Mid-term evaluation of PVO co-financing project

The evaluation covers the period 1985-1991. The project had a slow start, but is beginning to have a positive impact. Original plans to implement the project through a Kenyan NGO proved unsuccessful, and the project was redesigned in 1988 to allow the Mission to manage the project directly. Many Mission staff members were unclear about the goals of the project, and the shift in management necessitated extra time for recruiting personnel and developing internal management procedures. Delays were also caused by staff turnover in the summer of 1990 and the need to recruit a TA firm. As a result of these delays, and of the lengthy subproject approval process developed by USAID/K, fewer grants have been provided than expected. So far, 10 grants totalling $2.5 million have been approved and another 7 are being considered. Most have an institutional strengthening focus, and almost without exception they have been of high quality, carefully designed, and are progressing well. Activities have been in the areas of small-scale agriculture, health care, vocational training, small enterprise development, water systems, and wildlife conservation. The project has developed an important constituency of NGO's beyond what is normally reached in sector-specific programs. As a result of the project, these NGO's have strengthened their abilities to conceptualize and design projects, improved organizational development skills, installed new or improved financial systems, initiated improved procurement and personnel policies, enhanced systems for reporting and analyzing progress, and diversified funding.