As we speak, the Oaktree team are over in Timor visiting 8 of the 15 small business groups, meeting the people and learning about their successes and challenges! Driving from village to village in some the most remote parts of timor, they are witnessing incredible changes and the project in action!Catch the FIRST VIDEO CLIP fresh out of Aileu, Timor here on the eXchange. It is literally hot of the press with the Oaktree team getting back from aileu Wednesday night!!
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Our guest bloggers are online now!! Ali Readhead our National Director of Overseas Projects, and Paddy Tobias our East Timor Project Officer!
In March 2009, Oaktree, in partnership with Plan Timor-Leste and Plan Australia, commenced a Youth Livelihoods Project, in Aileu District, just south of Dilli. Since then this project has sought to equip around 200 young people in Aileu with the skills to establish their own small businesses. To prepare the participants for setting up their businesses Plan has provided technical training around their specific area of business, such as chicken farming, along with business and organisational management training, financial literacy, and conflict resolution training. In the middle of this year all the businesses received materials from Plan to begin. For example, a fish farming business received 100 baby fish, along with fish food, and netting to line their large pond. Many of the businesses are now underway and have begun to earn their first small amount of income. By the middle of 2011, when the project concludes we hope to have 15 sustainable businesses up and running, providing a much needed income to the participants and their families, and renewed pride for their communities.
Paddy and Ali are part of the Oaktree Projects team and are over in Timor-Leste for 10 days to monitor the project and see how it is progressing. They have just spent 3 days in Aileu with Plan staff visiting 8 of the 15 small business groups, and seeing what they are up to!! A report from their trip ill be available in the coming months. The visited a variety of businesses including – chicken farming, horticulture, goat farming, fish farming, and coffee grinding!
The project is having a powerful impact, while many of the businesses are only in early stages, some have begun to earn income, and perhaps most importantly, the participants ability to work in a group, organise themselves, develop a business plan, market their produce and so on, is pretty phenomenal. Many of the young people involved have it really tough, with many having lost parents during the indonesian occupation, making the little money they earn through these businesses all the more important as they seek to support their remaining family members.
You are dags! Can't believe the rains still causing so much havoc. Just wondering if you got any insight to local perspectives re: role of government: Do they see NGOs as the primary means by which they can improve their livelihoods? Any mention of how the coalition government is doing compared to Fretilin re: rural areas?
Hey Cat!
Yeah we good a reasonably good insight into the role that NGOs play in Timor Leste. There is a massive NGO (local and international) presence here, as you would have noticed.
It is hard to say whether NGOs are locally perceived to be the prime operators in improving livelihoods. We did noticed the vital impact that NGOs have, particularly in rural, remote areas. Ali and I got to visit a couple of far-out villages in Aileu, where this was certainly evident. We were told that in a particular village, for example, World Vision had been working solely to develop various community sectors, including education, health, livelihoods, etc. On the other hand, in a neighbouring remote village, where there seemed to be an absence of NGO involvement, a doctor would only visit once monthly (the only health practitioner contact), the primary school was dishevelled, and infrastructure was almost non-existent.
I think, however, what is starting to be appreciated, more and more so, is the powerful partnership governments and NGOs can establish in Timor Leste. Government's current involvement in the Youth Livelihoods program is a case in point. Increasingly, each relies on, and works with, the other to meet the needs of the people – albeit this still has a way go.
Re: your second question Cat – the coalition govt is functioning, but from what we have heard, not as well as it could. In fact we were told that so far only 29% of the budget for 2010 has been spent, with only 2-3 months left to go – an appalling figure! In comparison to the predecessor government, I don't feel at liberty to say – this is a politically charged debate in Timor Leste, currently. Nevertheless, the national election in 2012 will no doubt be very interesting to observe.
Thanks for the question Cat!
Hi Gracie!
This project is having serious impact on basic needs – it is all about enabling young people in the small business groups to start to generate income.
5 out of the 15 groups have already begun to earn a small amount of money from their businesses, all of which only started up in the last couple of months. As we mentioned, the women's group 'Buka Moris' are growing tomatoes, beans and pak choy and in just the two harvests alone they have made $250!! This is huge considering that the average monthly income in Timor is only $90, and even less in remote villages where we are working!!
The women have divided these earnings up amongst themselves and are using them to buy clothes, repair their homes, send their kids to school and put food on the table. So in that way the project is directly impacting their daily, and very basic needs!
The project has already begun to impact participants – they have technical skills such as farming fish, they can form a group and develop an organisational structure, they can manage their finances and market their produce effectively, not to mention a huge improvement in confidence!! The other businesses which are yet to start earning will begin soon, and given time, all the groups should be earning a reasonable income from their activities.
We will head back over mid next year when the project finishes to check out the more long term impact!
Hey Ali.
When you say that this group has made $250 in two harvests, over what period of time is that? ie. How long is two harvests? And when they have to divide these earnings up among the women in the group, is it still above the average monthly income individually?
Hey Glen!
Yeah look to be honest its going to be really tough. Some of the villages we visited are just so isolated, and selling their produce is challenging. I think it is possible to retain people in their villages but open up markets to them – we just have to be creative. For example, Plan is talking with some local supermarkets in Dilli about buying the vegetables that the groups in Aileu are producing. This would mean that the people from Dilli would come to Aileu every month and the growers would bring their produce down to Aileu town and sell direct, this would prevent them having to make the long journey to Dilli, and enable them to work as a kind of cooperative.
Other than that, I think once the roads to the districts begin to improve things should get easier – it is likely that as this happens more and more people will move from their villages to the district centres, this is unfortunate, but probably inevitable. Hopefully though they can at least stay in the districts once roads open up and it is easier for them to access Dilli or for others to come to them to buy their produce.
It is similar to the challenges we face with remote indigenous communities – it may be that at some point these communities are just no longer viable and it costs too much for government to service them, and they may have to at least move to regional centres.
Pretty challenging issue, but at least our groups can sell their produce within Aileu for the moment, small steps.
Hey guys – awesome awesome video!
How has the success of the all-female business group been recieved by other members of the community, and in particular, the other businesses?
Have you witnessed any changing attitudes, from either men or women, about the role of women in small business?
Hey Alison and Paddy
love the video
just wondering is extreme disadvantage mainly a rural phenomenon in E Timor or is it also something that effects urban areas? If so, with less than 30% of the population urbanised is increasing this number a legitimate long term goal?
Hey Josh,
Paddy here. Ali insisted that I reply because she is upset that you referred to her as Alison (I appreciate though).
Well, I suppose it depends on what you define as 'extreme disadvantage'. Certainly, disadvantage and lack of opportunities plague the whole country, urban and rural. However, the dearth of opportunities in remote, rural areas is particularly severe from what we noticed.
Though, encouraging everyone to move to urban areas, mostly just Dili, is not the best solution. Already there is a massive urbanisation process that is putting incredible stain on the limited infrastructure here. It seems, with increasing migration to the city, this will only worsen. Locals need to be encouraged to continue stay in rural areas, by employment and income opportunities – what the Youth Livelihoods program is attempting to do in Aileu.
Hey Celia,
All of the groups are in rural areas, the main difference is their proximity to the small town in the centre of Aileu – which probably can't be called 'urban'
The groups closer to the centre of Aileu generally have greater access to markets which enables them to more easily sell their produce, compared to the more remote groups which may have to walk a number of hours to get to market. Also, the groups closer to the centre are able to access greater technical support as service providers readily available – for example, this means that closer groups can get vaccinations for their chickens more easily. Finally, education levels are generally higher which means that the groups closer to town are more likely to speak english, and have literacy and numeracy under control, giving them a stronger foundation to start their business.
Well done Ali and Paddy.
Great video! Nice to be able to 'see' what you are both doing. I'm sure the people of Aileu are pleased to have your support and encouragement. Hopefully there are greater things to come because of your initiative.
Keep up the great work. Looking forward to hearing and seeing more.
Thanks Steve. It was a great trip.
Love your work guys!
What elements have surprised you most when talking to each of the business groups?
And – who's been driving the car?
Congratulations to Oaktree for pulling off such a great project!
Regards,
Joss Fenton CPA
Business Adviser & Facilitator
Love your report guys. I've been travelling to Ainaro for the last 6 years and there is a great need for these types of small businesses to be initiated all over the districts. Keep up the good work and spreading the word.