PL-480 Title II food program, USAID/Haiti

480 Title II food program in Haiti. Audit report covers the period 10/77-12/79 and is based on document review, site visits, and interviews with beneficiaries and with staff from USAID/H and the four implementing PVO"s -- CARE, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Church World Service (CWS), and Seventh Day Adventist World Service (SAWS). During FY78-79, the four PVO"s distributed 35,000 MT of food worth $10.5 million to 698,500 people. Although Title II foods were generally accounted for and distributed properly, some foods--mostly those distributed to food for work (FFW) recipients by World Food Service or to school personnel--were being sold in public markets. In addition, FFW projects were not coordinated with Government of Haiti (GOH) agencies and USAID/H was not apprised of proposed or completed FFW projects. FY 1980 FFW projects were generally not in accordance with A.I.D. priorities. The PVO"s are not submitting timely internal reviews, and program recipients are generally unaware of the U.S. provenance of the food. CARE and CRS are not requesting USAID/H approval to dispose of food unfit for human consumption, nor have they disposed of such food in accordance with A.I.D. priorities. For its part, USAID/H has only infrequently visited PVO field operations and has never attempted to determine the impact of P.L. 480 food on the nutritional status of maternal child health and school feeding recipients. It is recommended that the PVO"s be required to: (1) inform recipients that P.L. 480 commodities are not to be sold or exchanged; (2) issue only as much food at one time as a worker and two dependents will consume over a 2-week period; (3) include, in their agreements with the GOH, procedures for confiscating Title II foods found in unauthorized places; (4) coordinate FFW programs with USAID/H and submit progress and completion reports; (5) submit periodic internal reviews; (6) publicize the U.S. origin of the food; and (7) dispose of unfit food as regulated after receiving USAID/H authorization to do so. USAID/H should make periodic field visits (and prepare reports of such visits) and review consultant/researcher reports, implementing recommendations contained therein. AID/W should provide USAID/H with guidelines for evaluating Title II programs.