Audit of AID"s monitoring of grants and cooperative agreements under the VOCA program in Slovakia

Audit covers the period 5/91-2/93 and focuses on efforts in Slovakia. VOCA has completed 21 projects at 14 sites -- one state farm and 13 cooperative farms. Slovakian farm leaders feel VOCA volunteers have provided invaluable insight in how to turn unprofitable cooperatives into potentially profitable private entities. However, the fact that the country possesses 1,000 similarly sized farms of which VOCA has consulted with only 14 (vs. 75 in the Czech Republic) raises questions concerning the demand for the program and its overall impact. According to VOCA, the number of projects in Slovakia has been limited due to the fact that promotional efforts were made from the Prague office prior to the separation of Slovakia and Czech Republic and consequently focused on the Czech Republic. With the opening of a VOCA office in Bratislava in 10/92, efforts are underway to make the program better known in Slovakia. Twenty-five completed projects are targeted for FY93; to date, five have been initiated but none completed. Additionally, VOCA has not documented its follow-up on results achieved from volunteers" recommendations in the 21 projects, and no formal A.I.D. site visits have been made. Better coordinated monitoring is needed to determine whether the VOCA program"s demand and impact warrant its continuation.