COUNTRY
Timor-Leste is a small country in Southeast Asia, located on an island of the Malay Archipelago. The country’s name – Timor-Leste – literally means ‘Eastern-East’ because ‘Timor’ in Malay means ‘East’, and so does ‘Leste’ in Portuguese.
The history of Timor-Leste is one of many years of bondage. From the 16th century, the island was under the rule of colonisers from Europe (Portugal and the Netherlands) and, afterwards, it was ruled by occupants from Japan and Indonesia. When the United Nations (UN) organised a referendum in 1999, the Timorese people unequivocally declared themselves in favour of independence. At first, the country functioned with a transitional administration appointed by the UN and, in 2002, it became fully independent, thus making Timor-Leste the first sovereign country established in the 21st century.
It is estimated that, as a result of the 1976–1999 occupation by Indonesia, up to a third of the population of Timor-Leste died. Thousands of people died of hunger, and women were forcibly sterilised. When leaving Timor-Leste, Indonesian troops were destroying everything in their way. Immediately after the end of the war, the country started reconstructing the infrastructure and creating the administration. Nevertheless, access to drinking water and medical care is still difficult for many people. Many inhabitants of Timor-Leste are also at the risk of undernourishment; it is estimated that up to 40% of the population lives below the poverty line.
ORGANISATION
Bella Galhos founded the Santana Unipessoal organisation in Timor-Leste, which helps to establish women’s social cooperatives, whose crops are shared among the workers and their families. The organisation also conducts trainings aimed at preventing domestic violence and marginalisation of social groups. Bella fought for her country’s freedom for years. She is also an activist for women’s and LGBT rights.
PROJECTS
The Kulczyk Foundation’s support was allocated to projects aimed at combatting the problem of hunger and malnourishment, while also empowering women by enabling them to become self-reliant. Funds were donated to:
- support 5 women’s social cooperatives,
- support 10 vulnerable families in Maubisse.
