Final evaluation of the Caribbean family planning project 538-0050

Final external evaluation covers the period 7/82-10/83 and is based on document review and interviews with A.I.D., International Planned Parenthood/Western Hemisphere (WHR), CFPA, and FPA personnel. CFPA and WHR (as grantee) have performed in a timely, cost-effective, and professional manner. CFPA has built its staff capacity and has grown as a regional service organization, earning an enhanced image and the collaboration of other organizations in the Caribbean. A 95% rate of completion of the work scope is estimated. CFPA has provided a variety of desperately needed FP educational materials to support both service delivery and leadership education in the region. Several low-cost, culturally sensitive, good-quality videos, posters, pamphlets, flip-charts, etc. were prepared (although better distribution of these items is needed), and several radio programs produced; radio dramas were of doubtful cost-effectiveness, but radio magazines have been influential and inexpensive. Serious difficulties were encountered in launching regional networking publications, and CFPA discontinued these in favor of placing articles in established publications, distributing special studies, and holding seminars and workshops. CFPA has also provided high-quality regional training and TA services (the success of the former being due largely to the superior abilities of the training experts); both services were low cost and highly valued by recipients. Technical cooperation among FPA's has been generated as well. Community-based distribution programs implemented by FPA's in Grenada and St. Kitts have attracted a significant number of users (and volume is increasing) and maintained reasonable unit costs. Neither program charges for contraceptives, however, and no oral contraceptives have been introduced in Grenada. Although the project has clearly had positive results in terms of institutional development, materials production, training, TA, and contraceptive distribution, its impacts on contraceptive use are less easily assessed (due to the emphasis on informational and training activities and the limited exposure to date of the educational materials produced by CFPA); contraceptive prevalance surveys planned for 1984 or 1985 may be helpful in this regard. A draft proposal for project continuation - which calls for, inter alia, more precise outcome measures, expanded management assistance, and closer targeting of educational materials - is included.