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At nought2five we have chosen to support the Alola Foundation in East Timor... The Alola Foundation was established in 2001 to raise awareness of and campaign against the sexual and gender-based violence experienced by women and young girls in East Timor. In response to the needs identified by East Timorese women, the Alola Foundation has grown to provide services and programs in areas such as advocacy, employment, education, maternal and child health and humanitarian assistance. Our decision to support this charity is based on the premise that in countries such as Australia all women regardless of social status, income and education levels will have access to medical care and education. This is not the case in East Timor, and we believe that it should be.

Rather than offering you a discount on your purchase we will send a donation on your behalf to the Alola Foundation in East Timor. Information about your donation will be posted directly to you.

Maternity Pack
For all sales over $500 we will send a donation on your behalf that will purchase a Maternity Pack.

Even amid the recent unrest in East Timor, still the most dangerous thing a woman can do is get pregnant. Up to 800 women per 100,000 do not survive childbirth, while 85 babies die in every 1000 live births.

Yet only 10% of women in East Timor give birth in a hospital.

Why? One reason is the mother's shame at not having basic supplies either for herself or for her new baby. The Alola `Maternity Packs' project aims to take away the cause of this shame and thus help reduce the high mortality rates for East Timor's mothers and their babies.

A Maternity Pack will provide a new mother with a Pack which includes the basic essentials for the mother and her baby - clothing, sanitary items and nappies - as well as important information on breastfeeding and postnatal care.
Packs are produced in East Timor, promoting local employment and the local economy.

Livelihood Gift
For sales over $1000 we will send a donation enabling an East Timorese women the opportunity to develop a livelihood.

The Livelihood Gift will give an East Timorese woman the opportunity to gain economic independence, to work and feed her family, to contribute to the development of her country.

As a result of violence and unrest in Timor-Leste, many households are headed by women, often in temporary camps or with host families. Many of these women are without means of support.

The Livelihood Gift provides tools, materials and support that enable women to earn a living in the textile trade, primarily sewing or weaving. Not only does this help women support their families, it also gives something equally important - hope.

Scholarship Gift
For sales over $1,350 we send a donation which will provide a 12 month educational scholarship for a young Timorese

In East Timor, two-thirds of the women aged 15-60 and almost half the men are illiterate, denied the opportunities in life that even the most basic reading and writing skills can give, and that we take for granted.

The Scholarship program will help remove the economic and cultural barriers that keep so many young Timorese from starting and completing an education.

A 12-month scholarship will support the costs of a full year's schooling, to a young Timorese girl or boy.

For further information about this charity please see www.alolafoundation.org