Tunisia save the children evaluation

Special evaluation covers the period 9/81-4/83 and is based on site visits and interviews with Government of Tunisia (GOT) officials and community participants. Project results have been mixed. Of 11 agricultural and health-oriented SCF subprojects (SP's) visited, 6 (e.g, to increase the irrigated perimeter, to provide health/nutrition education and handicrafts/literacy training) in 4 communities, have successfully used the CBIRD participatory approach and achieved their objectives; beneficiary incomes and food availability have increased, urban emigrants have returned, and interest has been shown in replicating SP's elsewhere. SP's have been most successful in poor communities where individuals have few vested interests and receive few GOT benefits or when SP's have been initiated within an established structure. Two other SP's have been only moderately successful and 3 have failed. Rather than formal training (rejected by the GOT technical cadre, and limited by inadequate technical specialization of SCF staff), an informal collaborative approach has proven most effective in efforts to institutionalize CBIRD: e.g., developing a training program for a rural maternal/child health center; having GOT administrators visit SCF SP's; using the technical expertise of the Central Tunisian Development Authority in SCF irrigation planning; conducting a 2-week field survey in Beze with Social Affairs School students; and involving social worker trainees in SCF SP's. In 1983 the GOT funded 80% of needed SCF SP materials/equipment; SCF involvement in GOT-initiated SP's has also expanded. The project has been hampered by: an inexperienced SCF staff (early on); inappropriate selection of some communities and SP's; a lack of SP follow-up (too few SCF staff spread over too wide a geographical area); and excessive turnover of SCF directors (3 directors and 4 interim directors in about 5 years), although a permanent director is now in place. Recommendations are included.