- Women in Timor-Leste face difficulty accessing higher education, partly attributed to society’s view on gender
- Together with the Ministry of Education, the World Bank is aired a radio program to address gender and education
- An assessment of the program shows that people start to realize benefits from providing higher education to young women
Dili, September 19, 2011 - “According to the Timorese tradition, women are responsible for the household activities. Therefore, parents with a single daughter usually give her all the household tasks. If the daughter goes to university in Dili there will be nobody to take care of the old parents.” These are the words of a participant in a survey done by the World Bank in Timor-Leste on its Radio program, Anastasia - an eight‐part series following the journey of Anastasia, a bright young woman living in Oecusse district hoping to pursue further education after completing secondary school. Anastasia’s main challenges include the physical lack of a university in Oecussi, and her parents’ reticence to allow her to live on her own in Dili. Anastasia is a recent initiative by the World Bank in Timor-Leste, working together with the Ministry of Education to address the issue of gender and education. Although many Timorese women now enjoy access to higher education after finishing high school, compared to their male counterparts the challenges that young women, particularly in rural areas, face in accessing a higher education institution remain. This is mostly attributed to lack of financial support and, in particular, society’s view on gender. Many people in rural areas consider it unnecessary for women to have a higher education degree for undertaking household roles. Young women make up only one third of those who attend universities in Timor-Leste. Even fewer - roughly 20 percent of these young women will graduate. This is an unfortunate situation where lack of education often leads to limited decision making powers, economic reliance, and lack of access to information. With its key message: ‘Benefits gained through a young woman’s education affect her entire family and offer a positive contribution to society’, the drama focused on the importance of access to education for young women through highlighting its contribution to women as individuals, to their families, and to Timorese society as a whole. The program intended to target a wide audience across the whole of Timor-Leste, and radio was selected as the most far-reaching medium. With only roughly one third of the population aged above 15 able to read, coupled with very limited internet access and technological literacy, community radio played an important role in spreading the message. In rural areas, people tend to listen to radio in groups so Anastasia was also positioned to stimulate discussion among its audiences and create more active engagement among both men and women.  With the aid of the drama young women will be encouraged
to go to university and eradicate old practices of parents
and communities. To assess the effectiveness of Anastasia, the Bank conducted a survey in five towns, Dili, Baucau, Liquiça, Manatuto and Maubisse. Based on the report, the program was proven to be successful, particularly in Baucau and Maubisse, where men listened to the program more than women. Almost half of the survey sample said they heard of the Anastasia program. Of those who heard it, 82% of respondents said they found the program ‘successful’ against its original intent. Respondents agreed that the radio drama helped them recognize many benefits that can be gained by giving young women more opportunities to attain higher education. Developing women’s skills, supporting the community and the nation, gaining access to paid employment and supporting the economy of the family were the top answers given by the respondents. High levels of poverty in rural areas and the lack of financial support was one of the most significant barriers to women in attending university. Although there are several universities in Dili, there is only one public University which is more affordable for young women coming from rural areas. The other major barrier was seen as a patriarchal view of women’s role as belonging to the household. Most of the respondents agree that Anastasia could contribute in promoting the benefits of higher education for women in rural areas. Said a respondent from the district of Liquiça, “The benefits of young women attending university is that they can make their dreams a reality and then return to their district.” Education for women is thus seen to impact not only the individual but also the wider community. As well as being an important source of information, in countries like Timor-Leste community radio may be an effective but under-utilized medium to begin to ask the important questions, raise the voice of women and move towards lasting social and behavioral change. | 
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