DILI, 30 April 2025 (TATOLI) – The Ministry of Rural Development and Community Housing (MDRHC), in collaboration with the Government of South Korea through the Saemaul Undong Program (MSU), has delivered 10 heads of cattle to a livestock group in Lekitura Village and another 10 to a group in Seloi Kraik Village, Aileu Municipality. These cattle are expected to help meet the internal market demand in Aileu in the future.
“The community prioritizes its own priorities. Therefore, groups from Lekitura village are prioritizing the development of cattle raising, as this is seen as a seed to develop or expand cattle farming within their own area. In the future, this will allow the Lekitura community to produce cattle that can access the market both within the Aileu municipality and among the groups in Lekitura village.”
Beneficiary Mouzinho de Almeida, currently the Vice Coordinator of Saemaul Undong in Lekitura Village, expressed gratitude and appreciation to the Government of Timor-Leste for its cooperation with the South Korean Government in implementing the Saemaul Undong Program in Lekitura. He highlighted that this program has opened employment opportunities in the village since its launch in 2021 until now, 2025.
“First, I want to thank and express appreciation to the Government of Timor-Leste for its partnership with the Korean government, which has provided support to our municipality and to our group—I am very grateful. Second, the government has also opened job opportunities for our group.”
Meanwhile, the Coordinator of the Saemaul Undong Program in Timor-Leste, Olderico do Rosario Marai da Silva, stated that they invited the government, through the Ministry of Rural Development and Community Housing, to directly distribute the cattle to the communities. This initiative is intended to support livestock raising and generate future returns for the community, reducing dependence on outside sources.
“Raising cattle is like planting a seed—if you take care of it, it will grow or continue to flourish so that it can be harvested in the future. Our program is designed so that they can receive returns from the activities they carry out. Today, we symbolically handed over cattle to two villages, with each receiving ten. We hope that from those ten, they can grow to twenty, thirty, and continue onward.”
The South Korean Government, through the Saemaul Undong Program, has supported communities in Lekitura Village by providing water tanks, constructing seven greenhouses, and preparing livestock programs. According to the plan, in 2025 the program will further support the construction of six additional greenhouses and implement a community credit program in Lekitura.
As part of the program, selected members will attend a two-week training in South Korea this September.
Representatives from the Ministry of Rural Development and Community Housing, along with community members from Lekitura and Seloi Kraik, also participated in the cattle handover ceremony in the two villages.
Journalist: Francisco Sony
Editór: Rafael Ximenes de A. Belo
