TESE
TESE is a Lisbon-based non-governmental development organisation, active since 2002, that runs water, sanitation, energy, waste and employment projects in Portuguese-speaking countries. In 2025 it worked in 5 countries across 13 projects.
TESE (Associação para o Desenvolvimento pela Tecnologia, Engenharia, Saúde e Educação) is a non-governmental development organisation based in Lisbon. It has been running development initiatives since 2002. Its stated mission is to design and implement innovative, replicable solutions that improve people's quality of life and strengthen communities.
The organisation works in five areas: water and sanitation, energy, waste management, employment and employability, and capacity building and social innovation. In 2025 it ran 13 projects in 5 countries and managed roughly 4 million euros in resources.
Much of the work is in Portuguese-speaking Africa. In São Tomé and Príncipe, the PABAC-MZ project is building and rehabilitating irrigation systems in the communities of Uba Cocondja, Milagrosa, Monte Café Aldeia and Novo Destino, and has works under way at the CATAP training centre. The aim is to improve water management and make farming more resilient to climate change. TESE runs the project with Zatona-ADIL, the Mé-Zochi District Council and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development, with support from Camões, I.P. TESE opened a new office in Vila Maria, São Tomé, in 2025.
In Angola, the Ilumina Saúde project brings solar energy to health facilities. It is funded by Camões, I.P. and delivered with the NGO ADESPOV and the Huíla Provincial Health Office. In Guinea-Bissau, TESE runs a solar plant, Nô Lumia Nô Amanhã, and works with local partners such as ASPAAB.
In Portugal, TESE runs Gulbenkian Empregar, a programme that promotes youth employability and socio-professional inclusion. Within it, the Vaivém project sends young people from São Miguel in the Azores to Cascais, Oeiras and Lisbon for two months, and sends young people from Cascais the other way. It is co-implemented with APPJ and the Cascais municipality.
TESE also offers consultancy services, which it describes as drawing on its own expertise. Its partners come from the public sector, the private sector and civil society. The team numbers around 40 people, including project managers, water and sanitation technicians, an agronomist and finance staff. The organisation recruits regularly, for example for water, energy and operations roles.
Our Goal
To design and implement innovative, replicable solutions that improve the quality of life of people and communities, promoting social development and equal opportunities.
Our Wishes
TESE looks for institutional and private partners, funders and professionals who share its mission. It also recruits staff for roles such as water, energy and project management, and invites supporters to follow its work through its newsletter.
