ATAÚRO, 10 march 2023 (TATOLI) – Boneca Atauro Cooperative (BAC), earns over US$23,000 in revenue each year through three main activities – doll production, recycling unwanted clothing, and restaurant.
BCA was initiated in 2006 as a small group in Ataúro Island with only four members and was transformed into a cooperative in 2009 with 25 members. Currently, BCA has a total of 64 members, most of whom are women.
“We used to earn between US$60,000 and US$80,000 a year before the Covid-19 pandemic. However, in the last three months, we have only earned more than US$23,000 a year,” said BCA President Virginia Soares, in Ataúro.
She said BCA’s annual revenue is divided into three categories – staff salaries, raw material purchases, and the BCA fund.
In addition, BCA has supported two other creative women’s groups in the village of Maquili, focusing on producing ‘Tais’ and recycling unwanted clothes.
Virginia encouraged other women to pursue their dream of becoming successful businesswomen: “We, Timorese women must start our own business to provide for our families.”
The administrator of Ataúro Municipality, Domingos Soares pledged to find a permanent site for BCA: “We are making efforts to find a suitable location to accommodate BCA’s activities. Temporarily, they will continue to use this building, and I am sure that one day we will get an adequate and strategic location to support all types of BCA’s activities, including both production and promotion.”
“Besides finding a site for BCA, we are also promoting this cooperative, because we want them to become successful women entrepreneurs in Ataúro and Timor-Leste,” Soares pointed out.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
