Salesian Missions : strengthening Salesian capacity to manage economic development projects -- final evaluation

The project was a success. Over the life of the grant, Salesian Missions provided TA to establish project offices and demonstration projects in four countries (Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, and the Philippines). The development of project offices has had a profound impact on the Salesian Society; they are fast becoming models that many other Salesian Provinces would like to replicate, especially those Provinces striving to generate more resources for development projects. In the view of the evaluation team, the USAID matching grant has contributed to institutionalizing the concept of project offices. These offices are now capable of designing, planning, and implementing projects. Project goals and objectives are clearer, indicators are more measurable, and office management is more professional. Budgeting procedures have shown the greatest improvement. Project offices are now capable of seeking out other resources to support their development efforts, enabling the Salesian Provinces to compete for development funds internationally. Specifically, the USAID grant has enabled the new Salesian project offices to raise an impressive $43,481,530 in new project money. This is a ratio of $14.49 for each $1.00 of USAID grant money. By project end, the amount may reach $45 million. Despite these successes, there are still some areas that could be strengthened, such as better and more relevant baseline data collection, the implementation of monitoring and evaluation methodologies, and the establishment of local foundations to assist in sustaining local projects. (Author abstract, modified)