Mid-term evaluation report : Aid to Artisans in Hungary -- PVO humanitarian development initiatives program, cooperating agreement EUR-0032-A-00-1022-00

markets. The evaluation covers the period 5/91-5/92. The project has successfully completed its first year of operation within Hungary's challenging and fluctuating conditions. The Yale School of Management assessed artisan cooperatives, providing ATA the information it needs to target receptive and potentially successful beneficiaries. With one exception -- Hungaracoop, the former state export cooperative, which refused to provide data -- the Yale team was able to establish favorable rapport with Hungarian cooperatives. The Yale team also assessed foreign trade organizations (FTO's), though some lack of objectivity was noticeable in its opinion of the role of the FTO's generally. ATA was able to detect this, however, and has identified Folkart Trading Company as the primary FTO it will work with. Assisted by workshops conducted by ATA design consultants at 15 sites, local artisans have developed some 50 new, U.S. market-sensitive products, including embroidered linens, felt Christmas ornaments and accessories, decorative gifts, home furnishing accessories, high fashion apparel, Hungarian black pottery, and majolica pottery. These products have been introduced into the U.S. market using a mixed strategy which targets influential, trend-setting wholesalers and retailers and which includes presentations at ATA's Design and Marketing meetings and the New York International Gift Show. ATA has also initiated a Buyers-to-Hungary program, which recruits U.S. firms to undertake product development at their own expense; five buyers (in addition to The Sandor Collection) are participating. export orders for Year I are substantial, totaling $182,737. ATA has also taken steps to analyze the business training needs of artisans, artisan cooperatives, and FTO's, and has provided business management assistance, especially in regard to pricing and export order preparation, to selected cooperatives. Preliminary plans have been made with the State University of New York (SUNY) for a cooperative program in artisan-related business training.