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The importance of digital transformation in the development sector

The world has changed significantly in the last few decades and so have the tools we use to make it a better place.

However, despite the significant potential of digital technologies, the international development sector has been slow to embrace them as a core competency.

Today most organisations still view digital as a means to collect data, but are struggling with utilising technology to strengthen service delivery. Without this integration, we risk missing out on significant opportunities for change.… Read More

Kumul Helt Skul published in The Lancet journal

An independent evaluation of our Papua New Guinea healthcare skills training program has returned strong results and has been published in The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific.

We’re hopeful that the evidence, learnings and validation from this study will enable us to extend the reach and impact of mobile, job-embedded professional development for healthcare workers in low resourced communities.

Read the full evaluation here. For a user perspective, check out Sister Daisy Langu's refections on the program.

🤝 Thank you to our partners at Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and to the Australian Government through the #PNGAusPartnership for supporting this program.

US$62m cash distributed across Timor-Leste in 30 days

Over the December - January festive period our team worked tirelessly in partnership with the Timor-Leste Government to deliver a cash payment to over 312,000 Timor-Leste households, across all 452 sukus. A public dashboard provided real-time, transparent tracking of the payments, recorded on tablet devices using a mobile app.

Congratulations to our fantastic partners at Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion. We're so proud of this partnership, and the opportunity to support the payment tracking system and real-time monitoring.

>30,000 applications approved for monthly social protection payments

More than 30,000 applications for Timor-Leste’s new social protection program have now been processed, meaning families will receive monthly payments to support young children and their development.

This includes >140 children living with disability who are now receiving an additional monthly financial support payment - the first of its kind in Timor Leste.

The Bolsa da Mae Jerasaun Foun program was recently extended to an additional four municipalities - Covalima, Liquica, Manatuto and Viqueque - bringing the total to seven municipalities now accepting applications.

The program will be expanded in a staged approach, eventually becoming a nationally available initiative by late 2025.

🤝 Thanks to our partners MSSI and PHD. Supported by the Australian Government. #AustralianAid

Designing a digital system to manage rural development in Timor-Leste

The National Village Development Program aims to improve socio-economic conditions and local governance for village men and women in Timor Leste through community managed infrastructure.

Following the development of a proof of concept (Minimum Viable Product or MVP), we’re pleased to be able to progress to a full redesign of the existing Management Information System (MIS).

The program will deliver a fit-for-purpose web-based MIS platform with offline-capable data collection, data validation, demonstration of powerful analytics support and beautiful, user-friendly UI/UX.

🤝 Thank you to #AustralianAid for supporting the program.

Aotearoa 2023 Conference of Pacific Education Ministers

Representatives from the Catalpa education team were invited to participate in the recent Aotearoa 2023 Conference of Pacific Education Ministers, where Pacific eLearning Programme Team Lead Artila Devi contributed to the roundtable discussion on education quality and relevance in the region.

We joined other NGOs and student advocacy groups in the Civil Society Organisation Forum to discuss issues of importance to us which were shared with the attending ministers for consideration.

Key themes of discussion included cultural relevance, the use of vernacular language, decolonisation, inclusive education, youth leadership, data informed decision making, codesign and partnership, and the continuation and efficacy of digitisation in the education sector.

Welcoming our new Programs Manager - Kate Michelly

We’re excited to welcome Kate Michelly into a new executive role at Catalpa.

Kate brings over 15 years experience implementing, designing and evaluating large international development programs in the Asia Pacific region - including senior management roles on the A$60 million Solomon Islands Resource Facility (SIRF), A$60 million Cambodia Australia Agricultural Value Chain Program and A$96 Million RAMSI Governance Support Facility.

As Program Manager she will support best practice program management, continuous improvement and standardisation across our portfolio of projects.

Connect with Kate on Linkedin.