Alves was born in Laclo, Manatuto. Her father was chief of a sub-district in Portuguese Timor, and then a member of the parliament of Manatuto during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. Alves attended the Liceu Dr. Francisco Machado, Dili. She is married to Jacinto Alves, with whom she had four daughters and a son. &lt;br&gt;