CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM GRANT; 2ND ANNUAL REVIEW

PURPOSE OF THE GRANT IS TO IMPROVE THE ABILITY OF CRS AND ITS INDIGENOUS COUNTERPART ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE WORLD TO PLAN, IMPLEMENT, AND EVALUATE INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. THE INTERNAL SELF-EVALUATION IS BASED ON PROJECT DOCUMENTS AND FEEDBACK FROM CRS FIELD STAFF. CRS BELIEVES THAT THE GRANT"S PURPOSE IS BEING ACHIEVED. AUTHORS NOTE A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE TYPE OF PROJECTS SUBMITTED, QUALITY OF THEIR DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION, AS WELL AS A CLEARER UNDERSTANDING ON THE PART OF CRS STAFF OF THE NEEDS WITHIN EACH COUNTRY. MANY OF THE CRS PROJECT ACTIVITIES HAVE SHIFTED FROM THE ISOLATED PROJECT TO A MORE INTEGRATED APPROACH SUPPORTIVE OF A LARGER COMMUNITY PLAN. OVERALL, PLANNED OUTPUTS HAVE BEEN EXCEEDED. 15 INTEGRATED RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS HAVE BEEN DESIGNED. 7 REGIONAL AND 18 COUNTRY-LEVEL SEMINARS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED. 165 CRS STAFF AND 952 COUNTERPART STAFF HAVE PARTICIPATED IN TRAINING. PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMMING STAFF HAVE BEEN INCREASED FROM 17 TO 22. IN SEVERAL SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRIES, SEMINARS WITH RURAL POOR GROUPS HAVE BEEN SPONSORED BY THE GRANT TO HELP THEM ASSESS THEIR NEEDS AND PLAN THE ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS THAT WILL MEET THOSE NEEDS. IN AFRICA AND THE MID-EAST, THE PROBLEM OF INCREASING PARTICIPATION OF THE POOR IS MORE DIFFICULT DUE TO THE PAUCITY OF INTERMEDIARY AGENCIES WHICH LINK THOSE WISHING CHANGEWITH THOSE WHO HAVE THE MEANS TO FINANCE CHANGE. LESSONS LEARNED: 1. THE USE OF SHORT-TERM CONSULTANTS ON AN AD HOC BASIS FOR SPECIFIC PROJECTS AND TRAINING NEEDS HAS PROVED TO BE MORE VALUABLE THAN THE REGIONAL "TECHNICAL TEAMS"S 2. AUTHORS EMPHASIZE HOW TRAINING CAN BECOME A TOOL FOR PARTICIPATION. IN COLOMBIA, AND ESPECIALLY BOLIVIA, CRS HAS SEEN THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER IN STRUCTURED ACTIVITIES TO ANALYZE THEIR OWN PROBLEMS AND OUTLINE PLANS TO ATTACK THESE PROBLEMS AS PART OF A TRAINING PROCESS. CRS WILL ENCOURAGE THIS APPROACH TO PLANNING AS A CORNERSTONE OF ITS DEVELOPMENT PHILOSOPHY.