Covalima Community Centre

Covalima Community Centre (CCC) support women’s groups with a focus on livelihoods strengthening and – increasingly – leadership; and are becoming more involved in advocacy work at district level. The Vision of CCC is to build a community in which everyone has the opportunity to develop their capacities so that they can contribute to the social and economic development of the District of Covalima, Timor-Leste.

Covalima Community Centre AND IWDA

IWDA has partnered with CCC since 2009. IWDA initially began working with CCC indirectly by partnering with Friends of Suai/City of Port Philip (who are partners of CCC). In 2012, IWDA began partnering with CCC directly.

Quick Facts

  • In 2016, Timor Leste almost doubled the number of Village Chiefs elected to Suco or Village level government because of a new law that requires that at least one woman has to stand for election in every village. Women’s organisations, including the Covalima Community Centre (CCC) played a significant role in this success by providing leadership training to candidates.
  • CCC was established in 2000 in close partnership with the Friends of Suai/City of Port Phillip
  • CCC have provided women’s groups with seed funding, training and help to identify and connect to markets to develop their income-generation opportunities, and many have increased their incomes producing and selling vegetables, virgin oils, baskets and tais cloths.