Improvement of the socio-economic conditions of low-income women aged 25-50 through the strengthening of the Union of Moroccan Women : midpoint evaluation

Mid-term special evaluation covers the period 11/81-10/82 and is based on document review and interviews with project personnel and beneficiaries. Substantial progress has been made in the pilot income-generating project in such areas as nonformal education, literacy and macrame training, preparing doll and honey market studies, technical training for doll manufacturing, trial marketing of the dolls, initiating procedures to form an official doll cooperative, and designing recordkeeping systems. The doll cooperative has been profitable and has raised the self-confidence of the 38 women involved both as individuals and as a group. On the other hand, there has been little success in strengthening UFM capabilities to plan, implement, and evaluate programs for low-income women. The major activity geared to this goal - planning and holding workshops to familiarize UMF chapter members with the pilot project - has yet to take place. There are serious communication problems between the OEF coordinators and the two UFM national committee advisors, resulting in large discrepancies in the expectations that the two organizations have for the project. Until it is decided whether the project will be extended, no new activities (i.e., apiculture) should be undertaken. Recommendations for the time remaining are to: determine the economic feasibility of doll making and consolidate membership and financial and organizational management of the doll cooperative; and implement organizational skills training. If a project extension is granted, the new workplan should be more realistic, beekeeping should be the main activity, and UMF philosophy should shift its emphasis from social welfare to self help. Lessons learned (added by USAID/M) are that counterparts to contractors must have skills equal to the job; contractors must be familiar with the local situation before beginning a project; and a too-ambitious work plan can lead a contractor to work alone instead of with counterparts.