OEF/FOV HUMAN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

This special contracted evaluation (attached to PES, PD-AAF-923-E1) covers the period 1/79-2/80 and is based on a review of previous evaluations and interviews with project personnel and participants. The project is being implemented by the Overseas Education Fund of the League of Women Voters in conjunction with the Federation of Voluntary Organizations (FOV), a local PVO. USAID financing expired 11/79, and the project staff has been reduced to a bare minimum. Several local government agencies have refused funding, citing government cutbacks and a deteriorating economy. The evaluators strongly recommend further A.I.D. funding of the project -- which has been very successful in motivating and improving the self-image of poor women. For example, 7 of 15 participants reported a decline in physical agression from their husbands. They attributed that decline to their own renewed sense of self-respect. While many husbands resisted the program initially, their attitudes changed. A significant cause of this change was the increase in income due to the wives" improved job attitudes. Publicizing the program came too little and too late--in part due to the difficulty of hiring public relations personnel at the offered salary level. Publication of more news bulletins is recommended. Existing public relations posts should be maintained, and special funds should be allocated to establish a publicity program involving local university students. An indepth study should be conducted to determine the degree and content of the change in attitude among women participants. Other recommendations include further elaboration of the motivation-adaptation method of training and establishment of an advisory committee composed of representatives from public and private agencies with development programs for women. The project staff performed well. An unplanned effect was the therapeutic value of the group sessions for the participants. The project was a lesson in human relations within a subculture of poverty.