Our Impact
Climate Action
Water scarcity continues to be an increasingly prominent issue in Timor-Leste, with a shocking 25% of people lacking access to clean water. However, here at Oaktree we strive to face these environmental problems head on and will not be discouraged!
In 2022, we partnered with Asosiasaun Timoriana, a youth-led organisation focused on environmental awareness and activism.Timoriana identified the significant impact that water scarcity was having on the rural farmers in Mantelolao Village and launched an environmental action responsive plan which resulted in the plantation of 500 trees near the village springs! This aided in the revival of water canalisation and was such a successful initiative that Timoriana was interviewed by a national television program on ecological crises in June. However, the problem still exists with predictions that by 2050, almost 80% of the global population will face water scarcity. There are many communities just like the Mantelolao Village which are struggling with the ruinous effects of water scarcity.
Your support will help us continue to back action to combat the problem of water scarcity!
Gender
Whilst the number of women in STEM industries has increased significantly in the past couple years, it is still a largely male dominated area. According to WomeninStem, women only comprise 27% of the STEM Workforce across STEM-qualified industries and occupations!
That’s why Oaktree partnered with Tonga Women in ICT (TWICT) - a youth-led organisation focused on helping women find employment in the STEM workforce. In 2022, TWICT held a STEM Career Day, which 150 students attended and were provided with access to industry professionals and opportunities specifically for women in STEM. This career day was such a hit that the Acting Prime Minister of Tonga, members from Tonga Police, the Ministry of Education & Training, and the Attorney General’s Office attended it! They also educated 400 students about cybersecurity and pioneered an initiative for young people to combat cyber crime in Tonga. Whilst there have been great headways for women in STEM, it is still a constant battle women have to fight.
Your support can help us keep up TWICT’s momentum in empowering young women to reach their full potential.
Employment & Enterprise
In 2022, Oaktree partnered with Manggala Jingga, a student-led advocacy group, focused on developing social enterprises to help tackle environmental and economic problems. They identified waste mismanagement was one of the most prominent issues that community members in the Kampung Air province were facing. They then helped establish an urban farming social enterprise as well as a waste bank to help combat this problem!
Manggala Jingga continues to help enrich the local communities’ entrepreneurship skills and is even in the process of creating a homemade tempeh enterprise! Oaktree is so proud of the amazing work Manggala Jingga is doing and inspired by the agency displayed by this student-led advocacy group.
You can support our work to ensure that education has no borders and that every young person has the right to reach their full potential!
Technology & Innovation
The quality of education is a major area of concern in Timor Leste, with approximately 70% of grade one students not even meeting basic learning outcomes. That’s why in 2022 Oaktree partnered with the Youth Leaders Development Program (YLDP), which works towards developing high school student’s leadership and advocacy skills.
YLDP operates in six highschools in Dili, the capital of East Timor, and they’ve supported 94 students to publish research articles in both English and Tetun through their youth research and advocacy program! Whilst YLDP is making major progress in upskilling the youth of Timor such as digital literacy and research analysis skills, they still need your help!
Your support will enable Oaktree to continue to back young people like YLDP as they close the digital divide!
Education
Sustainable development is at the forefront of Oaktree’s agenda, which is why we partnered with the Alumni for Soft-Skills Development (ASD) youth-led organisation in Cambodia. Determined to help tackle sustainable development issues in their communities, ASD focuses on enriching their youth, helping them to develop their critical thinking skills.
Using a Human Centred Design approach, ASD set out to lobby for new environmental policies to help combat the erosion of riverbanks, waster and unsafe roads in the rural communities. ASD successfully established an effective waste bank management system and promoted local composting practices. Despite the amazing work that ASD is doing, the sustainable development realm is still a largely underfunded sector and these rural communities in Cambodia could benefit immensely from your support.
You can help be a part of the change!
