Mid-term evaluation of the rapid and effective action combating HIV & AIDS (REACH) project in Swaziland : building capacity of local civil society organizations working in the HIV and AIDS response

The overall goal of REACH is to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS and improve health care for the people of Swaziland by developing a strengthened, coordinated civil society response to HIV/AIDS. The 8 evaluation questions to be addressed were: (1) to what extent has PACT made progress towards effectively building the organizational capacity of its sub-partners [and] what have been the factors behind observed progress or lack of progress towards organizational capacity building; (2) to what extent has PACT made progress towards effectively building the technical capacity of its sub-partners [and] is PACT's technical backstopping capacity adequate for the different technical areas in which sub-partners engage; (3) to what extent has sub-partner service delivery improved to date under PACT's support in terms of quality and targeting [and] how has PACT supported sub-partners to balance beneficiary coverage/targets with quality and dosage of services; (4) how does different coverage of sub-partners (national versus defined geographical areas) impact on the quality and dosage of services [and] how has PACT support helped sub-partners to engage and align with national strategies and systems, and to refer to government services; (5) what approaches for delivering sustainable community services for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) are working well; (6) to what extent has PACT strengthened efforts to improve the OVC response beyond sub-partner service delivery through activities related to developing of standards and other national processes; (7) what progress has CANGO made towards developing its institutional capacity to become an Umbrella Grant Mechanism [and] how relevant is PACT's Institutional Capacity Building Plan (ISP), and what progress has [the] Coordinating Assembly of Non-governmental Organizations (CANGO) made on its ISP; (8) what are the strengths and weaknesses of PACT's approach to engage with civil society organizations that were recipients (or slated to be recipients) of Global Fund resources [and] how did PACT engage with National Emergency Response Council on HIV and AIDS (NERCHA) in order to strengthen civil society? The evaluators' overall conclusion was that each sampled organization underscored the importance of PACT's organizational capacity building to their present stability and all were interested in continuing support from PACT in their organizational development. Most would also like additional HIV/AIDS technical capacity building in the future, at least some refresher training. As the HIV epidemic continues to have a heavy impact in Swaziland, further strengthening of the overall response to the epidemic by civil society organizations is needed. (Excerpt, modified)