Mana Sira is a sisterhood like no other.

Mana Sira translates to ‘sisters’ in Tetum. Established in 2014, Mana Sira is an income generating project for the local women artisans of Aileu, Timor-Lesté. Timor-Lesté is Australia’s closest neighbour and almost half of its population lives below the poverty line.

Mana Sira partners with Project Montanha - a local Timorese community development initiative working to reduce poverty through skills building and income generating projects. Mana Sira works with a collective of 15 women who create beautiful artisan crochet pieces. Each time you purchase a Mana Sira product, you make a direct difference in the life of a sister.

Each stitch is pieced together with hope.

Those involved in Mana Sira love what they do. Many of the women make the products from their homes, giving them the flexibility to maintain their daily routine of tending to the field, cooking, cleaning and looking after their families. The women speak of ‘crocheting for the future’, allowing them to plan ahead instead of living each day in poverty and relying only on subsistence farming. Mana Sira supports fair trade. 100% of the sale of products goes directly back into the project, supporting the women who make product. .

The women are proud of their products and love hearing about who buys their pieces. While the story of this sisterhood is integral to our identity, it is the quality of our handmade pieces that we are truly proud of.