TIMOR-LESTE · COUNTRY PROGRAMME LEADERSHIP
As Country Director for Family Health International in Timor-Leste from 2003 to 2006, I established and led a national HIV programme in a post-conflict setting. The role combined programme design and management with partnership development, support to the Ministry of Health and capacity development for local organisations.
Building capability alongside services
Effective programmes depend on the organisations and people responsible for delivery. Our work supported local NGO capacity and connected technical assistance with programme implementation, management and accountability. It required sustained engagement with government, civil society and development partners in a rapidly changing institutional environment.
Connecting programme delivery with sustainability
I helped secure Global Fund follow-on financing, linking the programme’s development with its future funding and institutional relationships. This experience continues to shape my consulting work: technical recommendations need to reflect the resources, capabilities and responsibilities required to put them into practice.
Country leadership in Timor-Leste, and earlier work in Kosovo, Pakistan and Myanmar, complements my later independent evaluation, health systems analysis and regional technical assistance. It provides an operational perspective on policy, governance, financing and service delivery.
