Local Knowledge - Photo Gallery

Photo Gallery

Capacity Building Program for Local Authorities

An innovative program is adding practical skills to the work of nation building in Timor Leste

Photos and captions by Alex B. Brillantes, Jr., ADB Consultant

District and Sub-District Officials of Manatuto participating in a buzz group discussion during a training program on Problem Solving.

The heads of the key partner institutions of the ADB in conducting Capacity Building Officials for Local Authorities of Timor Leste: Left, Director Lino Torrrezao, Director of the Direcao Nacional da Administracao Territorio (DNAT), and Right, Dr Florindo Pereira, Director of Instituto Nacional da Administracao Publica (INAP)

Chefe de Suco and aldeia officials pose with Dr. Florindo Perereira, Director of INAP, and District Administrator of Lautem Olavio da Costa Monteiro Almeida after an orientation program on the new law on decentralization of Timor-Leste held in Los Palos.

A sub-district official raising a question during a training program on Project Development Management held in Manatuto.

Professor Belarmino Neves encourages the participants in a training program on project development and management. Professor Belarmino is a key lecturer of the INAP and also a professor at Continental University of Timor-Leste.

Among the major training methodologies used by the Capacity Building Program for Local Officials of Timor Leste is the TOP (Technology of Participation) that encourages participants to use idea cards that are posted on the board for all to see and process. TOP guarantees close to 100% participation. Posted on the board are problems at the suco and aldeia level as identified by the frontline local officials chefe de suco and aldeia heads. Timor Leste held elections for suco level for the the districts of Bobonaru and Oecussi in December 2004. Elections for the rest of the sucos will be held in 2005.

Director Lino Torrezao, head of DNAT stresses a point during a Training Needs Assessment conducted by the TA for the suco heads of Bobonaru.

Director Lino Torrezao, head of DNAT using idea cards to process the inputs of the participants during the Training Needs Assessment for suco heads of Bobonaru. This picture was taken in Atabae when he met with the newly elected suco and aldeia officials.

Deputy Districy Administrator Leonia Monteiro giving a lecture before the district and sub-district officials of Manatuto. Leonia is among the more prominent women district officials in Timor Leste and is one of the core trainors of the Mobile Training Teams, a strategy employed by the TA to reach as many local officials as possible. Mobile Teams are locally based and are tapped in the conduct of training programs in the field.

Chefe de Suco Macario dos Santos accomplishes an information sheet for the program. The TA maintains a data base of all those who have participated in its training programs. As of February 2005, district administrators, deputy district administrators, sub-district officials such as district development officers, district personnel officers, community development officers, local government officers, chefe de suco, aldeia officials, among others, have participated.

Professor Horacio Marquez, one of the lecturers of INAP conducts a course on Cooperating with Others at the INAP training facilities in Dili for the district officials from Manufahi, Ainaru, Ermera, Oecussi, Liquica.

Women suco chiefs and officials putting down their inputs on idea cards during a training needs analysis held in Atabae.