Forum Peduli Wanita Oecussi (FPWO) started out as a cluster of women’s cooperatives almost three years ago. In early 2006, FPWO’s board members received training on basic numeracy and bookkeeping through USAID’s Small Grants Program. “It was very practical,” FPWO member Joanna Falo said of the training, adding that it prepared them for starting and managing small businesses well. Since then, the women’s business ventures have included selling local membramo rice, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, second-hand clothes, and household items. Lately, the women have started breeding goats (with the support of the British Embassy), which they are planning to sell later in Dili and even in Indonesian markets, if things work out.

It seems that FPWO, which counts 300 women as members, is succeeding not only as a business-minded group; it is also evolving into a cause-oriented organization. In August 2005, FPWO, assisted by Caritas Australia, inaugurated a safehouse for victims of domestic violence: “FPWO encourages the women to report cases of domestic violence to the police. Women are starting to report domestic violence, but they’re understandably afraid to return home after reporting and need a temporary shelter meanwhile,” said FPWO’s microcredit coordinator Pasquela Handayani. Not only that, FPWO has started a new program called “Create Peace”: “The new program came about because of the crisis in Dili. We want to make sure that what happened in Dili will not happen in Oecussi, so we are initiating projects like traditional cooking competitions, cultural programs, and sports tournaments,” FPWO’s Hadayani continued. For an enclave like Oecussi that is so isolated from the rest of the country, such civic activities are definitely much needed and it is good news that FPWO is taking this initiative.

The women proudly say that their husbands have proved to be “very supportive” of FPWO’s activities, adding that it’s their husbands who help them resolve their internal conflicts, whenever they have one. The husbands, on the other hand, say that it only makes sense to support an organization that actually helps their families in many ways. When all is said and done, the principle behind FPWO is quite simple: “We are targeting women to contribute to the development of the country by starting with their households.”

To help FPWO continue to fulfill its ambitions, USAID’s Small Grants Program is funding a series of literacy and numeracy training sessions for FPWO's illiterate cooperative members.