Launched in 2004, the Government Information Office (GIO) is helping Government workers deliver accurate information to the public through press releases, fact sheets, multimedia presentations, and Government websites.

As displaced residents struggled to recover from an outbreak of violence that swept across Timor-Leste in April 2006, agencies such as the Ministry for Labor and Community Reinsertion were doing as much as they could to bring life back to normal. The Ministry delivered information to several local newspapers explaining how it was helping displaced residents return home and later launched a “Simu Malu” (mutual acceptance) campaign to prevent youth gang violence in dangerous villages. The efforts were spearheaded by graduates of the Government Information Office (GIO). Created in 2004 with USAID support, the office is teaching a new class of information officers how to empower citizens one fact at a time.

The difficulty of reaching people scattered across Timor-Leste’s rugged terrain, combined with a relatively inexperienced media, means the Government must play a crucial role in keeping citizens informed. “I think communication is a new thing in Timor-Leste,” says Joaquin Santos, the lead trainer at the GIO. “This is one of our problems. We need to create a culture of communication.”

The GIO is helping the Government meet this need by working with a number of different ministries and offices to develop their multimedia communications skills. Recent support from USAID’s Small Grants Program sponsored training for more than 40 public information officers, including 11 women, from 10 ministries and other Government offices. Materials produced by trainees range from explanations of the police’s 72-hour detention policy to steps for obtaining a national passport. Other materials have helped explain the national tax system, the importance of clean water and water source preservation, and the public health risks of avian flu.

Hanging on the walls of the GIO training center at the Palácio do Governo are published news stories inspired by GIO press releases and a front-page photo taken by a trainee. Here, information officers have access to the latest software tools available for editing videos, designing websites, publishing flyers, and creating presentations. Teresita Ximenes, a staff member at the Provedor’s Office, which handles anti-corruption and human rights issues, is reaching the end of her nine-month training and putting the finishing touches on an office fact sheet. “This will help the people understand about what our office is doing,” she says.

The office has been able to demonstrate in a short time that it is meeting a vital need. The President’s office recruited one graduate of the program to manage communications. The GIO has also worked with Ministers and other high-level Government officials on the importance of communications, providing pointers on such issues as fielding tough questions from the media. The government of Timor-Leste has committed to fully funding the GIO under the new budget in January 2008. The move would help ensure that the office’s training services are available for generations to come.