Tanya Wilkinson – Marketing Adviser, Dili in Timor-Leste

Before leaving New Zealand Tanya was living in Titirangi, Auckland and working at the Auckland Council as Public Art Programme Coordinator.

What Tanya is doing in Timor-Leste

Tanya’s partner organisation, Hamahon Feto Timor (HAFOTI), helps train rural Timorese women to make and sell products to earn additional money for their families. Some of the products they make are banana and cassava chips, virgin coconut oil, tamarind sweets, and traditional handcrafts (tais and fibre weaving).

Tanya’s is helping the organisation develop a marketing plan so it can promote its work more effectively to its members, the public, the government and other potential supporters. The organisation has four staff, a board of seven women, and 252 members in seven districts around Timor-Leste.

Making a positive impact

Tanya realised pretty quickly after she started her assignment that the organisation needed other help as well as marketing. So she has got stuck in helping to raise funds and looking at ways to improve administration systems.

Tanya knows that even small changes will make a big difference improving the women’s quality of life in the longer term. For example, helping members to use a simple invoicing system means they can now accurately record what they are selling and keep track of the money coming back to them.

Tanya’s highlights so far

“We’ve just completed a review of all member groups so we now have a really good understanding of what they are producing, the main challenges they face and the help they want from us. This has been really useful as HAFOTI can now develop the best ways to help the women increase their incomes.”

What Timor-Leste has taught Tanya

“We in so-called ‘developed’ countries have a lot to learn about the value and importance of close communities and family structures.”

“I shouldn’t feel any guilt about implementing new systems, processes and guidelines – they make life a lot easier!”

“Smiling is a very powerful means of communication.”

“Getting a result isn’t the main thing. It’s the process of getting there that is important especially in the context of helping to up-skill the people I’m working alongside.”