Mid-term evaluation of the PVO co-financing II project (493-0342)

Mid-term evaluation covers the period 10/84-5/87, and is based on document review, subproject (SP) site visits, and interviews with beneficiaries and participating officials. The project is playing a significant and positive role in assisting PVO's. Although the majority of project grants have gone to U.S. PVO's, the project has gradually expanded to include the growing number of indigenous PVO's (IPVO's) that are development (as opposed to welfare) oriented, including less well-known, action-oriented IPVO's that are based outside of Bangkok and have good potential to promote development in poorer regions of the country. The IPVO's have gained valuable experience by administering SP's, either by themselves or jointly with a U.S. PVO, and have also received TA from a project consultant. Workshops sponsored by the project have proved a less successful institution-building strategy, however, having been too academic and too oriented toward A.I.D.'s needs, rather than those of the IPVO's. The 12 currently financed SP's are all reasonably effective and all directed toward the disadvantaged. Most are being carried out in the poorer regions of the country, often with handicapped groups or minorities. Although most of the SP's develop the capacities of individuals, some work directly with government agencies and others encourage community participation or the strengthening of local institutions; these last appear to be the most sustainable. It is recommended that USAID/T simplify and speed up its procedures for administering the project to eliminate barriers to participation by less experienced IPVO's (some steps have been taken in this direction already), and clarify its SP criteria to reflect its concern with development of the rural poor. USAID/T should also encourage U.S. PVO's to play a larger support role in the institutional development of IPVO's and should modify its training approach, e.g., by encouraging IPVO's to exchange SP experiences, by utilizing the training resources of other groups interested in IPVO's (including IPVO's not receiving A.I.D. funds in training events), by developing simpler training methods; and by placing more emphasis on regional and grass roots development.