Evaluation Report of the Review and Assessment of the A.I.D.-Israel
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Evaluation Report of the Review and Assessment of the A.I.D.-Israel Cooperative Development Program Technical Assistance and Training Activities USAID/NEAR EAST BUREAU MASHAV EVALUATION (Project No. 1707-008) Submitted to: A.I.D./Washington, CDP Project Officer And to the Director, MASHAV By: Dr. Rodney J. Fink, Team Leader Susan F. Reynolds, Human Resources Expert Dr. Shimeon Ami- (MASHAV ISRAEL Representative) MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL 600 Water Street S.W., NBU 7-7 Washington, D.C. 20024 (202) 484-7170 January, 1994 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abbreviations and Acronyms ....................................... i Executive Summary ............................................... ii Major Conclusions & Recommendations................................iv Review and Assessment of the A.I.D.-Israel Cooperative Development Program Technical Assistance and Training Activities I. Introduction........................................ II. Background ....................................... 4 II1. Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations A. Program Overview...............................8 B. Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations ............. 10 Annexes I. Statement of Work....................................1 I1. Responses to Statement of Work..........................17 III. Statistical Tables Related to MASHAV/CDP Outputs Table 1 .......................................... 25 Table 2..........................................29 Table 3 '................. ........................ 30 Table 4 ......................................... 31 Table 54 ......................................... Table 6 '................. ........................ 34 Table 7 '.................. ....................... 35 IV. Institutions Providing Training for MASHAV .... ............. 36 V. Analysis of Training Programs ............................ 38 VI. Country Reports A. Nepal ........ ............................. 47 B. Thailand ....... ..................... ........ 51 C. Philippines .................................. 55 D . Kenya .............................. ....... 59 E. Malaw i .................................... 75 F. Swaziland ................................... 81 G. Caribbean Islands (Barbados, Antigua, St. Vincent, St. Lucia) . 88 H. Costa Rica...................................94 . Honduras ........ ........................... 98 1. Guatemala . .................................. 103 VII. Persons interviewed or contacted during evaluation .............. 107 VIII. Partial list of Documents reviewed during the evaluation ........... 114 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS PECULIAR TO THE COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM CDP Cooperative Development Program MASHAV Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs USAID United States Agency for International Development ICC Israel's Center for International Cooperation OTSC On The Spot Course OTSC(s) On The Spot Course(s) CINADCO Israel's Center of International Agriculture Development and Cooperation HAIGUD Israel's Society for Transfer of Technology MOSHAV Community Owned Farm in Israel CAR Central Asian Republics NIS Newly Independent States of the USSR NGO(s) Non Government Organization(s) i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In conducting this evaluation, the team has looked for indications that the MASHAV/CDP program has had, and will continue to have, an impact on development needs in countries served. The team focused on determining the quality and effectiveness of training and technical assistance provided under the program and the administrative procedures in place to implement the program. Since CDP activities arc' an integral part of the MASHAV program, the evaluation was, in fact, an evaluation of the MASHAV program. USAID and MASHAV should be pleased with the outcome of this program. ThT CDP, as part of Israel's Development Cooperation, presents an effective and efficient use of resources. Program funds go directly into either training or technical assistance activities. In FY-93, about 61 %of the CDP funding was for trainiig (44% in-Israel, 17% OTSCs) and 39% for long and short-term technical assistance (33% long-term and 6% short-term). The unofficial output in FY-93 was 1,128 person months of in-Israel training, 50 OTSCs, 28 person months of short-term, and 253 person months of long-term technical assistance (not including programs to CAR & NIS). Regarding the mar'agement of a diverse and large programs in developing countries, one should expect problems in coordination, management of courses and technical assistance in developing countries, and other logistical problems. The evaluators were impressed much more by the positive aspects of the program than by any problems encountered in the management and delivery of the program. Indeed we were not alone in our positive evaluation, as former participants of in-Israel and OTSCs overwhelmingly endorsed the effectiveness of the training they had received. Even participants who had experienced personal problems, ranked the program very high. USAID and Israel established the CDP, recognizing that in selected countries and sectors, availability of Israeli expertise could complement host country development efforts. USAID and other donor assistance programs, likewise, can be complemented by th's type of "third country" training and technical assistance. Original areas served by the CDP were Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia. Recent expansion has added Central Asia and Eastern Europe (NIS countries). USAID and Israel believed that an expansion of the availability of Israeli training and technical assistance to developing countries through the CDP, could also enhance Israel's efforts to reestablish and/or expand diplomatic and economic relations with these countries. Since the program's beginning in 1989, Israel has expanded diplomatic relations from 6 to 26 countries in Africa and from 17 to 22 in Asia and Oceania. As of Oct. 1, 1992, the date chosen to measure statistics on outputs of the program, the CDP had supported the training of 2,135 trainees in Israel, 199 OTSCs, 156 short-term consultancies, and 95 man-years of long-term technical assistance. Training recipients liked the courses because of the appropriateness to their needs, the "hands on" approach, and the emphasis on skills transmission. Trainees in Israeli courses recognized the scarcity of natural resources in Israel and learned the importance of education and the development of human resources as a basic condition for sustainable development. The channel for CDP activities in countries is through the Israeli Embassy in the countries served. Embassy staff report spending up to one-half of their time on activities related to MASHAV. The availability of courses and technical assistance has enabled Embassies to become a participant in development in the recipient country, and to enhance the Embassy and Israel's standing. Technicai assistance has provided a variety of contributions ranging from establishment of poultry cooperatives in Africa, assistance to tomato producers in Honduras, and to eye care in Malawi. The development of human resources is important not only in the courses offered but through the technical assistance which is primarily oriented to skills transfer of applied technologies. i. Major findings, conclusions, and recommendations are spelled out in the subsequent sections of this report. Major recommendations are (1) Continue the project (2) Facilitate the interaction between the Embassies and USAID Missions to improve the integration of development objectives (including training and technical assistance) (3) Create a planning and evaluation cell within MASHAV by expanding the current evaluatiun section to include the planning component (4) Increase numbers of course participants from the private sector, NGOs and women: direct more work of long-term experts toward private sector organizations. Minor Findings and Recommendations addresses many issues associated with training and technical assistance implementation, training methodologies, participant selection, placement of long-term experts and other operational components of the MASHAV program. For expansion of activities in the CAR and Eastern Europe, MASHAV should consider placing a coordinator in the region to help Embassies monitor and facilitate the current on-going operations, especially in the CAR. The introduction of a "Farmer to Farmer" program is suggested as a next step for sharing Israel's expertise with the countries of the NIS. The "Farmer to Farmer" program could also be a productive addition to the overall MASHAV program (not only for the NIS). £i5. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The major conclusions and recommendations presented below are listed in order of priority in terms of their relative need for implementation. 1. Continuation of the COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (See III of the Findings, Condlusions, & Recommendations Section) Conclusions: The Cooperative Development Program enables Israel to extend training and technical assistance to selected countries throughout the world. Thp Israeli expertise and experience has been of significant assistance to the efforts of developing countries trying to improve agriculture, environment/natural resource management, social development, and other areas of focus in their efforts to advance human resource development. Recommendation: In order to keep Israel's training and technical assistance available to selected countries and sectors worldwide, the Cooperative Development Program should be continued and gradually expanded to meet the needs of CAR and Eastern