Assessing the Impact: Baucau Micro Matchmaking Report Coming Soon - Building Markets

Assessing the Impact: Baucau Micro Matchmaking Report Coming Soon

by Building Markets
October 22, 2010

The Peace Dividend Marketplace Timor-Leste (PDM-TL) project has been up and running for the past three years, and we’ve got some great figures to support the value of our work.  To date, the project has facilitated over $17 million into the local economy. If you’ve been following this blog, you’re already aware of the types of services PDM-TL offers. And you probably also know by now, our big goal, our raison d’être, is to convince actors in the international aid industry to not only recognize the importance of local procurement, but to go out and do it.

Local procurement (despite having a nice ring to it) carries many quantitative and qualitative benefits for a country hosting a large aid presence. In a country like Timor-Leste with an estimated 400 jobs created per year in the formal economy, international budgets, if they maximize local spending, can be a significant force that creates jobs and improves livelihoods across the country.

Beginning in July of this year, we started diving in to the benefits the PDM-TL micro matchmaking service has provided. If you’re out of the loop, micro matchmaking is designed to help connect buyers and sellers in the districts of Timor-Leste, essentially facilitating and building business for people and companies that have very limited resources to advertise, network, and accumulate-up-to date market information. We surveyed each of the companies and entrepreneurs that benefited from a transaction worth over USD$1,000 to see what happened with the money. Essentially, we wanted to get a better idea of what buying locally does outside the capital, Dili.

An aggregated report detailing results from the nine PDM-TL matchmaking districts will be published by the end of this year. But for now, we’re close to publishing the first report in the series, detailing the impact the program has had in the district of Baucau. Two to three more single district focused reports will be published as well.

So what do the results show? They show that funds won through micro matchmaking activities have created jobs, stimulated lasting business relationships, and built new businesses (to name a few). Take a look at the report’s executive summary to find out more. We’ll have the complete version available in English and Tetum for you shortly. We hope you enjoy the read!

Executive Summary for the Baucau Impact Assessment Report

Tags : baucau PDT Report

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