Portugal - ACAPO meets with Halibur Disability Matan East Timor Association

In the framework of the development cooperation work as an NGDO, (Non-Governmental Organization for Development), that we have carried out over the last years with blind associations from several Portuguese-speaking countries, we have long wanted to establish close contacts with the East Timor Blind association, which until now has not been possible.

Last month, we finally managed to make that dream come true. On 15th November, at ACAPO, the President of the National Board received a delegation from the Halibur Deficiency Matan Timor Leste Association (Association of the Blind of East Timor) with the support of elements from the General Secretariat of the G7+ - Permanent Representation of Portugal, a cooperation platform created by Xanana Gusmão that brings together several developing countries including East Timor. On the table at this meeting were the establishment of a partnership between the two associations in the field of training which, among others, could focus on Braille and the opportunities created by the Marrakesh Treaty.

A proposal was also analysed that ACAPO had been trying to implement for a long time, regarding the integration of this association in the UCLP, União dos Cegos de Língua Portuguesa (Portuguese Blind Union), extending this space of sharing to VIP from another Portuguese-speaking country. With this integration, not only does UCLP gain a presence on the Asian continent, but it also increases the role of this platform among other linguistic blocks of the associative movement for visual impairment