Midterm evaluation of the community based integrated rural development project implemented by Save the Children Federation of USA/Nepal

External evaluation covers the period 8/81-8/84 and is based on document review, site visits, and interviews with beneficiaries in Deurali Panchayat, a primary impact area. Community participation in choosing, planning, and implementing subprojects (SP's) has been outstanding, and a substantial majority of the beneficiaries interviewed feel they have the capacity to continue the development process when SCF support is terminated. Women have been the primary beneficiaries: water supplies and access to drinking water have been improved, 6 day care centers have been built, a health outreach program has been developed using female volunteers, and enrollment in adult literacy classes is 60% female. Another target group, the poor, have benefited from the construction of a health clinic (and related FP services), and schools. Other SP's have involved teacher training and training in building and installing smokeless stoves. Construction has been performed by local laborers and tradesmen, thus increasing employment and reducing reliance on external technologies. The project has had a less measurable impact on Nepal's social structure, namely the caste system. Over 70% of low- and tailor caste beneficiaries interviewed had made little or no attempt to implement SP's. However, some activities like the co-mingling of children from high and low castes in day care centers offer hope that caste consciousness will diminish. The project's locale-specific approach and SCF's high level of commitment have been keys to the project's success. On a programmatic level, however, the project is philosophically in conflict with the larger, broad based, and more costly AID-funded Resource Conservation and Utilization Project (RCUP) and careful analysis and coordination are necessary for newer SP's which lie within the RCUP geographic area. To build a stronger economic base in project areas, more efforts are needed in agriculture, income generation, and marketing. The project is just starting to focus its resources more systematically in these directions. A 2-year extension in which up to seven more panchayats would be brought into the project is under consideration. (Adapted from ANE Executive Summary, PD-AAT-669, pp. 81-83)