Hitting the Waves - "Buy Local. Build Timor-Leste" Takes a Nautical Turn

 "Buy Local. Build Timor-Leste" at sea.

Aside from finishing a total of 102 tiga roda, the painting crew at Creative Sablon interspersed their efforts on land with efforts at sea to deck out the boats moored in Dili Harbor. Organized by Peace Dividend Trust's Matchmaking Associate Brigida Soares, 10 boats are now finely displaying the "Buy Local. Build Timor-Leste" message on their hulls, cabins and sides. Among these boats is the fishing boat Manutasi that weekenders to Atauro will recognize as their return vessel to Dili that braves the short voyage Monday mornings.

The outside view of the cabin of the Manutasi. 

Mrs. Soares also had the opportunity to brief local media about the project, raising awareness of  the impact purchasing local goods and services in Timor-Leste has on the local economy. Televisaun Timor-Leste (TVTL) featured Mrs. Soares on Friday March 22nd, covering her activities in Dili Harbor and promoting Peace Dividend Trusts' activities in Timor-Leste. Other media outfits that spoke with Mrs. Soares were Televisaun Suara Timor-Leste (TV STL), Diario Nacional, and Radio Televisaun Timor-Leste (RTTL).

Mrs. Soares giving an interview to RTTL.

An interview at the beach with TV STL.

Another interview at the beach with Diario Nacional.

This activity was funded by The Arsenault Family Foundation.

Featured Business Profile - Garcia Farm

Chicken coops at Garcia Farm in Railaco, Ermera.

At the end of a bumpy and heavily eroding road, across hills, fields and streams, sits the expansive chicken farm Garcia Farm. A few weeks ago,  Peace Dividend Trust's Tender Distribution Service Associate Eduardo da Costa recommended to the Verification team that they take the one and a half hour journey to Railaco, Ermera to see the sight for themselves and create a business profile for it on the BuildingMarkets.org Online Procurement Database.

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PDT Tender Distribution Service Associate Eduardo da Costa walking the rows of chickens.

 With currently 24,000 chickens in the coop, the farm is setting itself up to be the number one supplier of chicken eggs and poultry meat in Timor-Leste. Not to mention it's quite a sight to see. The operation currently employs 21 local laborers, 9 male and 12 female. In addition to these, specialized technicians are flown in from Indonesia every three months to perform the necessary vaccinations and medical treatment needed to keep the chickens healthy.

The Verification team surveys the farm.

The farm has already garnered support from the government, with President Jose Ramos Horta and the Secretary of State for Agriculture and Arboriculture present at the launching ceremony. It has also been invested in by the Indonesian cigarette company, Djarum. 

PDT is currently being funded by AusAid and The Arsenault Family Foundation

Announcing New Facebook Fanpage. Peace Dividend Marketplace Timor-Leste

Peace Dividend Trust is excited to announce the new Facebook fanpage - Peace Dividend Marketplace Timor-Leste!

The Peace Dividend Marketplace Timor-Leste (PDM-TL) is one of Peace Dividend Trust's economic recovery projects. It was launched in Dili in August 2007 with support from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). The project also receives funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Eni and the Arsenault Family Foundation. In addition to its headquarters in Dili, PDM-TL has field offices in Baucau, Cova Lima and Viqueque. It works in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism Commerce and Industry.

Contact us: Timor-Leste@pdtglobal.org

Mission: Help inspire long-term economic growth and stability in Timor-Leste by supporting and encouraging local procurement and investment in the Timorese marketplace.

The PDM-TL project provides the following services:

1. A Business portal which offers instant reliable access to over 2,000 local suppliers as well as other useful information about PDM services: via BuildingMarkets.org at http://www.buy-in-timor.org/
2. Business Matchmaking creates linkages between local suppliers and international buyers.
3. Tender Distribution Services collect, translate and disseminate tenders to local suppliers via SMS, email and at our PDM-TL office.
4. Market Information and Advocacy identifies emerging business opportunities and publishes relevant information on the local marketplace via reports and blogs (please see our websites above). Advocacy may include campaigns and other efforts to raise awareness of the important role local procurement can play in bringing long-term peace and stability to Timor-Leste.

This fanpage will replace all other Facebook sites related to the Timor Marketplace project.

Let the Painting Begin!

 The "Buy Local. Build Timor-Leste" stencil.

This morning marked the first day of the painting of approximately 100 tiga roda, or pushcarts, around Dili. Today, stationed in front of UNTL (Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa'e), across from the country's Parliament, PDT's Verification Assistant Baptista da Silva was busy at work overseeing the collaboration between the painters and tiga roda vendors. As the project continues, the painting team from Creative Sablon will be visiting clusters of tiga roda across the city to paint PDT's logo and slogan on the cart's sides. This effort is aimed at increasing the awareness of the importance of spending money locally in order to promote stability and economic growth in a post-conflict country.

This activity was funded by Arsenault Family Foundation (AFF)

Cattle Exportation: Linking East Timor to West

Bobonaro cattle ready for exportation.

Peace Dividend Trust Matchmaking (MM) assistants in the district of Bobonaro continue to link Timor-Leste's cattle traders to buyers in West Timor. Recently, the team has connected Mr. Justino Luis, a local Maliana supplier of cattle meat to local restaurants and consumers, to Mr. Ali Fahmi in Atambua, Indonesia. Since the beginning of December, this relationship established by the MM team has already yielded the sale of 52 head of cattle, bringing home $22,115 for this Bobonaro based supplier.

Mr. Fahmi continues to seek assistance from the matchmaking staff who are now looking to other districts to fill larger orders. Already, the team has found in the district of Manatuto 5,000 head of cattle, which through the assistance of MM staff in both districts, will be transported to Bobonaro and then on to Indonesia. Reviving these ties between East and West Timor is one vital step in generating economic activity in Timor-Leste.

If you have any questions about the Matchmaking process please contact Matchmaking Associates Ilidio Ximenes or Brigida Soares at Timor-Leste@pdtglobal.org.

PDT at the time of this transaction was being funded by AusAID and Eni.

PDT Timor. Over 2,500 businesses, and up to 22 million USD in business.

The Timor-Leste Online Procurement Database surpassed for the first time the 2,500 mark with 2,557 individual businesses featured.

While the Tender Distribution Services program reached the $8 million mark in terms of transactions it facilitated to local enterprises.

In the meantime, the Matchmaking team confirmed the program helped inject over $6 million in the economy of the nine districts in which it operates. Concrete examples of successful transactions facilitated by Peace Dividend Trust can be found here (below) on the PDM-TL project blog.

In summary, total confirmed and estimated transactions

Local procurement transactions created and accelerated by PDT: Total - $22,300,000

In February, the Business Verification team undertook verification and re-verification activities in Dili and in the district of Ermera.

Viqueque Farmers Secure $1,028 in Exchange for Peanuts

 A Raitahu farmer tying off a bag of peanuts before it is transferred to Mr.Mario da Costa.

Back in touch with Mr. Mario da Costa, a Seed Production Officer from the Seeds of Life program, the Viqueque Matchmaking team facilitated a substantial transaction of peanuts in the rural village of Raitahu, Viqueque.

 

Farmers sorting through a mound of peanuts.

One of the biggest challenges of linking buyers to suppliers in this region is the lack of communication options available; not one of the farmers involved in the transaction owned a telephone. In spite of this, the team was able to locate enough farmers to provide Mr. Mario da Costa with 1,371kgs of peanuts, resulting in a total of $1,028 dollars that directly entered Viqueque's local economy.

Raitahu farmers standing in front of bagged peanuts.

If you have any questions about the matchmaking process or would like assistance in finding local goods and services, please don't hesitate to contact PDM-TL's Matchmaking Associates Ilidio Ximenes or Brigida Soares at Timor-Leste@pdtglobal.org.

PDT's Matchmaking program at the time of this transaction was being funded by AusAid and Eni.