She may be the wife of East Timor's Prime Minister, but Kirsty Sword Gusmao isn't living a life of luxury.

For the best part of a decade, East Timor's leading lady has been working behind the scenes as a champion of the country's women and children. The Australian born wife of Xanana Gusmao was back in her home country last week, drumming up support for her charity work and continuing to campaign tirelessly for East Timor.

Gavin Fang reports.

Gavin Fang, reporter: It's late on a Thursday night and Kirsty Sword Gusmao was working the room hard.

Tonight, she's in Melbourne, on the last leg of a trip to Australia that's taken her to engagements in Canberra and Sydney over the past few days. It's been a long week, but East Timor's unofficial first lady is on a mission to thank the supporters of her charity and to win over a few more potential donors.

Her message to the mainly female crowd is that East Timor has put the turmoil of last year's political violence behind it and the support they're giving is having an impact.

Kirsty Sword Gusmao, former East Timor First Lady: I'm not interested in political propaganda or propping up my husband's image. What I am interested in, though, is in giving you some good news stories that highlight positive stuff that's happening in the country.

Gavin Fang: She may be the wife of former president, now Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmao, but Kirsty Sword Gusmao points out that cocktail parties like tonight's event aren't the norm.

Over the past seven years, the Australian-born woman has become a passionate spokesperson for her adopted country, and a tireless worker for charity.

Kirsty Sword Gusmao: I guess I, personally, have carved out this role because I feel I am in a very privileged position, I do have a voice and I can use that voice to be able to articulate the needs and the aspirations of the women of East Timor, so I am seizing that opportunity because there is so much to be done.

Gavin Fang: Kirsty Sword Gusmao was working as a human rights activist in Jakarta in the mid-1990s when she met her now husband, who was in an Indonesian jail.

She worked secretly for East Timor's independence movement, and was even involved in smuggling Timorese out of Indonesia. In 2000, she married Xanana Gusmao and became East Timor's First Lady when the country won independence two years later.

Her work for East Timor since then has led some to dub her a role model for East Timor's women, although that's not a title she adopts herself.

”I face the challenge of any working mum.”

Kirsty Sword Gusmao: I suppose as a mother myself of three small children, all boys, I face the challenge of any working mum of juggling responsibilities to my family and responsibilities to the broader society.

I guess I have a little heavier a load than most because the challenges of nation-building are just so all-consuming at times - it seems just so much - but I guess I like to think that women would look at me and think: "Wow! She's embraced this challenge. She can do it, even though she is a mum and a wife, and why don't I give it a go too?"

Gavin Fang: It's the plight of East Timor's women that drives Mrs Sword Gusmao and her charity, the Alola Foundation.

From programs to encourage breast-feeding, to assistance for girls to go to school, to training for women to start basic handicraft businesses, the foundation has at its heart the goal of improving the lives of women.

Kirsty Sword Gusmao: When you educate a woman you educate an entire village, and I think the flow-on effects of empowering women and educating women are huge and we would like to see women's role(s) embraced and, I guess, increased acknowledgement and resources from our government to be able to invest in women.

Gavin Fang: It's because she's not prepared to wait for the government to invest more money that Kirsty Sword Gusmao is out canvassing donors for her charity.

Much of the money that goes to the Alola Foundation comes from Australia, and especially from Australian women. Mrs Sword Gusmao believes those women can relate to her and, through her, comprehend what's happening in East Timor.

But every time she comes back to Australia, she's struck by the differences that exist between her country of birth and her adopted home.

”We are so close and yet we're so far.”

Kirsty Sword Gusmao: It's certainly difficult to get accustomed to that gap that exists. You know, I often talk about the Timor Gap and it is quite literally like stepping back in time when I go to East Timor - just the different levels of wealth the different standards of living - you know, we are so close and yet we're so far - that constantly strikes me.

Gavin Fang: East Timor is one of the world's poorest countries and it remains politically unstable. While there's been no recent outbreak of violence on the scale of last year's riots, the United Nations believes significant international assistance is still needed in the country.

That means charitable work, like the role being played by Mrs Sword Gusmao's foundation, is critical. And despite the message of hope she has been delivering in Australia this week, the country's leading lady knows only too well the amount of work that lies ahead.

Kirsty Sword Gusmao: There are certainly some very challenging moments, where everything is just so urgent and everything is a priority, and we can't start to tackle this problem until we tackle that one, and there are moments where you just feel like throwing your arms up in the air and saying, "Right, Melbourne is a better prospect. Head back."

But I guess what drives me is the hope, the optimism, and the dignity of the people, and I can't throw that away, I can't betray that.