Family planning training for paramedical/auxiliary and community (PAC) personnel (contract AID/DSPE-C-0060), Development Associates, Inc. (DA)

PES covers the period 9/79-12/83 and summarizes (an unattached) special evaluation based on document review, site visits, observation of training activities, and interviews with personnel of Development Associates, Inc. (DA), FP agencies, and A.I.D. DA has provided important support for improving the quality of training for PAC and other FP workers in both bilateral and non-bilateral countries. DA"s strengths include: close cooperation with major FP service providers; the ability to identify and nurture outstanding individuals and agencies helpful to the FP movement; a dedicated and competent staff with good Spanish-language skills and adequate Portuguese; and a flexible operational style, responsive to client agencies" needs. Some 42 public and private sector institutions in 14 countries have received TA from DA staff and consultants. The number of people trained has been far in excess of target: 64,252 persons (70% of them women) from 24 countries have received some kind of training or orientation. However, this number illustrates a weakness in the DA program - undue emphasis on quantity of trainees without sufficient quality control. DA is reluctant to follow standard definitions of training; some trainees included in the above figure received only a few hours of orientation. Other problems have been DA"s failure to articulate a long-term training strategy which is integrated with project budgeting and the uneven quality of training needs assessments which are performed mostly by client agencies and should be improved through TA. The contract"s focus on PAC workers has prevented the development of coherent training plans for some client agencies and has created other problems (e.g., physicians, not trained under the project, may prohibit project trainees from exercising their skills). The project"s most notable unplanned effect was the addition of a nutrition component to regular FP training programs. It is recommended that follow-on activities address institution building as well as training, and place more emphasis on training evaluation and follow-up and training of managerial personnel in private agencies.