CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM GRANT

ALSO EVALUATES THE OVERALL IMPACT THE 3-YEAR GRANT HAS HAD ON CRS. EVALUATION IS BASED ON CRS STAFF MEETINGS, SEMINAR REPORTS, CONSULTANTS REPORTS, AND A QUESTIONNAIRE OF CRS STAFF. PURPOSE OF THE GRANT WAS TO IMPROVE THE ABILITY OF CRS TO PLAN, IMPLEMENT, AND EVALUATE INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS WITH INDIGENOUS COUNTERPARTS. CRS BELIEVES THAT THIS PURPOSE HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY ACHIEVED. 48 INTEGRATED RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS HAVE BEEN DESIGNED, FAR MORE THAN WERE PLANNED. OF THE 10 PROFESSIONALS ADDED TO CRS UNDER THE GRANT, 8 WILL REMAIN. A COMPREHENSIVE CRS PROGRAM MANAGEMENT SYSTEM HAS BEEN DEVELOPED. THE SYSTEM MANUAL WILL REPLACE THE OUTDATED CRS SOCIO-ECONOMIC MANUAL. ONCE FULLY IMPLEMENTED IN CY 1980, THE SYSTEM WILL ALLOW FOR THE PLANNED ALLOCATION OF 60% OF CRS DEVELOPMENT FUNDS. AT THAT TIME, THE GRANT"S PURPOSE WILL BE FULLY ACHIEVED. THE GRANT SPONSORED 13 REGIONAL AND 42 COUNTRY-LEVEL TRAINING SEMINARS. THEY RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE TYPE OF PROJECTS SUBMITTED, QUALITY OF THEIR DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION. AT THE GOAL LEVEL, CRS BELIEVES THAT THE PROJECT HAS INCREASED PARTICIPATION OF THE POOR MAJORITY IN SOLVING THEIR SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROBLEMS. IN BOLIVIA, FOR EXAMPLE, WORKING THROUGH DPG-SPONSORED "ENCOUNTERS" AND SEMINARS, COMMUNITY GROUPS HAVE ANALYZED THEIR SITUATION, DECIDED ON WHAT ACTIONS AND PROJECTS WERE NECESSARY FOR THEIR GROUP TO ADVANCE, AND HAVE DEVELOPED SPECIFIC PROJECTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION. THIS PROCESS HAS BEEN APPLIED IN COLOMBIA WITH EQUALLY SUCCESSFUL RESULTS. LESSONS LEARNED: THE TRAINING ACTIVITIES IN COLOMBIA AND BOLIVIA HAVE PROVEN THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER IN STRUCTURED ACTIVITIES TO ANALYZE THEIR OWN PROBLEMS AND OUTLINE PLANS TO ATTACK THESE PROBLEMS. CRS WILL BASE ITS DEVELOPMENT PHILOSOPHY ON THIS APPROACH. COMMUNICATION BETWEEN HEADQUARTERS AND FIELD, AS WELL AS AMONG VARIOUS CRS FIELD PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS, HAS GROWN IN IMPORTANCE.