EVALUATIVE REPORT : FIRST YEAR OF BASIC HUMAN NEEDS (BHN) AND CARIBBEAN EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS (CED)

projects (5380029 and 5380030) managed by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to increase infrastructure and employment in Dominica, Barbados, St. Vincent, Antigua, and St. Kitts. Evaluation covering 8/79-12/80 is attached to a PES facesheet (PD-AAI-463-A1) and is based on field trips and interviews with project personnel. School/road construction and employment-generation are satisfactory in St. Vincent, but afforestation and soil conservation programs appear to be of questionable merit and are poorly managed. The Government of Antigua is dismayed by equipment purchase regulations and the cost of expatriate consultants, has concentrated activities in populous areas, and has refused to design low-cost schools. A planned Government of St. Kitts overhaul of the economy should aid project efforts, but limited public works management expertise has caused delays and the use of project funds on government sugar farms has been questioned. In Dominica, lengthy delays have resulted from serious management problems and a shortage of building supplies. It is feared that, when construction begins in Barbados, unskilled labor may be in short supply due to the sugar cane harvest. Evaluator recommends the CDB: (1) add two to its technical staff; (2) better communicate budgets and building specifications to contractors; (3) increase the role of community service officers, especially in maintenance programs; (4) increase project publicity; (5) make project supervisors aware of their role as project expeditors; (6) consider replacing the Dominica project supervisor; (7) reorganize agricultural programs in St. Vincent; (8) develop a monthly summary of fund allocation, employment, and implementation progress; (9) decrease classroom contruction costs by standardizing plans and reducting their number rather than their size; (10) simplify criteria for selecting sub-projects and provide faster approval for small sub-projects; (11) develop new projects to impact on the young; and (12) assist USAID in surveying the potential for agricultural/industrial diversification.