The main goal of the USAID/Nicaragua supported Education for Success (EFS) project is to develop and implement an integrated program for at-risk children and youth in targeted municipalities in the Región Autónoma del Atlántico Sur (RAAS) that would provide opportunities for formal and non-formal education, life skills, and workforce competencies. Implemented by Fundacion para la Autonomia y Desarrollo de la Costa Atlantica de Nicaragua (FADCANIC), EFS was launched in 2010 as a seven-year, $6.7 million effort implemented initially in Bluefields, Pearl Lagoon, Kukra Hill and then later in Corn Island and Desembocadura del Rio Grande. In September 2013, USAID/Nicaragua requested that JBS International, Inc. conduct a mid-term evaluation of the EFS project. The purpose of the study was to examine the extent to which the program has contributed to advancing its stated goals. It was also designed to capture the lessons learned to date, help identify changes to be made in the second phase of project implementation, and identify obstacles constraining progress. In October 2013, a team of three researchers conducted a site visit of the EFS project which included numerous key informant interviews, semi-structured group interviews, and on-site observations. The results of the mid-term evaluation demonstrate that EFS has been successful in generating youth development opportunities in the RAAS. More specifically it has contributed to increased positive attitudes such as greater self-confidence in youth; transferable work readiness skills; and more engaged family and community members. As EFS begins its second phase, the evaluation team recommends FADCANIC increase its staff expertise in non-formal education strategies, gender-sensitive programming, and community development approaches. Certain improvements to FADCANIC”s organizational, technical and management systems are also suggested in order to strengthen and ready the project”s core staff as they move to the next stage. (Except, modified)
