Project assistance completion report : USAID/Guatemala -- Central American Peace Scholarships Program (CAPS), nos. 597-0001.10 - 520-0362

training in a variety of sectors, along with follow-on in-country training and an experience of U.S. democracy (CAPS project). Thanks to careful monitoring by the Mission, the program successfully recruited a high percentage of disadvantaged persons, including women. Virtually all scholarships targeted rural groups, including teachers, cooperative leaders, community development representatives, health and education promoters, civil servants, small entrepreneurs, and agribusiness representatives and trainers. A "groups-in Spanish" model was effectively used in short-term programs for indigenous participants for whom Spanish is a second or more remote language. All in all, some 5,000 persons received training, of whom 47% were women and 10% attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Short-term training included (1) 5 weeks of U.S. technical training for 4,108 participants who represented all of Guatemala's rural areas and who, as part of a follow-on exercise, implemented 45 rural development projects; and (2) four 1-week modules of follow-on training for 2,000 of these participants, of whom 1,800 completed all four modules. Long-term U.S. training included: 9-month technical training for 450 students; 1-year academic training for 350 university students; 2-year academic training for 50 professionals; and 4-year academic training for 50 university students. The project has created a Student Association (ASOPAZAC) to which the majority of students belong and which is legally recognized. The Association has a Board of Directors in each of the 22 departments of Guatemala; seven Presidents from these Boards have formed a National Coordination Committee, which meets several times a year to solve community problems or implement projects. The departmental affiliate associations are particularly active. A newsletter written by the students and published every 2 months was distributed to all returnees throughout the country. Returned Junior-Year-Abroad Scholars have formed an advisory committee which has provided voluntary technical services to the Boards of Directors of ASOPAZAC and to individual members on request; this committee also assisted in monitoring the 45 rural projects undertaken by short-term participants as part of the follow-on component. ASOPAZAC's Job Support Office has offered voluntary administrative services to its 9-month participant members, and placed more than 100 students with institutions in the private and public sectors. The following lessons were learned. (1) Informal short-term training of rural dwellers committed to the growth and development of their communities is a wise use of resources; trainees are actively producing the economic and social changes that will contribute to Guatemala's long-term development. (2) The project was managed by a Guatemalan institution rather than an institutional contractor. This kept management costs down (2% of project funds) and allowed the project to reach more people. (3) Impact evaluations have proven that the Experience America Component achieved its expected impact.