CRS/Caritas : PL-480 Title II program

480 Title II program implemented by Caritas, the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) local counterpart, in Honduras. PES covers the period 9/84-9/85 and is based on a special evaluation (PD-AAR-364). The Caritas program supports both a maternal child health (MCH) program - called Vaso Nutricional (VN) - and a Food For Work (FFW) program, serving 15,600 and 7,462 beneficiaries respectively as of 3/85. Following a 1984 audit and the Mission"s decision to reduce beneficiary levels, Caritas has hired a full-time director, and program management and reporting have improved. To make national and diocesan autonomy compatible, Caritas is decentralizing program administration by subsidizing employment of six "food program promoters" to work under diocesan authority, but subject to national office influence. Insufficient funding for transport remains a serious problem, sometimes causing temporary cessation of the VN program. Caritas" networks of housewife clubs provide an outstanding vehicle for moving food to poor people and using it to support community projects. The VN program - part of a larger Caritas social development effort to improve family stability and the status of women - is an excellent example of self-help and voluntarism. It has in many cases permitted the consolidation of housewife clubs as development institutions. But VN falls far short of A.I.D. MCH guidelines. If it is not continued as currently conducted, CRS and Caritas should be encouraged to modify the program by expanding FFW projects - Caritas" FFW goals are consistent with A.I.D. goals - among the clubs and promoting continued MCH activities with FFW rations. The program teaches that in some cases voluntary agencies and programs should be accepted on their own terms, even when not in strict consonance with A.I.D.; specifically, that USAID/H should change its management style and find creative ways to help Caritas move forward in its development efforts. Action decisions are to continue providing food through Caritas, adopt a more collaborative style in seeking Caritas compliance with A.I.D. regulations, and change the project design to include only FFW activities (but provide milk in the FFW ration so that an MCH activity can be part of the FFW component).