Testimony

Have you heard of my country, Timor-Leste?If you haven’t yet, let me introduce you. Officially, the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, my island nation comprises approximately half the island of Timor, withthe other half belongingto Indonesia.It is located about 700kilometres northwest of Darwin, Australia.“Leste” means “east” in Portuguese, hence our Anglicised name, East Timor.

We first gained independence in 1975, after enduring more than 450 years of Portuguese colonialization, only to be subsequently occupied by Indonesia for 24 years, from 1975 to 1999. It was not until 2002 (following a bloody campaign) that we were internationally recognised as an independent country.Four languages are spokenhere, with the official languages being Tetum and Portuguese, while English and Indonesian are working languages.

Reflecting on ourhistory as a post-conflict country,theTimorese areresilient people. We work hard towards fulfillingourbasichumanneeds, including security and social justice.

Our economy relies heavily on oil and gas revenues, which are the main contributors to the country’s GDP. The recent decline in oil and gas reserves underscores the urgency of diversifying the economy. However, the process of economic diversification is slow and faces significant hurdles in implementation. The private and cooperative sectors remain underdeveloped, particularly in crucial areas such as agriculture.

Young people make up the majority ofour nation’s1.3 million population, with 35 percent below the age of 15. However, despite our young demographic, our political landscape is predominantly controlled by the 6 percent of the population aged 65 and over. This leaves little room for the younger generation to actively participate in the decision-making process across all levels of governance, from local sub-villages to national policies. Corruption remains a significant problem, alongside sporadic gang violence and conflicts related to martial arts.

More than half of our population lives in rural areas. Thelack of basic infrastructure, particularly poor road conditions, no electricity, and a lack of access to safe and secure drinking water, exacerbates the connectivity issue between rural and urban areas. Most of the social services do not reach people in rural areas. This has contributed topoverty affecting 50 percent of our population, in addition to high incidents ofmalnutrition and gender-based violence.Thelack of access to basic services such as health, WASH, education, low crop diversity, and climate change are major drivers behind the high rates of food and nutrition insecurity in Timor.

The country has adopted various conventions and approved a number of laws to protect the rights of women and children. At the national level, women occupy 38 percent of the seats in the national parliament. This quantity looks amazing on paper; however, women’s contribution and influence in decision-making at the national level are hardly felt and have even declined further at the local level, with less than 5 percent of women occupying seats in the village councils.

In addition, there are significant inequalities between the lived experiences of women and men.We have strong patriarchal and customary laws, which maintain strict gender roles, divisions of labour,and power relations between men and women.As a consequence, women havefeweropportunities than men to undertake formal education and participate in the formal labour force. Iffaced with a choice between sendingaboy ora girl to school,familieswilloften give preference tothe boyfor higher education.This bias contributes to the perpetuation of gender inequality and isa contributing factortohigh rates of teenage pregnancyand cases of infanticide, which have seen an increasein our society in the last five years.

Regrettably, more than halfofTimoresewomen aged 15 to49 who have been in a relationshiphave experienced some form of physical or sexual violence, or both, bytheir male partner. Women in rural areas, women with disabilities, woman-headed households, and teenage mothers are particularly vulnerable to poverty and discrimination.

This is the context in which the Jesuit mission operates in Timor-Leste. We understand the importance of strengthening communities from the ground up. So we persist in reaching out to people in remote and rural areas, where intervention is most needed.We bring together communities to work on water and sanitation, food security, health care, social innovation, relief, and agriculture programmes.

With the generous support of many of our mission partners from around the world, Jesuit Social Service (JSS)-Timor-Leste has helped build water infrastructures that have benefitted more than 20 sub villages and communities across five districts. We provide rural households with toilets, which you probably never think about. We mentor youth groups, women, and persons deprived of liberty, empowering them so they can shape a better future for themselves and their communities.

As a result of these interventions, our beneficiaries experience improved hygienic conditions, access to better water facilities, enhanced agricultural productivity, and reduced burdens in daily life. Notably, children and women no longer need to wake up early to fetch water for their daily needs, allowing them to focus on other activities and pursuits.

At Jesuit Social Service, our guiding motto is “Joy of Service”. We thank all those who have generously shared their resources, enabling us to serve others with joy. It is through the collective efforts and unwavering commitment of individuals with big hearts that we can truly make a difference in the lives of the poor and marginalised, especially in this remarkable place called Timor-Leste.

By Elsa Pinto, Jesuit Social Service Timor-Leste