Evaluation of USAID/Ecuador's Northern Border activities

This evaluation has three interrelated goals: (1) to examine the sustainability of USAID investments in the period 2001-2011 in order to inform the future evolution of USAID programming, and to improve its effectiveness and impact within the current country context and predicted budget parameters; (2) to establish a proxy for baseline data through the collection of reliable secondary source data which might serve as a future input for a possible impact evaluation; and (3) to assess the feasibility for carrying out an impact evaluation of USAID's overall Northern Border initiative or for component programs. The three components are: (1) economic-productive development; (2) productive and social infrastructure; and (3) institutional strengthening. The document also analyses the integrality of the strategy, on the basis that the three pillars of the Programa de Desarrollo de la Frontera Norte (PDFN) intervention sought a common goal of sustainable growth and human development. A first finding of the evaluation is that USAID coverage on the Northern Border has been broad. Programa de Desarrollo de la Frontera Norte (PDFN), through its components, has intervened directly in 109 of 129 parishes, where 95% of the total inhabitants of the three provinces subject to this evaluation live. In addition, PDFN has carried out activities at cantonal level in 19 out of 21 cantons in which the three provinces of the Northern border are divided. Moreover, the program has been relevant in cross-cutting issues in the implementation of its components and activities, such as gender. Another finding of the evaluation is that the work carried out by the component of social and productive infrastructure is recognized by the different actors as relevant and of good quality. (Excerpt, modified)