Nicaragua strategic alliance for social investment in education and health (Alliances 2) project : final evaluation

It follows its predecessor, Alliances 1, which was implemented during the period March 2006 to December 2009. Both projects sought to bring together United States Government (USG) and Nicaraguan private sector financial resources, combined with international and local technical expertise, to produce positive results in education, health, and democracy and governance sectors of Nicaragua. This report presents findings from the final evaluation of project carried out during October 2013 conducted by JBS International, Inc. The evaluation sought to learn the extent to which Alliances 2 objectives and goals were achieved, and to inform the design of future projects, particularly those using the public-private partnership approach working in the areas of health, education, and democracy and governance. The principal beneficiaries of the evaluation were intended to be the USAID Mission and civil society, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector. USAID/Nicaragua asked the evaluation team to focus on 18 issue areas contained in the scope of work, with three overarching evaluation questions: (1) what objectives/targets were met towards the agreement's highest level results; (2) what are the lessons learned from the program's implementation; and (3) were sub-grants managed and implemented effectively. The evaluation concluded that the project exceeded its goal of establishing 15 partnerships with for-profit entities by establishing relationships with 56 partners as well as surpassing its goal for cash and in-kind counterpart contributions. While Alliances 2 has experienced a few stumbling blocks, it is clear that the alliance approach to supporting the development of education and health sectors has been very successful and it is recommended that it be continued and expanded. (Excerpt, modified)