From guerrilla fighter to N-Peace Awardee: The “Compassionate Older Sister” of Timor Leste

Magdalena Bidau Soares, N-Peace Awardee

Magdalena Bidau Soares, now affectionately known as “Mana Kasian” (Compassionate older sister), never attended school.

During the 1975 outbreak of war, she fled her village as a refugee. Instead of learning basic math and grammar, she trained as a guerrilla fighter in the mountains of Timor-Leste.

During the course of the war she was shot, captured, tortured and imprisoned. Upon her release she joined the clandestine resistance movement for women “Popular Women’s Organization Timor” (OPMT).

Since the cessation of hostilities in 1999, she has devoted her life to improving the well-being of those in her community.  She founded Feto Haluk Hadomi Timor for the widows of ex-combatants, enabling them to learn sewing, basket weaving, crop-growing and other income-generating activities. She plans to construct a road to link her village with others, so that the communities can connect and sell their products at the markets too.

Even though Magdalena is illiterate, it has not stopped her from founding a pre-school and a junior school for children in her area. Operating on a shoestring budget these schools offer the only local educational opportunities for young children (particularly girls) in her area.

Founding the schools has used all of the meager funds Magdalena has access to – leaving almost nothing for herself. She lives a very simple life as a villager, even sharing a house with others. However, the amount that she is respected and admired by her community is priceless.

Magdalena dedicates her life to the ongoing struggle for peace, unity and women’s rights in Timor-Leste.

Search for Common Ground partners with United Nations Development Programme and other organizations to support the N-Peace Awards. Stay tuned for a short documentary on Magedalena coming soon.

For more profiles of N-Peace Awardees, click here.