Project assistance completion report : PVO management support project

The project made significant progress in both of its phases (institution building and citizen participation). In phase 1, the project strengthened the management capacities of Title II Cooperating Sponsors -- Caritas, Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA), Food for the Hungry (FHI), and Project Concern International. Caritas and FHI are providing child survival services, as Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA) is to a lesser extent. All three organizations have implemented agricultural production programs, and FHI has become self-sufficient. Moreover, the Title II Food for Work (FFW) program has dramatically improved and now focuses on activities in urban areas, which have proven successful, while reducing involvement in less successful activities, e.g., Mothers' Clubs and rural FFW programs. In phase 2, the project used Title II food and training workshops to facilitate grassroots citizen participation in municipal decisionmaking in 12 cities. A.I.D. was the only donor in Bolivia to engage in this initiative, which is fundamental to democratization. The activity was incorporated into the Government's recently unveiled and revolutionary Popular Participation initiative. The following lessons were learned. (1) TA provided via A.I.D. to Title II cooperating sponsors for institutional strengthening is more effective than TA contracted by the sponsors themselves. (2) Democratic participation is strongest where the Mayor's Office, the local citizenry, and local organizations are interested in making democratization work. If this participation is to be sustained, an independent body should be established to continue the efforts of the present project. (3) Citizen participation in municipal decisionmaking is essential to engendering public confidence in the democratic process.