Ostico is a rural community in Timor-Leste, where many families rely on agriculture, informal work, and small-scale trading for their livelihoods.
Employment and training opportunities can be limited, particularly for women. Without access to practical skills, equipment, finance, and markets, it can be difficult to turn existing knowledge into a reliable source of income.
Women already contribute significantly to their families and communities through farming, textile production, caregiving, and informal enterprise. However, much of this work is unpaid, insecure, or undertaken without access to the resources needed to grow.
Locally led community initiatives are creating new opportunities for women to build skills, strengthen livelihoods, and participate more fully in their communities’ economic life.
Ostico Community Projects bring together women-led enterprise, vocational training, sustainable agriculture, and community education.
Run by Fundação Loreto Timor-Leste, the Loreto Community Centre, provides a permanent space for learning, training, and community activities.
The centre supports women and other community members in accessing practical skills and responding to opportunities in a country undergoing rapid economic and social change. English language classes help participants strengthen communication skills, while enterprise and vocational programs create pathways towards income and greater independence.
Mary Ward International has supported the development of the centre, the establishment of the Mary Ward Sewing Centre, and women-led livelihood initiatives in Ostico and nearby communities.
In 2025, local women established the Mary Ward Sewing Centre to build practical tailoring skills and create sustainable livelihoods.
With support from Mary Ward International, the centre was equipped with sewing machines, tailoring tools, furniture, and materials. Qualified trainers now teach women to measure, cut, sew, and finish clothing, school uniforms, bags, and other marketable products.
As their skills grow, participants can earn an income, contribute to local markets, and explore opportunities to establish their own enterprises.
The Hamelale farming cooperative supports women in Ostico to build financial independence through sustainable agricultural practices.
By working collectively, members can share knowledge, strengthen production, and participate more effectively in local markets. The cooperative demonstrates how women-led agriculture can contribute to household income, food security, and community development.
The Loreto Community Centre provides a dedicated place for English language classes and other learning opportunities.
English skills can help community members engage with education, employment, tourism, and emerging economic opportunities. The centre also provides a shared space where local people can meet, learn, and develop community-led responses to local priorities.
In nearby Triloca, Mary Ward International supports HAFUCO, a women-led cooperative providing maternal and child health education, agricultural training, and practical skills development.
In 2026, Mary Ward International also supported construction of a training kitchen, expanding the cooperative’s facilities for hands-on learning. Together with its training room, the new space helps HAFUCO deliver regular education and training for local women, strengthening health knowledge, food production skills, and livelihood opportunities.
Vocational training is supported by education in sound financial practices and safeguarding.
Mary Ward International project staff have worked alongside participants and local leaders to strengthen their ability to manage income, maintain clear financial systems, and operate the centre safely and ethically.
These foundations are important to the centre’s long-term sustainability and help women take greater responsibility for its future direction.
Ostico Community Projects build on the skills, knowledge, and leadership already present within the community.
Through vocational training, women-led agriculture, language education, and ethical enterprise, women are strengthening their livelihoods and expanding the choices available to themselves and their families.
Your donation can help provide vocational training, sewing materials, equipment, financial education, and community learning opportunities for women in Ostico.
By supporting Ostico Community Projects, you help local women develop practical skills, build sustainable livelihoods, and strengthen opportunities in their own communities.
Donations of $2 or more are tax-deductible in Australia.
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