Displaced women"s enterprise development project

Evaluation covered the period 8/85-4/87 and was based on document review, site visits, and interviews with select beneficiaries and all project personnel. Overall, the project has not been a success. Specific results have been as follows. (1) Without prior baseline studies, no quantitative conclusions are possible regarding income increases, although participants earned about $15.40 a month and 60% were reportedly "very happy" with this new income. (2) Of the 66 original participants, 4 women are now self-employed and out of the program and the program may help the others increase their future employment opportunities. However, it is too early to determine whether employment opportunities were increased in any meaningful sense. (3) Forty-five women have received loans and free capital installations under the project. However, 74% of recipients (as well as OEF staff and bank representatives) think the 15% interest rate on the loans is too high, and none of the women surveyed indicated they would want to borrow again. There is no evidence that the program enabled anyone to qualify for commercial credit. (4) OEF"s only real strength proved to be a participatory - and replicable - training model which gave the women self-confidence and a sense of hope. On the other hand, credit delivery and enterprise development aspects are very weak and not yet replicable. OEF staff lack skills in these areas; feasibility studies had to be conducted by the beneficiaries and TA was provided by other entities such as the Ministry of Agriculture. (5) Both OEF project staff and beneficiaries benefitted from training and TA, particularly in livestock care and industrial baking, but both require additional assistance in credit and business management. (6) OEF did not address the target of increasing opportunities for community services such as day care and literacy. OEF staff were paid more than most of their Salvadoran counterparts, the project"s heavy expenditures for vehicles are questionable. Also, problems continue to arise from OEF"s traditional insistence on autonomy from A.I.D. (which is unfairly represented in the evaluation as dictating where, how, and with whom OEF should work). Given the high cost per beneficiary to date ($4,006) and the fact that none of the five project businesses has yet demonstrated full viability, USAID/ES has decided that this model is cost-ineffective and hence not replicable. Accordingly, it will require that OEF begin phasing out the project.