Foin Sa’e Unidade Dezenvolve Futuru or Young People United for Future Development (FUNDEF) was founded in 2010 by seven young Timorese students. Two of these students, Felis and Carlos, still lead the organization. The original seven all lived in a Dili neighborhood called Bairo-Pite and were concerned about the violence and crime in the area.

 

FUNDEF began by working closely with young people in the area who were bored and turning to violent activities. This involved both providing training around resolving conflict and teaching new skills and providing an outlet to young people. In this way, they hoped to directly assist in peacebuilding as well as removing some of the underlying causes of violence.

 

FUNDEF’s work has evolved over the past few years. The Dili office still runs the non-formal education school but FUNDEF now also works alongside many communities in the districts to better manage conflict. In particular, they are working on preventing gender-based violence through workshops and follow up guidance. FUNDEF have also run programs in the districts that focus on protecting the environment and strengthening agricultural skills and building basic infrastructure.