NUTRITION PROGRAM (COSTA RICA)

EVALUATION, BASED ON AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR EVALUATION (XD-AAF-273-1) WITH WHICH IT DISAGREES IN PART, IS BY MISSION AND GOCR AND FOCUSES ON PROGRESS MADE SINCE 9/78 REVIEW, ESPECIALLY SINCE PROJECT MODIFICATION OF 4/79. OVERALL IMPLEMENTATION RATE HAS INCREASED NOTABLY, BUT PROGRESS OF COMPONENTS HAS VARIED. THE RESEARCH COMPONENT MADE EXCELLENT PROGRESS AND UNCOVERED NEW AREAS FOR PROJECT ACTIVITY. THE NUTRITION INFORMATION SYSTEM (SIN) PROGRESSED STEADILY DESPITE THE LACK OF DATA PROCESSING/PROGRAMMING CAPACITY OF THE IMPLEMENTING GOCR UNIT. THE UNIT"S CAPACITY IN THIS AREA, AS WELL AS ITS TECHNICAL EXPERTISE IN NUTRITION, ARE BEING UPGRADED, HOWEVER, AND SIN TIES WITH OTHER GOCR NUTRITION AGENCIES BEING STRENGTHENED. TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR MINISTRY OF HEALTH PERSONNEL AND VOLUNTEER HEALTH WORKERS WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL, BUT THE PROGRAM FOR TRAINING FIELD WORKERS WAS NOT BEGUN DUE TO THE LACK OF IMPLEMENTING PERSONNEL. IT SHOULD BE PHASED OUT AND ITS FUNDS RECHANNELED. THE NUTRITION EDUCATION COMPONENT PROGRESSED WELL IN ITS RADIO AND GRADUATE TRAINING ACTIVITIES, BUT HAD PROBLEMS IMPLEMENTING AUDIO-VISUAL PROGRAMS. PRIOR TO PHASING OUT THIS COMPONENT, SPECIALISTS SHOULD DETERMINE THE REASONS FOR ITS FAILURE AND THE FEASIBILITY OF CONTINUING THE COMPONENT. THE POTABLE WATER COMPONENT WAS SERIOUSLY HINDERED BY PROCUREMENT DELAYS AND WILL NOT ACHIEVE ITS OBJECTIVES BY THE PROJECT"S END. NEVERTHELESS, THE MISSION WILL JUSTIFY COMPONENT EXTENSION CONTINGENT UPON A PLAN FOR A SIN/GOCR SURVEY OF THE EFFECTS OF A RURAL WATER DELIVERY SYSTEM ON NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND A RESTRUCTURING OF THE COMPONENT TO ACCELERATE PUMP INSTALLATION. ACTION WAS TAKEN IN REGARD TO RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE INDEPENDENT EVALUATION ON PRE-SCHOOL FOOD PRACTICE SURVEYS; INSTITUTION-BUILDING ACTIVITY OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR"S OFFICE; AND ESTABLISHMENT OF A NUTRITION PLANNING OFFICE IN ASIGNACIONES FAMILIARES. RECORDS OF COUNTERPART CONTRIBUTIONS WILL BE UPDATED.