Today is International Women’s Day. A day to celebrate the achievements of women and girls and stand together in advocating for a more equal and inclusive world.
While lots of progress has been made towards achieving gender equality, women and girls still face significant barriers to achieving equal access to education, jobs, healthcare and political participation. This year’s UN theme, ‘Count Her in: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress’, speaks to how by empowering women and girls to claim their rights, learn and lead, entire communities can benefit.
To mark International Women’s Day, ChildFund Australia is celebrating the young women changemakers who are learning and leading in Timor-Leste.
What does gender equality mean to you?
Women’s rights. Women’s empowerment. Equal rights. These are just a few of phrases you might hear if you asked someone what gender equality means to them. For young women participating in ChildFund’s Youth Changemakers program in Timor-Leste, the answer to this question was simple. They want to see equal rights for women and men.
“Gender equality means men and women have the same rights to access everything,” said Tatiana, a 17-year-old student, who joined ChildFund’s Youth Changemakers program in 2024.
“Gender equality means women and men have the same rights and responsibilities to do anything and everything, even sharing responsibilities and doing chores at home,” said Elizita, a youth leader and Youth Changemaker alumni.
Girls and young women take part in a Youth Changemakers orientation session in Timor-Leste.
The Youth Changemakers shifting the dial on women’s rights
Timor-Leste has one of the youngest populations in the Asia Pacific, with the majority of the population under the age of 35. Nonetheless there are few opportunities for young people to voice their opinions and ideas, and limited opportunities to gain access to formal employment. For young women and girls, harmful and restrictive gender norms alongside traditional patriarchal structures further impact their access to education, healthcare and livelihoods.
“Most of the time, women get discriminated by men, such women do not have rights to go to school, especially after high school. Sometimes men make women and girls do all the chores at home such as cooking, looking after the children therefore women do not have time to go to school,” said Tatiana, a student from Timor-Leste.
Tatiana, a student from Timor-Leste.
The Youth Changemakers program, run by ChildFund in Timor-Leste and local partner, Ba Futuru, brings together young people to learn leadership, economic empowerment and other vital life skills that they need to become positive agents of change in their community. In the trainings, facilitators create a safe space for youth to learn about and discuss gender equality and women’s empowerment touching on issues like violence against women and children, consent, unpaid care work and positive masculinity.
Elizita’s story
With few opportunities to voice her opinions and ideas, Elizita lacked the confidence to speak out on the issues that affected her and other young women in her community. This all changed when she attended Youth Changemaker trainings.
“In the past, I was not confident enough to attend and perform any activity in my village. But after attending Youth Changemaker trainings, I have gained a lot of skills and knowledge and increased my confidence level to lead sessions and activities in my village. My top three topics are leadership, peace jam and basic life skills and my favourite one is leadership because thanks to this topic, I am now a youth leader in my village.”
Elizita, a youth leader in Timor-Leste.
Now, a youth leader in her village and facilitator for the Youth Changemaker program, Elizita actively encourages women and girls from her community to participate in activities and talk about the issues that affect them.
“Young girls and women need to participate and get involved in as many activities as possible because it encourages us to make changes in our lives and our future.”
Tatiana’s story
Tatiana dreams of becoming a doctor, and believes studying is vital for girls to improve their future.
“By studying hard and getting better education, we can achieve our dreams. So studying is very important.”
As a new changemaker, she is excited to apply what she learns at the trainings in her community and become a positive role model to other young girls like her mother is to her.
“The woman I admire the most is my mum, because she is not only a mother but also a teacher. She goes to work at eight in the morning and teaches until 1pm in the afternoon, then she comes back home to look after us. Mum works very hard, and she is a great role model for me.”
This International Women’s Day, join us in celebrating the new generation of young women and girls who are raising their voices to create a more equal and inclusive world.
The Youth Changemakers project is supported by ChildFund New Zealand and implemented in Lautem municipality by ChildFund Timor-Leste and local partner, Ba Futuru.
A mix of excitement, nerves and sometimes tears – it can be hard to navigate the transition from preschool to primary school. It’s a game-changer for kids, parents and teachers alike. Just ask My and her mum, Thanh, who recently went through one of life’s big changes together. “It’s a big adjustment, but we were prepared,” says Thanh, who lives with her family in Vietnam’s Hoa Binh province.
Last year, both My and her mum took part in ‘Big School Training’ at their local preschool. Parents and teachers from the community learnt how to support young children in the transition period from preschool to primary school. The training focused on strategies to help preschoolers build confidence, make new friends, learn routines, and develop a sense of belonging within a new school setting.
“Starting school might have been scary but it didn’t feel strange because I had already visited and met lots of kids,” says My, now in Year 1.
As part of their training, teachers were encouraged to organise primary school visits so preschoolers like My could experience a ‘Day in the Life’ at primary school, and see what they had to look forward to the following year. My and her friends had the opportunity to visit their local primary school twice before graduating preschool, participating in activities such as decorating classrooms, making toys and music lessons.
Primary and preschoolers students take part in a colouring session together in Vietnam.
“My teacher took me to visit my old preschool. My favourite part was guiding preschool students on how to hold a pen and colour. I like that I get to go back and have preschool students call me ‘big brother’. I’m very happy to help them.”
Loch, 7
As part of their training, teachers were encouraged to organise primary school visits so preschoolers like My could experience a ‘Day in the Life’ at primary school, and see what they had to look forward to the following year. My and her friends had the opportunity to visit their local primary school twice before graduating preschool, participating in activities such as decorating classrooms, making toys and music lessons.
“I remember my preschool teacher taking me and my friends to meet the teachers and students at a primary school,” recalls My. “I also got to see the classrooms and library. My favourite part was all the activities, especially getting to read and sing with the big kids.”
One of these ‘big kids’ was Loc, now in Year 2, who says he has enjoyed helping younger children prepare for primary school, “My teacher took me to visit my old [Thuong Tien] preschool. My favourite part was guiding preschool students on how to hold a pen and colour. I like that I get to go back and have preschool students call me ‘big brother’. I’m very happy to help them.”
Levelling up
Previously, preschool teachers had limited skills organising care and educational activities for students, and they had difficulties in coordinating with primary school teachers, says Ms. Phuong, the preschool’s principal. Instead, they would focus solely on teaching preschool skills.
“I used to only support teachers with basic knowledge and skills such as how to teach children to recognise and pronounce 24 letters and 10 numbers correctly, how to hold a pen, how to colour, and some other skills such as combing and tying up hair and putting on clothes,” she explains. “I honestly did not spend much time coordinating with primary schools to support children during the transition period.”
All that changed when Ms. Phuong signed up for ChildFund’s training courses. As principal, she saw firsthand how kids and their parents were struggling to navigate such a big life change and was eager to make the move as seamless as possible. After two years of hard work, actively engaging in training sessions and workshops, Thuong Tien preschool has seen positive changes for students, teachers and parents in the community.
“I used to only support teachers with basic knowledge and skills such as how to teach children to recognise and pronounce 24 letters and 10 numbers correctly, how to hold a pen, how to colour, and some other skills such as combing and tying up hair and putting on clothes.”
Ms. Phuong
Ms. Phuong says her teachers now integrate content to support children during the transition period into daily school activities and have become more confident in communicating with parents. They also regularly coordinate with elementary school teachers.
Parents have also gained invaluable skills and knowledge to help their children through this tricky time. Thanh says she became more aware of My’s needs and how to best nurture her development both in the classroom and at home, “My told me she gets to draw pictures to help the teacher decorate the classroom. She used to be shy, but now she seems happy and more confident.”
Thanh is proud of the progress both she and My have made over the past year, noting that their bond is stronger than ever. “I always spend at least two hours each night studying with her. I do not pressure her and compliment her when she does something well. I have helped familiarise her with math and physical exercises. I learnt all of this from ChildFund’s training and from a workshop at My’s preschool,” she says. “My is very comfortable at school, and her language skills have improved. She is much more independent.”
Phuong speaking at Vietnam’s provincial level workshop for teachers about how to best support preschool students during the transition period.
It takes a village!
Collaboration and communication – plus the right resources and guidance – are essential when preparing preschool students for primary school. With the support of ChildFund and dedicated educators such as Ms. Phuong and enthusiastic teachers and parents are now thriving. Recently, the preschool was awarded a coveted ‘Level 1 Standard’ by the People’s Committee of Hoa Binh province, a title many schools strive for.
Ms. Phuong says starting school isn’t as daunting for her preschoolers, who are now better at dealing with change. Students are bolder and more confident when participating in lessons and extracurriculars at school, as they are more familiar with the activities and feel supported and nurtured by their teachers and parents.
“To effectively support students in the transition period we need schools, families and children to work together in harmony,” says Ms. Phuong. “All three elements are important. Schools can create an effective learning environment while families help support children’s learning and development at home, and naturally we want children to feel happy going to school and eager to learn.”
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