In March 2018, Pro-EMA was officially born — but its roots stretch back much further than that.
The organization grew from a single conviction: that adolescent girls and young women in Timor-Leste deserve a real path to autonomy, leadership, and economic independence. Vocational training, done right, could be the most powerful tool for that path.
From shelter work to systemic change
Pro-EMA’s founder spent nine years founding and directing what is now considered a model shelter in Timor-Leste — a place that protected children, especially girls, who survived violence and sexual abuse. That experience exposed a hard truth: protection is necessary, but not enough. Without education, opportunity, and economic independence, survivors return to vulnerable situations.
Pro-EMA was conceived to close that gap.
A board built on lived expertise
The founding board brought together volunteers with deep experience in social work, psychology, education, and child protection. Their shared vision: an institution that contributes to the integral development of girls and young women in Timor-Leste — not just their safety, but their futures.
A movement, not just a program
Today, Pro-EMA employs 16 Timorese staff. Ten of them are young women who survived sexual violence and lived for over five years in a shelter. They are not just our colleagues — they are our living proof that the cycle can be broken.
The story continues every day, with every student, every microcredit project, every meal served at our training restaurant.