Project assistance completion report : OPGs no. 522-0266 and 522-ESF-0280 FOPRIDEH institutional strengthening and PVO federation assistance projects

Although the umbrella PVO, the Federation of Private Development Organizations of Honduras (FOPRIDEH), developed the institutional capacity to fund development projects and provide TA, it did not become self-sufficient. This shortcoming can be attributed to: (1) the project's insufficient timeframe; (2) the attitude of FOPRIDEH members that FOPRIDEH staff should devote their time to member needs rather than organizational development; and (3) the lack of a budget for specific personnel or resources for work on self-sufficiency. FOPRIDEH has provided substantial training and TA to member PVO's, but the impact of the training was not measured, and much of its value has probably been lost due to high staff turnover in the PVO's. Efforts to develop a TA and training bank were unsuccessful, because the PVO's were not willing to contribute their own resources. all subprojects was neglected by both FOPRIDEH and the PVO's. Three major lessons were learned. (1) Conflicts of interest arise when federations are controlled by their members but dependent on outside financing. Staff time and other organizational resources are absorbed by the members to the detriment of the long-term development of the federation. Problems are even more apparent when members resist repaying loans to the federation. (2) Specific activities should be designed to promote self-sufficiency and impact evaluation. (3) Training should be concretely programmed and based on an assessment of the institutions' real needs. When PVO's are given the freedom to choose training courses, the training is often used as a reward for staff or as a means for furthering particular ideologies rather than as a resource to improve staff skills.