NUEVO CHORRILLO HOUSING COOPERATIVE

Evaluation, which covers the period 1/1/77 to 11/30/78 and was performed by an outside evaluation team which included a sociologist, was based on an examination of the project"s site planning, land use, infrastructure, and construction, as well as of its impact on the lifestyles and budgets of project beneficiaries. The NCC was found to be a dynamic institution able to meet needs on schedule through effective community organization, despite obstacles in terms of budget and target group constraints, and lack of much outside assistance. To date, a total of 700 of 2,100 planned units have been completed. This represents the completion of phase one of the project. In addition, an elementary school, baseball and soccer fields, a concrete block plant, a door and window production plant, a materials and tool distribution center, a cooperative food store, an office, community water wells, and cooperative busses are in operation. Earth work is nearing completion of stage two of the project, with 746 houses planned for construction. Phase three will have 721 houses. In order to remedy project deficiencies, the following recommendations were made: 1) improvement and facilitation of collaboration between the institutions concerned with development of cooperatives; 2) encouragement by both A.I.D. and the Government of Panama of additional indigenous cooperatives; 3) investigation of ways to reduce lot and house sizes in future cooperatives in order to reduce costs; 4) inclusion of self-help activities in future A.I.D. financed programs; 5) improvement of the financial management of NCC; 6) a study of alternative ways to resolve the financial problems of the transportation system; 7) annual preparation of a budget and financial plan; 8) close monitoring of loans in arrears; and 9) implementation of an agreement with FUNDAVICO to help the NCC improve its internal financial management operation. This evaluation is attached to a PES (PD-AAF-981-B1). .