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Pro EMA and Founder Simone Assis Receive Top Honors at Timor-Leste Women in Business Awards
We are proud to share that Pro EMA and our founder, Simone Assis, have been recognized with top honors at the inaugural Timor-Leste Women in Business Awards.
This prestigious event, organized by the Women’s Business Association of Timor-Leste and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), with support from the Australian and New Zealand Embassies, celebrates the leadership, innovation, and impact of women-led initiatives across the country.
Out of dozens of outstanding nominees, Pro EMA was selected for the award for Best Initiative in Women’s Entrepreneurship, and Simone Assis was named Woman Corporate Leader of the Year. The awards were presented in a formal ceremony attended by the President of Timor-Leste and other senior officials.
These recognitions reflect the tireless efforts of our entire team in empowering women through education, training, and entrepreneurship. We dedicate this achievement to all who have supported our mission.
Together, we continue to build pathways for lasting change.
Cooperative Homan furak in Timor-Leste
Today we were very happy to welcome the women from a cooperative Homan furak in Makili, Atauro, who came to bring their handicrafts to display in our restaurant-school. In 2020 our students spent a few weeks in Makili on the Aihan diak bá Moris diak project funded by the New Zealand Embassy and worked with the women of the community. It is a joy for us to see partnerships being made, results from this time of work, and more economically empowered women. Visit Pro-EMA and buy a piece of local handicraft. You will find beautiful products from small cooperatives, such as Boneca de Atauro, Homan furak, Renovar project and others that Pro-EMA supports.
ASEAN Delegation
On Friday we had the privilege of receiving a visit from the ASEAN delegation at Pro-EMA and for lunch in our restaurant-school.
HIVOS at Pro-EMA
Last year, our founder mana Simone Assis developed a life skills manual and facilitated training for trainers for Reforsa Hamutuk Project.-Hivos. Today we had the privilege of receiving the Mrs
Tunggal Pawestri - Executive Director of Yayasan Hivos and
Paul Adams - Consultant of Program Development Yayasan Hivos who came to get to know Pro-EMA and discuss the possibility of a future working partnership.
We are very happy and grateful for the visit and we hope to have news soon about new partnerships that are being made in the area of ​​empowerment of young people, specially women in situations of social vulnerability.
MDF Cocoa Partnership
MDF Timor-Leste and partner Pro-EMA are working together to improve cocoa bean quality, expand sourcing from local farmers, and improve the quality and variety of the partner’s chocolate production.
As a first step, MDF assisted the Pro-EMA team to visit cocoa farmers in three different locations. Pro-EMA is currently finalising its sourcing plans with several farmer groups, who have agreed to regularly provide high-quality fermented beans.
Through its new chocolate business, Pro-EMA is creating desserts for its restaurant and chocolate bars for sale at retail locations. Pro-EMA will train farmers on fermentation techniques and regularly purchase an estimated 300kg of cocoa per month. The new business will benefit Pro-EMA’s young women employees as well as the farmers who gain a reliable market.
MOVE & Pro-EMA
The floods in Timor-Leste have already caused several deaths, disappearances and more than 14,000 displaced people to date, whose subsistence depends on the support of local organizations. One of the projects accompanied by MOVE, the Pro-Ema Restaurant-school, is one of these organizations.
Pro-EMA Restaurant-school has already distributed more than 3,000 meals on a daily basis to victims affected by the disaster and is now focused on rebuilding the lives that the floods have shattered.
Winner Prix International 2021
Congratulations to Pro-EMA Timor-Leste, #BanaPads, Affamir Cameroon, PSF - Proyectar Sin Fronteras and #CharbonBiofoRuralWomen who all win €20,000 and dedicated support for the development of their project.
Thanks to the Embassy of France in Cameroon, Kedutaan Besar Prancis di Jakarta, Embassy of France in Uganda, Embassy of France Colombia and France in Senegal for their support to the Prix International 2021