Assessment of Africare"s activities

Audit report covers the period 11/74-10/80 and is based on document review, site visits, and interviews with A.I.D. and Africare officials. Although Africare was to be self-supporting by 1976, A.I.D. has had to fund 90% of Africare"s overhead and projects since 1974. As a result of a draft of this audit, however, Africare successfully pursued admission to the Combined Federal Campaign Fund in 7/80, which should help Africare raise $500,000 annually. Africare"s three major AID-funded projects, budgets for which Africare has revised without A.I.D. approval, have had little success and are behind schedule. Difficulties in dike placement in the Tara, Niger hydro-agricultural project forced a 56% reduction in the project area; coordination between Africare and the Niger Government (NG) is poor and the NG may be unable to sustain the Diffa basic health services project. Moreover, records were inadequate in the Tara project and a local contractor was overpaid in the Diffa project. The integrated rural development project in Seguenega, Upper Volta (UV) has accomplished little and has suffered poor management, e.g., salaries were overpaid and control over the revolving credit fund was weak. AID/W has been lax in monitoring and evaluating grant activities. USAID/N has not monitored Africare"s Niger projects and has had little contact with Africare officials, while USAID/UV has not shared with AID/W information collected on site visits.