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An evaluation of Concern’s Sustainable Livelihoods Programme in Timor Leste |
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Written by Mick Howes, IMA International
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Timor Leste is a nation of about 1 mn. people, which occupies the eastern half of the island of Timor, to the NW of Australia. It became independent in 2002, following some 25 years of Indonesian rule, during which thousands of people lost their lives, many more were forced to flee their homes and much of the infrastructure was destroyed. The years that followed have seen many donor programmes designed to aid re-construction and initiate a process of development. But whilst welcome, these have mainly been confined to the areas that are readily accessible from Dilli, the capital, and a handful of other urban centres. The more remote and hilly areas to the interior, where some of the poorest people live, and where the difficulties of rebuilding livelihoods are most severe, have largely been left to fend for themselves.
The leading Irish NGO, Concern, has been working since early 2003 to redress this imbalance, providing support to local people’s own efforts under a pilot programme conducted in two of the countries’ most inaccessible sub-districts. Following an initial period, during which the views of a wide range of views were canvassed and community-based plans devised, a series of activities has unfolded. In many places, groups have come together to terrace hillsides, and counter soil erosion by adopting more sustainable agricultural activities, with Concern providing tools, seeds and technical advice. Other people have been helped to re-build their livestock holdings, to start co-operatives to run rice and maize mills, or to adopt improved methods of crop storage. Women have been encouraged to open small shops supplying a range of local needs and then to re-invest their profits in saving schemes. Pipelines have been installed to bring safe drinking water close to people’s homes, school buildings rehabilitated, local roads improved and literacy classes conducted. Small-scale fish breeding, food processing, and tree nursery schemes have all been explored.
In November 2005, Mick Howes of IMA was asked to visit the two sites to review the progress that had been achieved in the first three years of the programme, and to make recommendations as to how it could be extended to the entire districts in which the original locations were found. The overall findings of the investigation were encouraging. The technical standard of service delivery appeared in general to be high with good attention to detail and quality. The principle that people should be expected to do as much as possible for themselves had generally been followed, and a process of empowerment, extending to both men and women, was underway. National members of staff were enthusiastic, committed and taking on increasing amounts of responsibility. Good and transparent relations had been established with wider stakeholder constituencies, including monitoring committees, local leaders, local government at Sub-district and District level, and other NGOs.
But almost inevitably, in an experimental programme operating under very difficult conditions, certain problems were also apparent. There had sometimes been a tendency to proceed in a somewhat top-down, technology transfer mode, which had devalued the potential contribution of local knowledge. There had been an excessive reliance upon groups to promote activities and build civil society, and an overly standardised approach to working with groups. There had not been a significantly strategic approach to the selection and sequencing of activities in particular locations. A start had been made in addressing the extremely complex issue of gender, but a more consolidated effort was needed. Systems for the gathering, analysis and presentation of information about activities were somewhat rudimentary. A series of recommendations were made about how these issues could be addressed as the programme embarks on its new more geographically extensive phase.
Dr Mick Howes. Senior Consultant. IMA International.
www.imainternational.com
Mick@imainternational.com
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