Final report : emergency winter assistance : Central Bosnia -- award number AOT-G-00-96-00024-00

The program"s goal was to reduce winter-related morbidity and mortality among an anticipated nearly 17,000 vulnerable individuals, with objectives focused on provision of firewood and hygiene assistance. Beneficiary criteria focused largely on age, sex, and economic status. Communities contributed organizational skills in assisting in distribution and monitoring (under PFD oversight), as well as significant amounts of labor following delivery of bulk firewood; volunteers cut up the wood to manageable size for the targeted elderly and/or war invalids. Under the fuelwood objective, some government assistance reduced the targeted number of beneficiaries; simultaneously, a greater need arose in the hygiene assistance objective, with beneficiaries therein increasing. Overall, at no greater cost, the program provided direct assistance to almost 19,300 beneficiaries, about 14% more than initially proposed. Based on analysis of impacts and extensive discussions with program beneficiaries and municipal counterpart agencies and professionals, PFD believes that the program met its goal of reducing illness among vulnerable individuals. Also, it would appear that a somewhat earlier starting date might improve impact by reducing delays caused by poor winter weather. With Bosnia"s economy still very much weakened by the war, and with local government capacity insufficient to meet all key local needs, such social service type programs will likely continue to need external support. In any such program, PFD suggests, inter alia, that activities focus on the most vulnerable (means-tested as appropriate), with communities and/or households providing as much self-help as possible. (Author abstract, modified)