Footprints Project

A total of
9499
Travelers
donated
$22586.16
(100% funded)
to help improve
Equality
impacting
1000
people
in
Timor-Leste

Project Report

This project connected young people living Aileu and Lautem through the following activities.

Radio

13 youth were trained in journalism for four weeks and produced their own youth radio program. Gender breakdown: M=1 F=5 from Lautem; M=2 F=5 from Aileu.
Live radio broadcasts facilitated by youth journalists to provide a voice to youth in rural areas to discuss issues of relevance to them. Topics included youth agricultural activities, sexual reproductive health; youth unemployment and village development projects.
Four graduates from the youth journalist training in Lautem have found jobs working in the media in Dili. As a result the youth see the benefit of the training, both in terms of providing information to the community and the prospect of learning skills to help find work.
A key challenge was the community radio in Aileu lacked human resources to implement programs on schedule.

Music & Concert

Recording of music by 10 youth bands in collaboration with community radio partners. A CD of 14 songs was produced from Lospalos and three groups were recorded in Aileu. Bands also participated in concerts, both live and on television.

The youth were given a voice, both through the youth radio program on community radio and through their songs. They were able to express their ideas in their mother tongue – which depending on where the youth were living was often not one of the two official Timor languages.
Youth living in more remote areas were also given a voice when the live broadcast came to their village allowing them to speak to a District wide audience of their lives and hopes for the future

Volleyball

10 youth groups received initiative funds for activities such as construction of a volleyball court and musical instruments for groups.
However, the youth council in Lautem were not able to implement the volleyball league this financial year.

Advocacy

Leadership and advocacy training to current and potential youth leaders.
The Lautem Youth Congress had 178 young people (50% F – 50% M) participate in a three day youth congress and were involved in the election of new office bearers.
An advocacy and monitoring study tour was undertaken by 10 young people to visit a youth based NGO in another District who have undertaken work in local advocacy and monitoring of government activities.

Training

Capacity of partners have been strengthened in financial management, leadership and child protection.
Delivered training to young people (From Youth Council and Radio Commuinicade) in human rights, peace building, human rights, gender equality (including gender based violence), reproductive health and traditional culture.

Female participation

Plan recognises the significant cultural, social and economic barriers that young women face in participating in society in Timor-Leste. Efforts have been made to work with both young men and young women to make interventions accessible to all. Young women have been keener than young men to join the community radio, while young men have been the main participants in the bands.

Next steps

This project has finished, and it will be replaced by the Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development strategy in FY 2012.