REDSO/WCA project assistance completion report for Mauritania drought emergency food assistance project (682-0235)

The project was implemented by CARE and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in collaboration with Mauritania"s Commission for Food Security (CSA). CARE coordinated the successful transport of a total of 99,000 MT of food commodities, supplied by various donors, during six national distributions between 2/85 and 2/87. A.I.D. supported all but the first two distributions. Most of the 24,170 MT of A.I.D.-provided commodities (12,870 MT wheat, 8,800 MT milk powder, and 2,500 MT butter oil) were distributed during the third distribution. The remaining butter oil and milk powder stocks were provided during the fourth through sixth distributions as complementary commodities to the cereal rations provided by other donors. CARE suspended operations in 4/87 and OAR/Nouakchott assumed responsibility for the remaining 5,000 MT of Section 416 milk powder and butter oil. Due to improvements in agricultural conditions by 1987, significant stocks of emergency Section 416 products were not distributed as emergency feeding. The government was advised to distribute them at the regional centers. CRS, which had been distributing Title II food in Mauritania since 1975, assisted the project by coordinating the storage and transport of 830 MT of Title II food commodities, with priority given to pregnant and lactating mothers and malnourished children in drought-stricken areas. CRS also experimented with Food-for-Work programs; two of these -- a road construction project in Soumass and a dam construction project in Guerou -- were successful, while a third -- a community garden project in Ajouer -- was not. CRS also terminated its activities in 1987, citing poor collaboration with government agencies, insufficient funding, and its own inability to provide strict commodity control (due to low level of education and training of distribution center staff), to motivate interest in the nutrition centers, or to measure its impact on the country"s malnutrition rate. The rural nutrition centers were phased out, and the Nouakchott centers turned over to the Doulos Community, a U.S. PVO. The following lessons were learned. (1) An efficient transportation method should be developed prior to food distribution efforts. In this project, the CSA insisted that CARE, which had planned to use one large commercial carrier for all food contracts, make contracts available to all registered carriers, regardless of their reputation. This arrangement resulted in transport delays and CARE was inundated with paperwork because separate contracts had to be drawn up for each transport. (2) A banking mechanism should be clearly defined during the project design phase; funds channeled through the CSA were not handled expeditiously causing cash flow and accountability problems. The financial process was streamlined following an audit. (3) Contractor reporting and recordkeeping methods should be monitored closely from the beginning; CRS did not supply timely activity reports, commodity losses were not properly reported, and spoiled food was disposed of without OAR/Nouakchott consent.