DILI, 30 March 2026 (TATOLI) – The Special Administrative Region of Oekusi Ambeno (RAEOA) and World Neighbors have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote sustainable agriculture in the region.
RAEOA Director-General Domingos Punef said the memorandum aligns with priority targets under the Oekusi Entrepreneurship Movement Program for 2026–2030.
He said the MoU is key to strengthening collaboration between RAEOA and World Neighbors in addressing agricultural challenges in Oekusi.
World Neighbors Program Manager Cornelio Ase said the organization expects the agreement to deepen cooperation with RAEOA and broaden support for community-based initiatives.
He explained that the World Neighbors’ core activities in the region focus on three areas: sustainable agriculture, natural resource management and capacity-building for farmer groups. “The programs aim to boost productivity while safeguarding water sources and the environment,” Ase stressed.
“We hope this MoU will help strengthen collaboration and provide further opportunities to support the Entrepreneurship Movement Program, particularly in empowering community groups we have established in Oecusse,” Ase said.
Founded in 1951, World Neighbors is an international development organization that works to alleviate hunger, poverty and disease in the most isolated rural villages in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
World Neighbors does not provide food or material aid but instead takes a holistic, big-picture approach that focuses on the entire community rather than a single issue.
World Neighbors has found that problems and issues within a community are interconnected and cannot be solved in isolation.
Reporter: Abílio Elo Nini
Editor: Rafael Ximenes de A. Belo
Translation: Filomeno Martins
