Building Bridges: The CommNS and Civil Society Capacity-Building in Timor-Leste

How a year-long partnership nurtured connection and exchange, and contributed to capacity-building efforts for civil society organizations and future leaders in one of the world’s youngest democracies

A Partnership Across Continents

Imagine running a nonprofit or innovating to meet important needs in your community with limited access to training, networking, or professional development opportunities, and almost no informational materials in your native language. This is the reality for many current and aspiring civil society leaders in Timor-Leste, a small Southeast Asian nation that gained independence in 2002.

From September 2024 to September 2025, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies (the “CommNS”) partnered with organizations in Timor-Leste to explore ways to address this gap and to share and exchange about civil society issues across the U.S. and Timorese contexts. The collaborative project also created an opportunity for all involved to learn more about the remarkable strategic efforts happening within communities in Timor-Leste to promote economic development, meet basic needs, educate the next generation, and advocate to support a strong democracy. Funded by the U.S. Embassy in Dili, the project brought together university faculty, nonprofit leaders, and aspiring changemakers from various organizations and career stages, to build skills and forge connections.

Map of the Eastern side of the world showing the location of Timor-Leste in Southeast Asia

Understanding Civil Society: This term refers to the space between government and business where people come together to create positive change—nonprofit organizations, community groups, and volunteer networks. In Timor-Leste, still building its democratic institutions after decades of conflict, a strong civil society sector is essential for community voices to be heard in shaping the future of the country, and for community members’ needs to be met.

Building a Team Across Time Zones

The project united partners from UW-Madison’s Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies (CommNS), FONGTIL (Timor-Leste’s NGO Forum), ETCI (a public university in Ermera), the National University of Timor-Leste (UNTL), and local liaisons. Despite being separated by 13 hours and an ocean, the team met regularly via Zoom—evenings in Wisconsin, mornings in Timor-Leste—to plan workshops and understand local needs.

Rather than assuming what training would help, the team started by listening. They created surveys in Tetun (Timor-Leste’s primary language) and recruited participants through WhatsApp, Facebook, and word-of-mouth. The response was enthusiastic, with dozens applying to participate.

Workshops That Made an Impact

The project delivered both virtual and in-person workshops:

Virtual Sessions (July): Two online workshops introduced 15-20 participants to key concepts including Program Evaluation, Design Thinking, and UN Sustainable Development Goals.

In-Person Workshops (August): When CommNS Executive Director Mary Beth Collins traveled to Timor-Leste, the project came fully to life:

Dili Workshop – 45 participants from across the country, with local media coverage
Ermera Workshop – 21+ participants, including ETCI alumni working in civil society

All workshop sessions were provided in English and Tetun with a professional interpreter.

An asian woman with dark brown hair, a black shirt, and tan pants speaking. An asian man with a blue shirt sitting at a table nearby. Workshop rooms with nine wooden tables covered in white table cloths. There are two to three people at each table.

All workshop materials were provided in both print and digital formats, including a full set of background informational tools and resources which were shared permanently so participants could revisit content as their work in the field continues.

Workshop room with six dark wooden desks, with two people sitting at each and more people standing engaging in conversation on the right side

What Participants Said

Post-workshop surveys revealed powerful results:

98% found sessions easy to access and understand
88% would recommend the workshops to colleagues

Participants valued the clear instruction, practical content, and accessibility. They also requested more interactive components, deeper dives into topics, and expansion to other regions of Timor-Leste.

Workshop rooms with nine wooden tables covered in white table cloths. There are two to three people at each table. An Asian woman wearing a black sweater over a black and white dress speaking at a brown wooden podium.

Looking Forward

The project revealed key opportunities for Timor-Leste’s civil society:

Challenges Identified:

Most professional development resources aren’t available in Tetun
Small organizations face organization registration hurdles
Need for support with digital platforms and media literacy
Youth are energized about civic participation but need support for building the necessary skills and knowledge for sustainable involvement

Future Directions:

Expand workshops to more communities beyond Dili and Ermera
Specialized training on advocacy, sustainable economics and social innovation, and civic health
Search for ways to support civil society after the retraction of USAID
Connect Timorese organizations to others within CommNS’s global network for learning exchange with peers
Create exchange opportunities (knowledge, content, strategies), with institutions of higher education in the U.S. and Timor-Leste serving as key connectors
Formal partnerships between UW-Madison and Timorese universities

The Power of Partnership, and Looking Ahead

The project’s greatest assets were the relationships and generosity of partners. Through connections formed through a State Department Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) reaching back to 2019, collegial exchanges continued and a broader network was formed to support this project. Through the project work, additional links developed, across institutions and individuals. The goodwill and generosity of our project partners, in hosting Mary Beth Collins as a visiting project partner, in trusting our team to conduct this special project, and remaining flexible with very real challenges including a disruption of funding for several months in early 2025 and various administrative burdens, cannot be overstated. The enthusiastic and gracious support of our U.S. Embassy partners in Dili was also critical.

This project demonstrates how universities can support democratic development globally while offering cross-cultural learning for students and faculty. We hope that the exchanges during the project term were just the beginnings of enduring conversations and collaborations. The project model may also be useful for continued global exchange and network-building with other regions and groups.

As Timor-Leste navigates its future—including new local elections and changing international aid—a strong, skilled civil society sector becomes even more critical. We hope that we can continue to exchange and learn together as that journey continues and as we face our own changing landscape in the U.S., so that we can all nurture the strongest possible civil society approaches for navigating challenges and seizing opportunities for the greater good.

Four people standing together in front of a brown wall with slits to see outside posing for a photo.

The project was funded by the U.S. Embassy in Dili and implemented by the UW-Madison Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies in partnership with FONGTIL, ETCI, and UNTL. To learn more about CommNS and its global partnerships, visit our webpage.

Hear more from Mary Beth Collins on the Timor-Leste reciprocal exchange program on our YouTube playlist.

See more photos from the partnership below!

Three people sitting together at a brown table. The wall behind them is blue, and there is a green botanical ornament hanging on the wall. Seven people sitting at a table with a bright red table cloth meeting. There are drinks on the table. Four people sitting at a table with a bright red table cloth. There are snacks, drinks, and notes on the table. A table full of food dishes with people meeting in the background on a sunny day outside. Workshop space with nine dark brown wooden tables being set up by three men, the tile floor is white with dark grout The exterior of a white building with a dark trim. There is a flag pole in front of the building, anchored in a plot of grass. Four people meeting at a small table in a room with bright orange walls. They are sitting in bright teal chairs, and there is food at the table. Table with many food dishes in a room with bright orange walls. There are two Asian women with white shirts setting out food. A room full of dark brown wooden tables with people sitting at each table. A table with a brown and white table cloth is sat at by two Asian men. There are bright blue and pink flowers at the table. Two Asian women and one Asian man sitting at a dark brown wooden table with blue notebooks smiling. Two Asian men sitting at a brown table with a red top speaking. An Asian man wearing a blue shirt smiling as he presents a white woman who is smiling and wearing a black shirt with brown bags of food. Many people sitting at a dark brown table. There are water bottles, cups, and blue notebooks on the table. At the forefront of the photo, a man in a blue shirt sits at a dark brown table grasping his hands. There are more people sitting at dark brown tables in the background of the photo. A white woman wearing a brown shirt and black pants is holding a garment gifted to her by a man wearing a red shirt and blue jeans. They are both smiling an posing for a photo. A room full of people sitting at dark brown tables with computers and paper on them. Two Asian men wearing a gray shirt and a black shirt smiling and posing for a photo. A concrete sign painted with the logo and text for UNTL: Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa'e Faculdade Ciencias Sociais Sapientia et Veritas