From Where I Stand

Amandina’s first engagement with social service was through the Digital Literacy Training with UN Women in 2021. She says, “I’ve been leading advocacy and activist groups, particularly on the work to shift families’ perception on allowing girls to seek opportunities and be more mobile”.    

I never imagined speaking in a national TV talk show and share my messages to an audience of thousands. It was a life changing experience because my confidence grew when I’m trusted to do what I’m passionate about. I thank UN Women and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for that. A month after I appeared on the TV speaking about digital literacy and promoting gender equality, I was identified by Plan International to go back for another TV show to speak on the same topic.      

The more I speak, the more people are reached with these messages. I was then invited to speak to 120 students at the National University (UNTL) on the celebration of International Day of Girl Child. Last year, I also attended UN Women’s CSW 65 global forum representing Timorese youth’s voice, which was a first-time experience to join such a global forum.                    

UN Women gave me the first opportunity and since then I’ve been leading more trainings. This month, with the continuous fund from DFAT, together with Voice for Voiceless team that I helped establish, I’ll be leading the team back to my former high school in Manatuto to lead a digital literacy and gender equality training for 50 high school students. When I reached out to my former high school teacher, she was proud to hear a former student can give back to the school. It will be the first time students in that school learn about the subject. 

Since my eldest brother who I live with in Dili saw me speaking on TV, being profiled and able to have an income, it has changed his mind to allow me to attend more extracurricular activities, which never happened before. Now, with his own initiative he even reminds me of my schedules. Moreover, he has convinced my younger siblings to go out and seek opportunities.   

Since last year with 5 other youth colleagues, we formed a youth advocacy group, Voice for voiceless Timor-Leste and launched a Facebook page to advocate for social cohesion and speak against gender-based violence in online and offline space. Now there are over 500 followers and it continues to grow. Last year, celebrating the Unify Days, the group was trusted by the U.S Embassy to speak to 25 university and high school students on digital literacy. 

Being a midwife student and having been active in the social service I was told by my classmates that nursing is not my field. I told them, we are in a society where all the social issues affect all of us in many ways and we all have a role to contribute to social change. The extracurricular activities with UN Women have paved the way to my professional career.

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From Where I Stand: "Atividade extracurricular ne’ebé hau tuir ho UN Women loke ona dalan ba hau-nia kareira profesionál"

Amandina nia envolvimentu dahuluk ho servisu sosiál maka liuhosi formasaun Literasia Dijitál ho UN Women iha tinan 2021. Nia dehan, "hau lidera ona atividade advokasia no grupu ativista sira, liu-liu kona-ba servisu atu muda persepsaun familia nian atu permite labarik-feto sira atu buka oportunidade no sai movel liu."

Hau nunka hanoin atu hato'o hau-nia mensajen iha televizaun nasionál, no fahe hau-nia mensajen ba ema rihun ba rihun. Ida-ne'e lori mudansa ba hau nia moris tanba hau nia konfiansa aumenta bainhira ema fiar hau atu halo buat ne'ebé hau gosta tebes. Hau agradese ba UN Women no Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) ba oportunidade ida-ne'e. Fulan ida depois hau hato’o hau nia mensajen iha televizaun kona-ba literasia dijitál no promove igualdade jéneru, Plan International mos identifika hau atu fila fali ba kanal televizaun seluk hodi koalia kona-ba tópiku hanesan.

Bainhira hau koalia bebeik, ema barak liu tan mak bele rona mensajen sira-ne'e. Tuirmai hau hetan konvite atu koalia ho estudante na'in 120 iha Universidade Nasionál (UNTL) kona-ba selebrasaun Loron Mundiál ba Labarik-Feto. Tinan kotuk, hau mos partisipa iha Forum globál UN Women nian ba Komisaun ba Estatutu Feto (Commision on the Status of Women) 65 ne'ebé hau reprezenta foin-sa'e Timor-oan sira-nia lian, ida ne’e nu'udar esperiénsia ba dahuluk mai hau atu tuir Forum globál hanesan ne'e.

UN Women mak fó oportunidade ba hau dahuluk no dezde ne'ebá hau mos lidera ona treinamentu barak. Fulan ida-ne'e, ho fundu kontinuasaun hosi DFAT, hamutuk ho ekipa Voice for Voiceless ne'ebé hau ajuda estabelese ona, hau sei lidera ekipa ne'e fila fali ba hau-nia eis eskola sekundária iha Manatuto hodi lidera treinamentu Literasia Dijitál no igualdade jéneru ba estudante eskola sekundária na’in 50. Bainhira hau konkaktu eskola sekundária ne’e, hau-nia mestra sira sente orgullu tanba rona eis estudante ida bele mai ajuda fali eskola ne'e. Ida ne'e primeira vez ba estudante sira iha eskola ne'e aprende kona-ba matéria ne'e.

Desde hau-nia maun boot ne'ebé hau hela hamutuk iha Dili haree hau koalia iha televizaun, no komesa hetan rendimentu no ema barak mak kria ona hau nia profile, maun mos troka nia hanoin atu permite hau bele tuir atividade extracurricular sira, ida ne’e nunka akontese antes. Agora, ho ninia inisiativu rasik nia mos fó hanoin hau kona-ba hau-nia orariu sira. Liutan ne'e, nia mos enkoraja hau-nia alin sira atu ba buka oportunidade.

Desde tinan kotuk hamutuk ho kolega foin-sa'e na'in 5 seluk, ami kria grupu advokasia hanaran Voice for Voiceless no lansa pájina Facebook ida hodi halo advokasia ba koezaun sosiál no koalia kontra violénsia bazeia ba jéneru iha espasu online no offline. Agora iha ema nain-500 liu tuir ona pájina ne’e no kontinua aumenta ba beibeik. Tinan kotuk, selebra Loron UNIFY, grupu ne'e hetan fiar hosi Embaixada Estadus Unidus hodi koalia ho estudante universitáriu no sekundária na'in 25 kona-ba literasia dijitál.

Hau nu’udar estudante enfermeira no hau-nia kolega eskola sira hateten mai hau katak enfermeira laos hau-nia kampu. Hau hatete ba sira katak, ita iha sosiedade ida-ne'ebé asuntu sosiál hotu-hotu afeta ita hotu iha dalan barak no ita hotu iha papél atu kontribui ba mudansa sosiál. Atividade extracurricular ne’ebé hau tuir ho UN Women loke ona dalan ba hau-nia kareira profesionál.