About us
ETWA is a volunteer organisation based in Melbourne, Australia. We work to support East Timorese women through community oriented programs, particularly in the handcrafts industry. We aim to give women the opportunity to make real the benefits of sustainable handcrafts enterprises and through the richness of weaving, help them maintain cultural integrity.
We attempt to develop relationships based on reciprocity, so the things we learn from our friends in East Timor are equally as important as the gift of support we bring and this is reflected in our motto. Given opportunity to come together in community we will contribute to sustainability both in East Timor and Australia. It reflects a process where we create and seize opportunities to learn from each other; working closely and communally to enjoy the rewards that working across cultures brings. From Timorese women, we have opportunities to learn the values of kinship, patience, resourcefulness and living in unanimity with the environment. From us, Timorese women are given opportunities to extend their market reach and improve their access to things they can’t afford, maintain traditional practices and share the riches of their culture.
In Australia, our members work within a Community Development framework to engage and connect with each other and the broader community. Undertaking projects such as our Weaving Tour to East Timor, our Schools Community Program or running events, we make space for creativity to help our members achieve their potential while also raising funds for and awareness about the daily struggles of East Timorese women.
In East Timor, we work with the Centre for Timor’s Cultural Development (CTCD) to support three weaving collectives in the eastern regions. Click here to learn more about CTCD.
East Timor Women Australia was initiated by a group of friends studying Community Development, many having been involved in the free East Timor movement during the military occupation. In December 2003, we held our first Freedom from Poverty Bookmark Drive, raising much needed funds for the fledgling Taibesi Coop, a handcrafts project in Dili supporting veteran women, widows and orphans.
In March 2004, we had our first formal meeting and ETWA became an Incorporated Association. We elected our committee and developed our aims and objectives. Within the next twelve months, we developed networks with other organisations supporting East Timor, partnerships with the Unitarian Church and the RSL, ran our first 'Choc Crocs for East Timor' campaign and recruited many new members. In September 2004, we opened our Ross House office to give us a retail outlet for East Timorese handcrafts and a place to meet for our expanding membership. Our second bookmark drive again raised more than $6000 for women in East Timor.
2005 proved to be a year of events for ETWA. In January, we began planning a trip for our East Timorese partners to visit us in Australia to take part in a fortnight of events in September. In May, we hosted a film night with Canadian documentary film-maker Elaine Briere. As plans for events such as the 'Challenges and Possibilities Conference' with RMIT's Globalism Institute, the 'Weaving for Life' Tais exhibition with the Friends of Same, and ETWA's first AGM progressed, members and friends of ETWA began the Dandenong Ranges Chapter in the hills community just outside of Melbourne. The group began planning a Community Festival to celebrate the birth of the Chapter and to coincide with the women's trip.
This was the first time we were visited by friends from the project we had supported for almost two years and it was the first time Balbina and Natalina would travel outside of East Timor. The two women, accompanied by Beba and Laura from APSCTL, arrived safely on the morning of the 30th August, the anniversary of the independence ballot, a significant date in East Timor's history. The women had an enjoyable stay in Melbourne for just over two weeks, attending more than 12 events and meeting ETWA friends and supporters.
In Dec 2005, ETWA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Australian Volunteers International, Australia's largest volunteer sending organisation. Through this partnership, ETWA can now provide tax receipts for donations which go directly to supported projects in East Timor.
Understanding the importance of basing our plans on knowledge on the ground, in February 2006, three members journeyed to East Timor to assess the relationship and to ask our partners how ETWA can provide meaningful support. The trip was profoundly effectual on many levels, particularly in helping us to better understand how important consistent communication is. Through conversations (particularly listening!) we discovered that many of the problems the group experience come not just out of poverty, but also from limited access to information. We thus made a commitment to support a long-term volunteer placement to help improve communications and provide training in various areas of Cooperative management to our partners. However in April as plans were developing, divisions within East Timorese institutions (the police and army) seeped onto the streets of Dili and anger, confusion and chaos arose. Members from our partner organisation fled their homes in desperate attempts to escape the escalating violence. Sadly, as the building in Dili remained unoccupied for some months, equipment and materials were looted and the group is now rebuilding their project from the Metinaro refugee camp.
The crisis saw ETWA members pull together, acknowledging that our support becomes more important at such times. We ran various campaigns, including 'Peace for Women in East Timor' in June- raising funds to help women access quality food, fresh water and medical services for themselves and their children. It was a challenging time as communications were difficult and often we had little understanding of the daily difficulties women were facing and even less understanding of the complex political situation. As the violence necessitated our friends leaving Dili and seeking safety in Metinaro, there was a need for ETWA to once again reflect on our priorities to ensure we could respond appropriately. Consequently, later in the year we invited Balbina to visit Australia to deepen our understanding of what was needed to support them. She arrived in November, participated in our many activities and had a break from the pressures of the refugee camp. The trip was an opportunity for ETWA members and supporters to meet with Balbina and hear about the situation on the ground for women who had been directly affected by the crisis. Her time here was also vital for informing ETWA’s focus for 2007, developing initiatives to further women's access to sustainable incomes.
So, what have we been up to in 2007?
In response to the changed circumstances in East Timor, the start of the year saw many changes for ETWA. After a thorough evaluation of our finances, we moved our office from Ross House to Borderlands Cooperative in February; stepped up our fundraising efforts and simplified our operations so that members could focus on specific projects. We conducted our usual Easter fundraiser (very successfully!) and by a persistent commitment to networking, received a significant donation from a private philanthropist through our partnership with AVI. Importantly, we also made a commitment to developing initiatives that would bring lasting benefits to women and their families, such as the Business Development Initiative and Schools Program in Australia; fostering relationships with grassroots in-country and Australian based organisations and support for cultural tourism in East Timor.
As the security situation calmed in East Timor, DFAT travel warnings decreased in May. With much anticipation, we began planning our first Weaving Tour and prepared projects that had been on hold for the previous twelve months. There was much synchronicity leading up to the trip which began in late June. Semester break and school holidays enabled teachers and students to participate in the Weaving Tour and ensured that photographer and ETWA Committee member Sally Gray was able to come along (many of Sally’s stunning photographs are featured on our website- thanks Sally!). Our journey coincided with the Parliamentary elections held on June 30th and four ETWA members volunteered as international observers. ETWA’s fundraising allowed for a small film-crew to join us to make a film about the community of women we work with. In the coming months, the film will enable our supporters to have a mediated relationship with East Timorese women and insight into their culture.
Prior to the Weaving Tour, Balbina the key driver from our partner organisation in East Timor had formalised three weaving collectives in Lautem in the east of the island. Before the crisis, weavers were working independently, selling Tais to the Dili based group. Through the formation of these new groups, our work will have broader effects and support women in their capacity to organise and develop sustainable enterprises. The philanthropic funds we received earlier in the year enabled us to provide support to these weaving collectives and fund an in-country Project and Liaison Officer for a period of three months. Fortunately, Claire Rowland, who has worked in Timor and speaks fluent Tetun, agreed to take the position, supporting our partners to strengthen organisational capacity and develop business administration systems. Commencing in late July, Claire’s work has already made a significant contribution to our partners’ work. Click here to find out more. We will provide further updates as time permits.
Our four week trip was again beneficial on so many levels. It deepened both our relationships with our partners and our understanding of local cultural context and situation. In the west, we often overlook what we receive when we engage with peoples from traditional societies, rather seeing those we work with as the recipients of our expertise. By recognizing that in the process of working together we enrich each other’s lives, we increase the potential for the relationships to be meaningful and long-lasting. We hope that through this appreciation and by ensuring new understandings inform our practice, will support our capacity to sustain our work in the long-term. We also look forward to regularly updating our story as our partnerships transform as the years go by!
So in summary, we're still doing all we can to support equitable development in East Timor and have big plans for the coming months. If you'd like to know more or get involved, send an email to office@etwa.org.au.
Our wonderful committee members have a variety of backgrounds, interests and skills:
President: Kerry Laughton was inspired to join ETWA in February 2005. Kerry has a public policy/development background and passion for social justice. She is completing a PhD on corporate social responsibility in East Timor's coffee industry.
Vice President: Jo Bermingham is a founding member of ETWA. Her active involvement has seen ETWA’s successful development and she has visited East Timor on two occasions.
Secretary: Beck Renton is currently in her final year of a Community Development Diploma. She initially came on board with ETWA to do her student placement in early 2006, but as a her skills and enthusiasm became invaluable to ETWA, she volunteered for the position as Secretary and was unanimously voted in at ETWA's AGM in Oct 2006.
Treasurer: Deb Salvagno is a founding member of ETWA. Her previous life in the rag trade and interest in progressive politics and community development sparked her commitment to East Timor. She works at Borderlands Cooperative.
General Member: Jo White is also a founding member of ETWA and works as a medical scientist as St Vincent's Hospital. Jo recently completed a Masters in Public Health and will research the health concerns of women, particularly weavers, in October 2006.
General Member: Sally-Anne David is proprietor of Rambling Rose Fashion in Tecoma, Victoria and also has a history in the rag trade. Sally brings a wealth of knowledge about small business management and manufacturing to ETWA. She visited East Timor in 2006 and after much discussion and observation, has developed clear understandings of what is needed to support small enterprise for East Timorese women. Her common sense approach to our work is also very grounding!
General Member: Olivia Hurrell started the Gippsland Chapter of ETWA and is also driving the Schools Project. Olivia is a school teacher and completing a Masters in Education with Monash University in Gippsland.
General Member: Sally Gray is completing a BA in International Community Development at Victoria University and is completing her student placement with ETWA.
CHAPTERS
The Chapter Coordinators are the first point of contact for people wanting to join one of the chapters. They may also help keep the committee of management and office up-to-date with Chapter activities. Chapters organise events to raise funds, awareness, the ETWA community and show that you can have a social conscious and still have fun!!
Dandenong Ranges Chapter: Richard, M: 0403 449 424
Gippsland Chapter: Olivia, M: 0428 221 887
HEALTH STUDY
Anecdotally we know that women often experience severe back pain from weaving and believe that the study will identify further health issues for women. The study is currently in need of further financial support, and if you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution (or know someone that would), please shoot us an email!
SCHOOLS PROJECT
Coordinator: Beckie Renton
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!! and more info coming soon!
This reciprocal project aims to give primary and secondary school children opportunities to learn about community development and social justice by being involved in student chapters of ETWA. In turn, the project will help increase fundraising and resources for ETWA.
