THROUGH EU-UN SPOTLIGHT INISIATIVE, FUNDASAUN ALOLA AND MANE HO VIZAUN FOUN TIMOR-LESTE PRESENT PROGRESS RESULTS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF INITIATIVE SPOTLIGHT "CONNECT WITH RESPECT"

Díli, 31 May 2022: Fundasaun Alola and Mane Ho Vizaun Foun through EU-UN Spotlight Initiative partnering with UN Women, present progress results of project implementation on connect with respect and gender- responsive parenting curriculum in Timor-Leste as part of the action to contribute to eliminate violence against women and Girls. The sessions contribute a component of a whole-school approach which aims to engage teachers, parents and students in understanding the consequences of violence against women and girls, work with schools to promote respectful relationships and gender equality and raise visibility of the issue in schools and communities. 15 schools from three municipalities (Bobonaro, Ermera, and Viqueque) were targeted and 930 direct beneficiaries projected (450 students, 30 teachers, and 450 parents of students). 

So far, Alola and Mane ho Vizaun Foun  have implemented several activities, such as: the Connect With Respect (CWR) project orientation to the Minister of Education at the national and municipalities levels, local authorities ( President of Authorities of Municipalities, President of Administrative posts Sub District Village chief), relevant partners; identified members of Connect With respect Reference Group; Completed designing Terms of Reference for Reference Group; Conducted Parenting session  training  to 454 parents of students; Conducted Training of Trainers to 30 teachers form 15 schools, and conducted impact assessment  for the parenting training session through the focus group discussions and interviews with direct and indirect beneficiaries.

As a result, Ministry of Education at national, municipalities and administrative posts levels are well informed and aware of the importance of CWR and gender-responsive parenting curriculum to students, teachers and parents. Besides, parents are well equipped with prevention knowledge and skills, particularly on how to build positive and healthy relationship amongst parents, students and school for productive teaching learning process. Parents started to treat their children equally, regardless of their sex. For example, they encourage their children, boys and girls to wash dishes. Furthermore, 30 teachers are aware the importance to create a gender-friendly class during their teaching learning process and ready to apply CWR sessions to their students.  

“Upgrading parents’ knowledge and skills regarding the gender equality and respectfully relationship is central to the development of children-students as it could open the possibility of active participation of parents to support schools in teaching and educating their children in healthy and respectful relationships. Therefore, having a Connect with Respect and gender-responsive parenting curriculum to teachers is necessary”, said Chief of Office of Alola Foundation, Mrs. Maria Imaculada Guterres.

“To effectively respond to Gender Based Violence, the Spotlight Initiative, funded by the European Union, has brought us all together since 2020: individuals, families, communities, suco leadership, schools, churches, media, youth, and people with disabilities, LGBTI, civil society, Ministries, Government and development partners. Gender-based violence affects the whole of society, so the whole of society has to respond to it. Even a global pandemic could not stop us. Our work carried on.” expressed Mrs. Andrew Jacobs, the European Union Ambassador to Timor-Leste.

Complementing the government’s efforts to End Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) in Timor-Leste under the Secretary of Estate of  Equality and Inclusion (in Portuguese SEII)’s mandate, Alola Foundation and Mane ho Vizaun Foun stand among key actors from CSOs, NGOs, I-NGOs, and development agencies. SEII as the women’s machinery with the mandate to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment, have been actively showing the leadership in the Spotlight Initiative (SI) since the start. The Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion, Her Excellence Maria do Rosario Fatima Correia noticed the progress from the SI in complementing to government’s efforts of EVAWG. “Spotlight through Alola and Mane ho Vizaun Foun has been providing significant contribution to the prevention work by continuously providing training of Connect with Respect and gender-responsive parenting curriculum to students, parents, and teachers. This is a good start to help children-students by involving paretns and schools in promoting and instilling the value of respect and ways of showing respect to all people in the family, school, and community, regardless of their sex, culture, and social background”. 

Five UN agencies (UN Women, UNFPA, UNDP, UNICEF, and ILO) are responsible for the implementation of Spotlight under the coordination of its Resident Coordinator. They work with key actors from government, CSOs, NGOs and I-NGOs in Dili, Viqueque, Ermera and Bobonaro and assist them in rolling out the initiative. As part of UN Timor-Leste’s contribution to complement the government and global efforts on EVAWG and aim to reach SDG goals, specifically number 5, it empowers partners and supports the efforts of EVAWG. “Violence has never been an in-built part of human behavior or conditioning. We can pre-empt and prevent violence. The sessions of connect with Respect and gender responsive parenting curriculum contribute a component of a whole-school approach which aims to engage teachers, parents and students in understanding the consequences of violence against women and girls, work with schools to promote respectful relationships and gender equality and raise visibility of the issue in schools and communities”, said Roy Trivedy, UN Resident Coordinator.

The Spotlight Initiative is a multi-year partnership between European Union and United Nations with a global investment of $550 million by the European Union. In Timor-Leste, the three-year investment of the initiative USD 15 million, and aims to strengthen the country’s legal frameworks and institutions, promote positive social norms, increase access to support services for survivors of violence, improve the collection and use of data for better policy making and to strengthen partnerships with CSOs.