Audit of USAID"s disaster assistance activities in Bosnia-Herzegovina

The program provides $23.9 million for basic emergency repairs of approximately 2,500 single-family homes and is being implemented in 44 villages by eight NGOs under USAID"s Disaster Assistance Response Team/Former Yugoslavia (DART). DART and the implementing NGOs have ensured that disaster assistance authorized under the Emergency Shelter Repair Program is being delivered to the intended beneficiaries as agreed. Although severe weather impeded progress in some areas and remote locations and poor road conditions hampered progress at other sites, the goal -- emergency repair of 2,500 badly damaged homes -- should be achieved on time and within budget. As of 11/12/96, contracts for the repair of 2,539 shelters had been awarded, 2,158 of the shelters had been repaired, and the program still had about 3 weeks to go. Moreover, DART was proactively monitoring the program to ensure that problems caused by changing circumstances were promptly and effectively addressed. An audit of three of the eight implementing NGOs determined that they are satisfactorily implementing specific program requirements. No problems had surfaced regarding the other NGOs.