Rural woman survivor grateful for mentorship and learning

“I went to Fokupers [a local NGO working on elimination of violence against women] after a big beating.  They gave me a safe place to stay with my kids,” says Delfina C. from Maliana.  A survivor of domestic violence, Delfina now lives on her own with her four children, and has filed official proceedings in court against her husband for years of physical abuse.

Veronica Casimira, N-Peace nominee and mentor to Delfina C. as she becomes financially independent after surviving domestic violence.
Credit: UN Women/Aisling Walsh

Delfina is one of the many women who have been trained in conflict transformation and the Law against Domestic Violence, passed in 2010, as part of UN Women Timor-Leste’s Women, Peace and Security programme, supported by the Department for International Development (DFID) through the UK and the European Union.  “These two training sessions really helped me to realize what I could do to change my life,” Delfina said.

Delfina soon got back on her feet during a brief stay at a temporary shelter called a transit house, supported by UN Women, and participated in life skills training in order to escape her past financial dependency and learn skills so that she could support herself and her children.  It was here that she met Veronica Casimira, a woman who currently mentors eight self-help groups in Maliana, composed mostly of survivors.  Groups were provided micro-grants at the initiation of the Women, Peace and Security programme, and have since grown into income-generating, self-sufficient groups specializing in everything from agriculture to fish farming.  Casimira, recently nominated for the prestigious N-Peace award given to women peace builders, mentored Delfina and has been helping her to learn new skills that will increase her ability to support her children.  Delfina is currently deciding which self-help group she would like to join, and is receiving advice from the Asia Pacific Support Collective-Timor-Leste (APSC-TL), a valued UN Women partner that works with grassroots groups to foster community development and peace building.

“Veronica [Casimira] taught me how to work together with other people, how to plant vegetables, and how to talk about my problems.  She goes to all the training sessions, and takes me with her so I can learn too,“ Delfina said.  She also talked enthusiastically about how she is now raising animals as a source of income, a skill Casimira taught her, and how her relationship with Casimira has given her strength to get through this difficult time.

 
Self-help group in Maliana, started with micro-grants through UN Women, after planting in their new garden.  The group has waited nearly a full year to be able to expand their space, and will begin selling their goods in markets next month.
Credit: UN Women/Betsy Davis

“I am strong now.  I am not dependent on anyone for money.  The court asked my husband to pay $50 a month for the support of the kids, but our case is not resolved yet.  Even when he doesn’t pay the $50, I am now learning to support my children on my own.”