Exit Evaluation of Oxfam’s Program in Puerto Rico

Overview

This exit evaluation examines Oxfam’s Puerto Rico program from its launch following Hurricane María in 2017 through its closure, assessing the experience through the lenses of local humanitarian leadership and feminist principles. Over seven years, Oxfam worked with more than 20 Puerto Rican organizations on humanitarian response, gender justice, energy and climate resilience, and policy advocacy. The evaluation finds that Oxfam was particularly strong in supporting locally led action, respecting partners’ autonomy, amplifying Puerto Rican voices in advocacy, and advancing women’s rights and gender justice. Partners consistently described the relationship as one in which they retained leadership over their priorities, while Oxfam provided flexible funding, visibility, connections, and credibility. Approximately 51% of program funding was transferred to local partners, substantially exceeding Oxfam’s 25% benchmark.

At the same time, the evaluation identifies gaps in institutional capacity strengthening, staff and partner safety and well-being, funding predictability and transparency, and long-term financial sustainability. It recommends front-loading locally appropriate capacity strengthening, increasing transparency, making longer-term and multiyear funding commitments, and aiming to transfer 75% of program resources to local partners. Finally, the evaluation underscores that responsible exit is itself a critical dimension of equitable partnership and localization. The report calls for clear, repeated and multichannel communication before, during, and after transitions or exits, alongside mechanisms for continued contact.

These lessons from Puerto Rico offer practical policy guidance for humanitarian actors seeking to translate commitments to local humanitarian leadership, feminist humanitarian action, equitable partnerships, localization, and shifting power into practice across the full program cycle, including how international organizations leave.