Four lead entrepreneurship trainers from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Timor-Leste (CCI-TL) and the Women Employers’ Organization of Timor-Leste (AEMTL) and the Institute for Entrepreneurship Support and Development (IADE) conducted a Training of Entrepreneurship (ToE) in four municipalities of Timor-Leste (Dili, Ermera, Viequeque and Bobonaro) from June to July 2022.

This ToE have reached 144 women survivors, LGBTI and persons with disabilities and equip them with the entrepreneurship skills. During the five-day training in each municipality, the participants learned how to develop business ideas and start their own businesses so that they could be more economically independent.

These lead trainers were the graduates of the five-day Entrepreneurship Training of Trainers (ToT). Conducted from 13-17 June, the ToT was participated by 15 participants from the three institutions and at the end of the ToT, four lead trainers were selected with the composition: 2 lead trainers from IADE, 1 from CCI-TL and 1 from AEMTL.

Using the ILO’s training package of Gender and Entrepreneurship Together (GET Ahead), the ToT equipped the lead trainers and trainers with gender-sensitive entrepreneurship skills that provides basic management skills, addresses practical needs of low-income, marginalized groups and connects them with relevant business networks, groups or institutions.

These ToT and ToE training programmes were supported by the Spotlight Initiative in Timor-Leste—a joint initiative of EU-UN to eliminate violence against women and girls. This global initiative is implemented by the ILO together with four other UN agencies in Timor-Leste.

Margaret Araujo, the ILO’s programme coordinator for the Spotlight Initiative, said that these training initiatives would contribute in accelerating Timor-Leste’s efforts to reach the goals of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly the Goal 5 on gender equality. “These initiatives also align with Timor-Leste’s National Action Plan on Gender-based Violence” she added.

Meanwhile, Hergui Luina Fernandes Alves, President of AEMTL, emphasized the importance of the ToT to capacitate the trainers to deliver the entrepreneurship training for the vulnerable groups of women survivors, LGBTI, persons with disabilities and other groups. “I believe this training can help them freeing themselves from violence, in particular gender-based violence and domestic violence. Together we can contribute for a Timor-Leste that is free from violence.”

One of the participants from Bobonaro Municipality, Ana Chyntia Fatima Soares encouraged all women to be more independent by participating in entrepreneurship training and develop their own businesses. “I am very happy to participate in this ToE training and I learnt how to manage the business by applying the SMART method that has taught me to be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound,” she said.

She also concluded by encouraging women to change their mentality. “Women do not have to be in the kitchen all the time when we get married, yet we can also become a successful entrepreneur,” she concluded.