Facilitator training for the Women’s School across 11 Land4Lives villages in Timor Tengah Selatan District

The Government of Timor Tengah Selatan (TTS) District in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province, through the TTS Office for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (DP3A), has been committed to developing the Women’s School (Sekolah Perempuan) since 2021. The Women’s School is a way of strengthening women’s role in development and serves as an important space for providing education — particularly for women — so that they can understand their rights and, it is hoped, contribute as agents of change in their communities.

In line with this commitment, a Village Facilitator Training for the Women’s School was held on 13–15 August 2024 in Timor Tengah Selatan District (TTS), a collaboration between DP3A TTS and ICRAF Indonesia through the Land4Lives programme. The training was officially opened by Mr Denny Nubatonis (Assistant I to the TTS Regional Secretariat) and attended by 17 participants (13 women, 4 men) from six villages: Taneotob, Bijaepunu, Oeekam, Falas, Lelobatan and Hoi. This training was the first of three waves of training to be held, involving around 25 villages in TTS District.

Over three days, participants were equipped with the key themes of the Women’s School, practised skills in public speaking and reasoning, and rehearsed facilitating Women’s School activities. The key themes of the Women’s School cover Gender; Climate Change; Food and Climate-smart Agriculture; Public Health and Parenting; Politics and Policy; and the Solidarity Economy. The resource persons for this training were DP3A TTS, the TTS Health Office, the Protestant Evangelical Church in Timor (GMIT), and ICRAF Indonesia. Reverend Seprianus Adonis, as district facilitator for the Women’s School, played an important role in the training, ensuring that participants were ready to become village facilitators.

Through this training, each participant carried out simulations and practice sessions to facilitate a Women’s School class. Several important points emerged, including: village facilitators must master the core material to be delivered; the methods used — for example group discussion, games or others — should draw out participants’ views in a participatory way; delivery during facilitation must be clear so that participants are not confused; village facilitators are better able to connect the material to the situation in their village; and the preparation of tools and materials for facilitation should be done before the class begins.

Participants from each village drew up a Follow-up Action Plan (RTL) for 2024–2025, covering the preparation and implementation of the Women’s School in their village. “The training was very useful and we learned how to speak well in public and to facilitate activities in the village,” said one of the training participants. The session was officially closed by Mr Ardi A. Benu (Head of DP3A TTS), who stressed the importance of following up on this activity and of support from all parties to ensure that the Women’s School can be implemented on the ground.

Event Documentation

Originally published in Indonesian as “Pelatihan Fasilitator Sekolah Perempuan untuk 11 desa Land4Lives di kabupaten Timor Tengah Selatan” on Lahan Untuk Kehidupan (lahanuntukkehidupan.id).