Assessment of PL-480 Title II food donation program in Haiti

Each sponsor works through a number of delivery mechanisms, including School Feeding (SF), Mother Child Health (MCH), and Food For Work (FFW). External evaluation covers FY88 activities. The program provided food to approximately 500,000 children, or roughly 20% of all Haitian children, for at least 9 months of the year. It is likely that this supplemental food serves as a "safety net" for children and probably their families - a small constant in a rapidly deteriorating environment. While this achievement is significant in terms of child survival and welfare, a broader development impact cannot objectively be claimed. Neither USAID/H nor any of the sponsors is operating with a strategic plan; instead, efforts are devoted simply to moving food. This quantitative focus is due to organizational mandates, Title II planning processes, and current sociopolitical conditions. Both CARE and CRS are now engaged in structured internal reviews to improve planning and targeting, while ADRA must strengthen program operations prior to undertaking a meaningful strategic planning exercise. The sponsors' expenditure and cost patterns mirror the strategic disarray of the P.L. 480 program. Budgets are largely logistical, and there are no real cost linkages between the delivery of food and the establishment of developmental projects. Due to lack of cost-centered accounting and historical data, no trend analysis could be undertaken. CARE is the most cost-efficient sponsor, although margins are very slim. Major deviations in delivery mechanisms are not recommended, but existing mechanisms should be refocused towards development aims. All sponsors need to improve monitoring systems, not only for efficiency, but in order to judge effectiveness as they move towards new foci.