etwaeast timor women australia

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Support ETWA East Timor Women Australia supports the weaving women of Lautem, Timor - you can help support them to by donating or shopping from our online shop. We have an ever expanding range of original, handcrafted products, chocodiles, books and coffee...
Visit the shop...
CTKDS Weavers Weavers from the Cooperative for Tais, Culture and Sustainable Development are based in 3 remote communities in Lautem, Eastern Timor Leste. It is run and operated by women from three weaving collectives, for the benefit of their whole communities. Full story in About ETWA...
Cultural & Sustainability Centre With the successful completion of the ETWA-CTKDS Fuat village Weaving and Cultural Centre, comes the new initiative for Lospalos - a Cultural and Sustainability Centre. See below for details...
Working with the weavers Experiences, reflections, trials and privileges as part of an Australian's cultural and economic development work in Timor... see Deb's Blog                              
Cultural Handcrafts ETWA's range of beautiful, hand-made articles, allows you to support the families and village communities of the CTKDS weavers of eastern Timor Loro'sae. Your ethical purchase is a gift for many. Visit the shop

whoweareWho we are

East Timor Women Australia is a Melbourne based not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers. We work to support women in three remote communities in the eastern district of Lautem on the island of Timor-Leste. Through the medium of traditional weaving and associated handcrafts, we aim to help women ease the burdens of poverty and maintain their cultural integrity.

whatwedoWhat we do

ETWA works with the Cooperative for Tais, Culture and Sustainable Development (Cooperativa ba Tais, Kultura ho Desenvolvimento Sustentavel - or CTKDS). The purpose of the ETWA-CTKDS partnership is to support the socio-economic well-being, self-sustainability and cultural empowerment of East Timorese women in several remote villages, through community oriented programs, particularly in the handcrafts industry.

 

A centre for sustainability... a life-changing space for women... ETWA and CTKDS are underway with planning the new centre in Lospalos for the weavers and their communities. As a purpose-built space for hand-weaving, there will also be areas for practical skills development, learning microfinance and management, computer training, health support workshops, permaculture, and cultural tourism which will be facilitated by the CTKDS weaving cooperative. All programs have resulted from years of community consultation.

We will utilize local resources and sustainable technologies, and will minimise expenses to ensure grant and donation funding maximizes outcomes for women in remote communities. The Lospalos Cultural & Sustainability Centre is the collaborative effort of ETWA and CTKDS with partners Rotary International, the Alternative Technology Association's International Projects Group, Australian Volunteers International, and media production company Change the World. Many other generous donors have already contributed towards helping us achieve our initial goal of $45,000, which will cover building expenses and community-focused programs for 2 years. To make a tax-deductible contribution to this unique project, please click here to download the form.

Deb's Blog

Updates from etwa/ctkds Community Development Officer in Timor Leste.

View her blog here.

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