Evaluation of town affiliation association IDG; special evaluation, June 14, 1982

Evaluation covers the period 1/25/82-6/14/82 and is based on document review, site visits, and interviews with project participants and beneficiaries. Good progress has been made, although the project has suffered from the lack of specificity in its proclaimed objectives. The contractor, Sister Cities International's Technical Assistance Program (TAP), has provided grants (from private monies it has raised) to 30 of a targeted 55 projects. Of these, 67% relate to health needs, 17% to water and sanitation, 13% to vocational training, and 3% to labor relations. Some projects - e.g., health workshops in Jamaica and Kenya and a burn care project in Lesotho which directly benefited at least 1,000 patients and passed on substantial knowledge to medical personnel - were highly successful. Others, such as a labor/industry communications workshop in Jamaica, did not serve the urban poor. An environmental engineering project in Kenya has great potential for success. TAP has provided the projects with short-term technical assistance (TA) in needs assessment, and project planning, evaluation, and administration. TAP has also helped participating cities establish linkages with professional and technical organizations and it has prepared and distributed project summaries and other project materials. However, TAP has not developed a standard reporting system for use by the cities. On-the-Job Training Projects which provide brief U.S. training for LDC municipal administrators and other professionals have thus far played only a minor part in the project; only five have been completed, four of them health-oriented. Language differences have hampered this component. Finally, four development assistance workshops have been held in the United States. It is recommended that TAP's mission be more clearly defined, with particular attention to its focus on health projects. The number of project objectives should be limited. TAP should be more competitive in its fundraising efforts, should develop a comprehensive system for collecting project management data, and should draft a written strategy for future associations with A.I.D.