‘We Women Can Lead’: Lucinda’s Story

In Rebutudo village, in Ainaro, a damaged road affected almost every part of daily life.

Cars struggled to pass through deep potholes and mud. Children walked to school along unsafe paths. Women carried water and household goods long distances on foot. Simple tasks took more time, effort and risk than they should have.

For Lucinda – a community member, the challenges were familiar. But instead of accepting them, she and other women in her community decided to take action.

They made a simple but powerful decision: they would no longer wait on the margins for change, they would be part of the change themselves. Through the National Program for Village Development (PNDS), women from the community began participating in community discussions, contributing ideas and helping shape decisions about local infrastructure. Many even worked directly on road rehabilitation activities.

For Lucinda, seeing women step forward was no accident.

What motivates us women in this village is first our challenges and second is the fact that our chief of village is a woman. She has been a great role model for us. She shows us that we women can lead and decide and change our reality.

Above: Lucinda speaks at a community meeting

Supporting this work, Australia's PARTISIPA program works alongside the Government of Timor-Leste to strengthen how PNDS is implemented with technical advice, stronger systems and helping ensure that participation is not only a principle, but a practice. Through this collaboration, diverse community members are encouraged to participate, including by women, people with disabilities and other groups whose voices are often less heard.

The experience of Rebutudo has also been shared with other communities through Suku Cross Visits, where communities come together to exchange ideas and learn from each other's experiences. These visits help showcase practical examples of inclusive participation and demonstrate how women can play an active role in local decision-making and development.

Today, the impact in Rebutudo can be seen in everyday life.

The road is fixed. Children travel to school more safely. Women can carry water with less difficulty. Travel through the village is easier and more reliable. But for Lucinda, the story is about more than a road.

It is about what happens when women are trusted to contribute, make decisions and help shape the future of their community. The road may have started as an infrastructure project, but it became something more: proof that when women participate, communities move forward.

Above: A beautiful new road winds through Rebutado village - built with support from the community