Section 416 program in Tunisia : an evaluation report

External evaluation covers the period 2/85-9/87. The child feeding program had been part of the FFP Title II program for 20 years, and was gradually being phased over to the Government of Tunisia (GOT) during the early 1980"s. A Section 416 allocation of 8,843 MT was approved in 1985 so that GOT funds that had been budgeted for foods could be used instead - as a temporary measure - for infrastructural improvements to the program. This occurred at a time when Tunisia had just had to relinquish its A.I.D. graduate status because of economic reversals. The program, which is strictly targeted to the poorest economic segments, delivers protein-rich foods to nutritionally vulnerable populations, and coupled with well-developed health and education components and committed GOT budgetary support, has had a significant impact on the health of vulnerable groups, school attendance and performance, and institutional quality. In response to current GOT austerity measures that threaten the program"s sustainability, A.I.D. has approved a short-term extension of Section 416 funding. Overall, Section 416 has shown itself to be useful as a transition mechanism from Title II as well as boon during times of economic crisis. The caution is that the hard-earned Title II phaseover gains made during the early 1980"s be kept alive and well even in the face of economic pressure. The drought relief program allocated 57,000 MT during the disastrous harvest of 1986, but only part of the food was delivered prior to the 1987 harvest as planned, due to delays in the approval process, shipping, unloading, and distribution. Thus, rations intended for Fall 1986 delivery were not received by needy families until 3/87 and by small-farm families until 5/87. Nonetheless, the food arrived during a period of economic stress and constituted a perceptible increment in rural family income: wheat rations delivered to more than 200,000 families averaged 192 kilos, valued at 15 dinars ($18). The major lesson learned from the drought program was that processing and shipping procedures are not yet sufficiently streamlined to handle emergency situations requiring food delivery within 2-3 months of cable request.