Economic Growth and Trade

Consolidating Cooperative Agribusiness Recovery In Timor-Leste

To support Timor-Leste to sustainably reduce poverty and undernutrition, USAID projects assist Timorese farmers to move away from subsistence agriculture towards more diversified, income-generating farming and to link with domestic and international markets. USAID projects also align with the Government of Timor-Leste (GOTL) objective to support the transition from subsistence to commercial farming and to increase the production and productivity of key agricultural commodities.

Developing Agricultural Communities

USAID’s Developing Agricultural Communities (DAC) project partners with local private sector actors, including the American energy corporation ConocoPhillips and two of the largest local supermarkets – K’manek and Dilimart – to support farm families through training in business skills and horticulture technologies and by connecting smallholder farmers to retail traders.  DAC also implements USAID’s first Trilateral Activity, a collaborative effort of the U.S., China, and Timor-Leste, to improve food security through improved farming practices.  In addition, DAC works to empower Timorese women as economic actors in the communities where they work, which is significant considering the social and cultural pressure on women to provide family and household care. If you want to find out more about the continually of this project, please click here: https://www.usaid.gov/timor-leste/project-descriptions/usaids-avansa-agr...

Democratic and Governance

Strengthening Decentralization in the Office of the Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice (PDHJ)

USAID partnered with the government to build the resiliency of democratic institutions and further consolidate good governance practices. USAID’s Strengthening Decentralization in the Office of the Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice Project Phase II was implemented through a direct, government-to-government grant.  The project, co-funded with the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs, improved PDHJ’s ability to advocate for human rights and good governance by increasing community understanding and use of PDHJ services. The project increased community awareness of PDHJ’s role and mandate by conducting nationwide outreach events and producing promotional materials. PDHJ also  developed and piloted investigative and monitoring systems at regional offices and improved its human and organizational capacity by training staff and strengthening its coordination and management systems. 

Conflict Mitigation through Community-Oriented Policing

USAID’s Conflict Mitigation Through Community-Oriented Policing (HAKOHAK) works with communities and the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) to improve security by strengthening collaboration between citizens and the police.  HAKOHAK, funded through the State Department’s Security and Stabilization Assistance Program with additional support from the New Zealand Aid Programme, strengthens the capacity of PNTL, civil society and community leaders to implement effective community-oriented policing practices.

Accountability Strengthening in the Timor-Leste National Police (PNTL)

Increasing PNTL’s capacity to deliver key services and establishing the credibility of the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) among general population have been major priorities for the Government of Timor-Leste (GOTL) and the PNTL leadership. USAID partners with the GOTL and PNTL to support these priorities by providing assistance to two main security sector institutions in the Ministry of Defense and Security: the Office of the Secretary of State for Security and the PNTL.

Strengthening Decentralization in the Office of the Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice (PDHJ)

In May 2013, USAID provided its first direct government-to-government (G2G) support to the GOTL’s Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice (PDHJ).  Through this grant, USAID supports PDHJ staff to develop and deliver materials and training that will enable them to monitor public and private institutions’ activities related to service delivery, infrastructure development, and public procurement processes.   

Fostering Meaningful and Responsive Representation (IRI)

USAID’s Fostering Meaningful and Responsive Representation supports the country's political parties in their efforts to become more effective, transparent, and responsive by strengthening grassroots structures and research and communications capacity. Through this grant, USAID helps members of the Parliament increase their representation of constituent concerns by developing outreach capacity and assists political parties increase their collaboration with local administration.  In addition, USAID’s Fostering Meaningful and Responsive Representation assisted in promoting free, fair and peaceful elections during the 2012 national elections in Timor-Leste by providing civic/voter education and elections observation support.

Youth Engagement to Promote Stability (YEPS)

Timor-Leste is currently at a critical juncture in its transformation from post-conflict recovery to long-term development.  Almost half (46%) of the total population in Timor-Leste is below the age of 18, and the ‘youth cohort’ (between 15-29 years) accounts for roughly 30% of the Timorese population.  Thus, USAID believes that Timorese youth must be involved politically, economically, and socially as drivers of the country’s future. 

USAID’S Fostering Freedom of Information for Inclusive Governance Project

USAID’s Fostering Freedom of Information for Inclusive Governance Project’s aim to improve governance by engaging public opinion in demanding greater transparency and accountability in government through a meaningful right of access to information. Access to information is a multi-dimensional tool that is expected to reinforce the foundations for social stability, institutional development within the public sector and effectiveness in the provision of public services as it enables citizens to engage constructively in political life and government to become more accountable and transparent. 

Mai Munisipiu (To The Districts)

USAID's decentralization support grant, Ba Distrito (meaning “To the Districts”), improves local government’s ability to address community needs and increase its capacity to facilitate the delivery of services more effectively, efficiently, and sustainably.  Ba Distrito works at local levels of GOTL—district, sub-district, and suco (village) councils—to increase institutional and human capacity to deliver basic services that are more effective and responsive to citizens' needs and expectations. 

Civil Society Monitoring of Security-Sector Development

USAID's Civil Society Monitoring of Security-Sector Development (CSM-SSD) aims to improve the Timor-Leste National Police’s (PNTL) responsiveness to mitigating conflicts and ensuring overall public safety and security. Funded through the Department of Defense’s Security and Stabilization Assistance Program, the grant contributes to the development of the rule of law and the security sector by monitoring and mapping threats to public safety, improving police-community relations, and strengthening PNTL’s ability to respond to the needs and concerns of the Timorese citizens.  

Education

All Children Reading

USAID's All Children Reading project combines innovative teacher training techniques with new Tetun-language educational materials. These teaching techniques and educational materials equip teacher with the skills and tools necessary to effectively teach young children to read. All Children Reading seeks to improve children's literacy and numeracy outcomes by enhancing access to relevant teaching and learning materials. In addition, All Children Reading supports related government agencies in decision-making and future planning to improve education statistic in Timor-Leste. 

School Dropout Prevention Pilot Project (SDPP)

USAID's School Dropout Prevention Pilot (SDPP) is a multi-country project, which mitigates dropouts from primary and secondary schools in Timor-Leste. SDPP works with 190 schools in Timor-Leste, involving nearly 30,000 students in grades 4, 5 and 6 and 900 teachers.  SDPP designs and tests the effectiveness of varying interventions on dropout rates at primary and secondary schools.  The project generates data that can be used by the host government and donor partners to decrease dropout rates and change behaviors causing dropouts in order to retain young learners in school.

USAID'S Timor-Leste Hillary Clinton Scholarship Program

USAID invests in human capacity in Timor-Leste through its Hillary Clinton Scholarship Program, which provides opportunities for Timorese students to complete skills-focused associate’s degree programs in the U.S. in fields of study such as accounting, agriculture, business, food technology, and management.

Global Health

Health Improvement Project (HADIAK)

USAID's Health Improvement Project (HADIAK) focuses on maternal, neonatal and child health system strengthening, with a particular emphasis on helping district-level health committees prepare for and support the eventual de-concentration of GOTL health services. HADIAK does not provide direct service delivery, but instead equip GOTL's Ministry of Health (MOH) institutions with the improved organizational frameworks, human resources, and technical skills needed to implement the government's National Health Sector Strategic Plan (NHSSP).

Mobile Moms (Liga Inan)

USAID’s Mobile Moms Project (or Liga Inan in the local language) is an innovative approach to connecting pregnant women to health information and with their midwives who serve them by means of mobile phones, both through text messaging and facilitated voice communication. Rapidly growing ownership of mobile phones, even by relatively impoverished families, makes mobile technology a useful option for delivering health messages and improving use of services, such as delivery with a midwife or doctor.