Initiative to Strength Partnership by YMCA Timor Leste

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Initiative to Strength Partnership by YMCA Timor Leste

DILI, Timor-Leste – YMCA Timor-Leste successfully concluded two major public events in collaboration with JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) and the Nippon Foundation. These initiatives strengthened community bonds, fostered cultural exchange, and empowered Timorese youth, showcasing the powerful results of our dedicated partnership. This initiative celebrated the deep and enduring friendship between Timor-Leste and Japan, highlighting shared values of development, mutual respect, and unity.

1. The Japan Festival: A Triumph of Cultural Exchange

The highly anticipated Japan Festival successfully transformed Timor-Plaza into a vibrant hub of Japanese culture, drawing enthusiastic crowds.

Event Highlights (20 September 2025)

  • Venue: Timor-Plaza
  • Focus: The festival featured traditional arts, cuisine, and entertainment, including Japanese martial arts demonstrations and cultural workshops.
  • YMCA Impact: The YMCA Timor-Leste booth saw high engagement: 15 people visited to learn about YMCA Timor-Leste programs. This directly resulted in 6 new registrations for the Japanese Language Course, showing a strong demand for cross-cultural education. Visitors also showed significant interest in and inquired about other key YMCA training programs, including the Finance and Administration Course, English Course, Procurement, and Leadership training. This demonstrates the festival's effectiveness as a platform for broad community outreach.
  • Goal Achieved: The event successfully deepened cultural understanding and appreciation, creating direct, joyful connections within the community.

2. Friendship Match Football: Kicking Off Unity and Sportsmanship

Following the festival, the focus shifted to the universal language of sport with an inspiring friendly football match.

Event Highlights (04 October 2025)

  • Venue: Manleu Soccer Field
  • Focus: This friendly match promoted teamwork, discipline, and healthy competition among children, and adolescent.
  • Participation: The event was a huge success, with approximately 100 children’s

from the local community participating in the sport and enjoying the spirit of solidarity and fun.

  • Goal Achieved: The match successfully promoted youth engagement, healthy lifestyles, and solidarity between participating groups.

A Commitment to Development and People

This comprehensive partnership with JICA and the Nippon Foundation underscores the shared commitment to the social and cultural growth of Timor-Leste:

  • YMCA Timor-Leste continues to focus on youth empowerment and community development.
  • JICA provided crucial support for the event's logistics and community outreach and volunteer.
  • The Nippon Foundation championed the social and cultural aims of the project, helping to maximize community benefit.

The Global Impact: Aligning with World YMCA Vision 2030

This successful local initiative directly contributes to the global strategy of the World YMCA Movement, which focuses on empowering young people for positive change. The outcomes of the events specifically target two core pillars of the YMCA Vision 2030:

  1. Fostering Community Wellbeing: The Friendly Football Match on 04 October actively promoted physical health and social inclusion, evidenced by the participation of 100 children. The cultural and educational exchange at the Japan Festival also contributed to mental and emotional connection and skill-building within the Dili community.
  2. Advancing a Just World: By partnering with global institutions like JICA and the Nippon Foundation, YMCA Timor-Leste modeled strong international solidarity and cooperation. The events successfully broke down barriers, promoted mutual respect, and fostered a more inclusive and peaceful world, embodying the spirit of the global YMCA mission.

Looking Ahead

The success of these events, measured by the high participation rates and the immediate uptake of our educational programs, fuels our commitment to future collaborative projects that benefit the youth of Timor-Leste.

Football activities photo session through donations of soccer ball to the YMCA sports.