Audit report : PL-480, Title II programs, USAID/Honduras

480, Title II food distribution program in Honduras. Audit report covers the period 10/77-3/80 and is based on document review, site visits, and interviews with A.I.D. and PVO -- CARE and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) -- personnel. Under the program, CARE has distributed 9,506 MT of food valued at $3.2 million to 296,500 people--40% through maternal/child health (MCH) projects, 56% through child feeding projects, and the remainder through food for work (FFW) projects (discontinued 7/78) and for emergency or welfare purposes. CRS and its local counterpart, CARITAS, have distributed 3,311 MT of food valued at $1.3 million to 55,000 persons--62% through FFW projects, 36% through MCH work, and the rest for emergency or welfare purposes. Nonetheless, the auditors found that Title II projects have not been integrated into Honduran development plans due to a lack of reliable base-line data and that USAID/H field surveillance is insufficient. On the other hand, CARE is doing a good job (although recordkeeping at some MCH centers and schools is poor), and CRS/CARITAS has done a creditable job of managing its MCH and FFW projects given available resources and limited Government of Honduras (GOH) support. It is recommended that USAID/H: (1) assign a full-time program director, support the attempts of CRS/CARITAS to increase GOH budgetary support to $118,000 per year, and monitor the methods used by CRS/CARITAS to clear commodities from port and assure that relevant GOH procedures are followed; (2) request CARE to publicize the U.S. origin of donated program foods and to complete and submit the required internal review; and (3) request CRS/CARITAS to increase field visits to MCH and FFW projects, improve recordkeeping, discontinue distribution of food to ineligible people, and to publicize the U.S. origin of donated foods.