15-year-old Teresa lives in a village in Timor-Leste, a country that often experiences food shortages caused by very dry conditions resulting from El Niño. But things are changing in Teresa’s village, and Teresa is one of the leaders of the change.
Her plan to Beat The Clock is to:
1. Strengthen girls’ adaptability to climate change
2. Build financial knowledge, encourage saving and reinvestment
3. Reduce youth poverty
Teresa and her family are part of the 80% of Timor-Leste’s rural population. Their village is far away from the capital city Dili and its local market. The lack of access to a market means the village relies heavily on agriculture, with most of the produce consumed by the farmers’ families, with little additional produce available to sell or trade.
Teresa took part in a project run by Plan International and implemented in partnership with our local partner, Permatil. Known as Hakbi'it Joventude, which translates as ‘Empowering Youth’, the programme aims to improve agricultural productivity and resilience in rural communities in Timor-Leste by expanding women’s and young people's knowledge and skills in regenerative agricultural and horticultural practices and water resource management, building greater agency, creating livelihood opportunities, improving health and nutrition outcomes, and increasing community resilience to unpredictable climate and weather events.
