Evaluation report : ex-post performance evaluation of the USAID/Timor Leste mai munisipiu program

conducted an ex-post performance evaluation of the Mai Munisipiu Program (MMP), implemented in Timor-Leste by Counterpart International. The purpose of the evaluation was to explore how sustainable results have been since the program’s conclusion in 2017. The evaluation questions addressed the extent to which Suco (village) councils, legal aid organizations, and district courts retained skills from MMP training; outcomes in human and institutional capacity of Suco councils; whether the design of MMP was appropriate for the country’s context; and the extent to which community members agree that women can be effective leaders. The evaluation included a document review; 45 semi-structured key informant interviews; four focus group discussions; and a rapid survey of 50 citizens. The evaluation concluded: Suco councils retained proposal writing skills. The comprehensiveness of the training curriculum and follow-up mentoring facilitated retention; Suco councils improved their administration, but equivalent gains were not made in other areas. The turnover of elected council members after elections in 2016 is a threat to the sustainability of the capacity that was built; community members believe that women can be effective leaders in theory, but in practice they prefer male leaders; court and legal aid actors retained little from the training due to their base capacity level and the limited volume of training provided; and program efforts did not result in an increase in basic services to citizens, but they laid a foundation that can be built upon.