What if a medical emergency meant losing your entire livelihood?

Alexandre Pires de Sousa remembers his neighbor, who used a small motorbike to earn a living by transporting goods to the market. It was his family’s only source of income. But when his child fell seriously ill and needed hospital care, he had no savings and no access to bank loans.

He was forced to borrow from an informal lender in the community. The interest was extremely high. When he couldn’t repay on time, the lender seized his motorbike, leaving his family with nothing.

This situation is very common in Timor-Leste, where low-income families, small business owners, and informal workers often own valuable items, such as gold jewelry, motorbikes, or electronics, but lack access to formal credit. With no alternatives, they turn to predatory lenders who impose hidden fees, intimidation tactics, and take assets permanently.

“People aren’t asking for free money,” Alexandre says. “They just want short-term support with dignity and fairness.

© The Macao News

Seeing this injustice over and over again pushed Alexandre to act. He founded Tipas9 because he believes business can be a tool for long-term social impact—not through top-down aid, but through solutions that empower. His goal is to prevent individuals from falling into debt traps that heavily impact their lives.

He chose a pawnshop model because it fits the local context in Timor-Leste. Many people lack bank accounts or credit histories, but they often own valuable items that can serve as temporary collateral. A pawnshop provides immediate help while allowing customers to retain ownership of what matters to them.

Tipas9 is different. It’s not about taking assets away. It’s about helping individuals and families overcome emergencies while keeping what they own.

“Unlike informal lenders who take your property, we help people keep it,” Alexandre explains. “With Tipas9, ownership stays with the individual and so does hope.”

Tipas9 is more than a business; it's a lifeline for those left out of traditional banking. People bring in items like jewelry, phones, or motorbikes as collateral, receive same-day loans, and get their assets back when they repay—no hidden fees, no complex paperwork, no loss of ownership.

Compared to informal moneylenders, Tipas9 requires no guarantors or complex documentation and provides clear, transparent loan terms. Most importantly, customers can access short-term funds without risking the permanent loss of their valuable belongings.

Through this model, Tipas9 creates real social impact: families gain financial stability during emergencies, parents experience less stress when crises strike, and people build confidence in managing unexpected needs. The long-term vision is to become a trusted community-based financial partner in Timor-Leste, proving that ethical financial services can empower the most vulnerable.

Tipas9 is working to shift the relationship between vulnerable communities and financial services from exploitation to trust and empowerment.

This means creating a culture of fairness, where every customer is treated with equal respect. It means offering transparency, where families and individuals know exactly what they’re signing up for. It means ensuring dignity in service, responsibility in operations, and trust as the foundation of every transaction.

Alexandre dreams of building a future where safe, fair financial services are available to all, even in the most underserved corners of Timor-Leste. He believes this is not only possible, but necessary.

With your support, Tipas9 will expand its reach. The goal is to establish a professional storefront, train local staff, and provide high-quality valuation tools that allow anyone to access fast, reliable support without fear of exploitation.

Your impact donation helps protect individuals and families from losing their livelihoods. It allows parents to care for their children without giving up the tools they rely on to earn a living. It means families don’t have to choose between survival and everything they own.

“We’re building a system where people can ask for help without shame,” Alexandre says. “Where temporary crises don’t become permanent tragedies.”

Support Tipas9 today. Help those in Timor-Leste face emergencies with dignity.