Wise Foundation and Timor Leste's Lafaek Magazine Working Together

Simplicio Barbosa (Lafaek Project Manager) and Octavio De Andrade (Lafaek Graphic Designer) travelled to Melbourne, Australia in December 2014. The purpose of this visit was to work with representatives from Wise Foundation, Affirm Press, CARE Australia and The Big Issue to strategise for the future of the Lafaek Magazines.

(L to R - Simplicio, Graeme Wise and Octavio)

The aim of Lafaek is to tackle Timor Leste’s low literacy rate. The initial Lafaek project started 14 years ago and involved publishing a children’s magazine and a teachers’ guide for the classroom. A recent addition to Lafaek was the introduction of a community magazine for low-literate adults in rural areas to help communities increase participation in economic development.

Currently, more than 90,000 people from four Districts (Bobanaro, Covalima, Ermera and Liquica) access the community magazine, which is published three times a year by CARE International in Timor Leste in partnership with the Ministries of Education, Agriculture, Health and the Secretariat for the Promotion of Equality, and supported by NZAID.

In January 2015, the “new look” community magazine will reach approximately 464,000 people from all 13 Districts.

The 24 page, full colour community magazine provides content to help community members develop basic literacy and numeracy skills, identify business opportunities to supplement their income, improve agricultural, health and sanitation practices and learn about early childhood care.

(L to R - Octavio, Simplicio and Steven Persson, CEO of The Big Issue)