“My name is Zacarias. I am the representative for the affected community. I work as a farmer. The land was passed down from our ancestors to us … We use the land for tending to our crops, raising the livestock. We sell those things to support our families. We use it for our daily necessities.”
- Zacarias and Lourdes are farmers and traditional owner of his family’s land. Their community is in conflict with Timor Gap, a national company planning to build a fuel storage facility on 86 hectares of land where 34 families live.
- They are being assisted by Oxfam’s local partners Rede ba Rai, a national network that promotes fair and sustainable land rights in Timor-Leste, and Juristas Advocasia, which trains communities on legal matters, offers legal support, and works on land law and policy issues.
- Rede ba Rai, along with community members like Zacarias, played a key role in shaping Timor-Leste’s 2017 Land Law, which was a major step forward for land rights.
Read more stories
From supporting First Peoples to thrive and providing humanitarian aid to advocating for climate justice, gender equality and better livelihoods, here’s how we’re working towards a world without poverty.
Madga’s story
“I’m a project manager in Larantuka (Indonesia) working on a Climate and Disaster Resilient Communities project with Oxfam. We mostly focus on climate problems and drought.”
Siphon’s story
“My name is Siphon. From 2017, I worked as a volunteer in the community fishery management committee. I want to protect natural resources both in the water and on land… I gather for patrolling in this lake, and sometimes in the river.”
Obby’s story
“I am a Bunuba-speaking Miluwindi-clan woman from Fitzroy crossing. I grew up there, left for school, and now I’m back living there. I wanted to come back and learn my language and my culture properly.”
