli, Dili.
The “Hakbiit Feto” project started in March 2021 and will be completed in February 2025 covering four municipalities such as Ainaru, Baucau, Covalima and Bononaru including Dili.
The aim of the “Hakbiit Feto” project is to empower women in social and economic life by increasing their participation in social activities and value chains. Today the RFTL Secretariat is home to the “Hakbiit Feto” store which was officially opened by the Secretary of State for Equality and the Embassy of the European Union, the store shows the agricultural production processes of 15 groups from 4 municipalities.
In this launch, the European Union Embassy, Marc Fiedrich appreciated the women who produce local products to be sold in the “Hakbiit Feto” store.
“I congratulate RFTL, ADRA and also the women who produce and process the products that will be sold in the “Hakbiit Feto” store. It is inspiring to see these concrete results, with some newly acquired skills, hard work, dedication and existing assistance, Timorese women are now starting their own businesses,” He said.
On this occasion, Director of the RFTL Board of Directors, Zelia Fernandes added that the “Hakbiit Feto” store is a dream of RFTL and its members for years but has finally come true today.
“As a dream of RFTL and its members for years, when we started the discussion we thought that from the beginning of the “hakbiit feto” program it was important for a woman to be economically independent so that it would be a matter of pride for them to contribute in making decisions and preventing various acts of violence that occur,” She said.
This shop is not only a center for selling women’s products, but also a training center for learning from each other on how to increase capacity in processing products to bring projects to market.
She said, RFTL is an advocacy machine to promote women’s local products to the community in order to help these groups.
“RFTL as an advocacy machine that only promotes women’s products originating from several beneficiary groups in rural areas to the community, so that it can help women’s products that have long been made for the community,” She added.
Because in general women have creativity but find it difficult to access markets and also with limited equipment, it makes them difficult to bring their products to the market.
She emphasized that by launching the “hakbiit feto” store, it could become a center for collecting women’s group products to help them.
“I think with this shop, it can be a place for them to put their stuff and also a place for women to discuss and for Municipalities this project is still not there to learn from each other in order to strengthen each other better,” She said.
In addition, local products produced by women’s groups such as banana chips, peanut butter, pumpkin jam, potato chips and also noodles are produced using local ingredients and others.
Reported by : Estefania
Photo : Estefania