SDF 8/2-NM-7 CARIBBEAN DEVELOPMENT BANK SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT FUND (UNIFIED) BASIC NEEDS TRUST FUND – FIFTH PROGRAMME PROGRAMME COMPLETION REPORT APRIL 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 1. INTRODUCTION 3 Background and Purpose of the Project Completion Report 3 Central Questions of the Project Completion Report 4 Organisation of the Report 5 2. METHODOLOGY 5 Key Inputs 5 Limitations of the Report 7 3. SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT FUND/BASIS NEEDS TRUST FUND FIFTH PROGRAMME: OVERVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF STRUCTURE AND DESIGN 7 Overall Goals 7 Country Focus 8 Programme Components 8 Analysis of Results Frameworks 9 Review of Anticipated Risks at Appraisal 11 4. BNTF 5: TAKING STOCK 11 Programme Relevance 12 Programme Results Management and Effectiveness 14 Attention to Cross-cutting Issues 28 Programme Efficiency, Management and Supervision Issues 36 Summary of Findings 40 5. RECOMMENDATIONS 48 APPENDICES Appendix 1 - BNTF 5 SDF – Funded Sub-Projects’ According to Project Components as at April 15, 2012 Appendix 2 - BNTF 5 SDF – Approved Funds According to Sectors as at April 15, 2012 Appendix 3 - BNTF Country Sub-Projects as at April 15, 2012 Appendix 4 - BNTF 5 SDF – Cumulative Disbursement as a Percentage of Total Allocation for the Period 2002-2012 Appendix 5 - BNTF 5 Terminal Disbursement Dates Appendix 6 - BNTF Project Cycle Milestones ABBREVIATIONS BNTF Basic Needs Trust Fund BNTFO Basic Needs Trust Fund Office BSIF Belize Social Investment Fund CBOs Community Based Organisation CLO Community Liaison Officer CNAs Community Needs Assessment CPCR Country Project Completion Report DFID Department for International Development of the United Kingdom EIA Environmental Impact Assessment ISO International Organisation for Standardisation JSIF Jamaica Social Investment Fund MIS Management Information System MTE Mid-Term Evaluation NGOs Non-governmental Organisations OM Operations Manual PCR Project Completion Report PM Project Manager PMC Project Monitoring Committee PRAP Poverty Reduction Action Plan PRS Poverty Reduction Strategy PSC Project Steering Committee PTAs Parents and Teachers Association PMCs Project Monitoring Committee PMs Project Manager RDCs Regional Democratic Councils RWS Rural Water Supply SPs Sub-projects SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS #1 Finding: The focus, objectives and content of BNTF 5 were highly relevant in light of ongoing social and economic dislocations facing Caribbean economies and societies - and the resulting vulnerability of poor groups. #2 Finding: BNTF 5 provided an important support mechanism for beneficiary countries in their efforts to maintain public services and social safety nets, and was a valuable lifeline for communities affected by economic difficulties, fiscal constraints, the decline of traditional sectors, and rising social stress. BNTF 5’s support role in addressing vulnerabilities of the target population underscores its relevance to poverty alleviation efforts. However, many problems faced by such communities are deep-rooted and related to structural, policy or sectoral constraints and external factors, which go far beyond BNTF’s capacity to provide solutions. #3 Finding: The results of beneficiary assessments and community audits are optimistic. They revealed that in general BNTF 5 was targeted to those in need as anticipated in the overall framework. Beneficiaries in general were satisfied with BNTF 5 interventions, relevance and quality, as well as their improved access to facilities and services, but they expressed concerns about lengthy execution periods and cumbersome procedures. #4 Finding : Community participation and advocacy was strong for the most part. There were concrete examples of pro-active involvement, advocacy and ownership of communities in projects, but participation varied according to country situations, organisational strengths of communities or community-based organisations (CBOs), the expertise, efficiency and engagement of BNTFOs/CLOs/PSCs, and the commitment of line ministry administrators and other stakeholders. #5 Finding: BNTF has the potential to tap into the presence of many community-based organisations in country and harness their capacity as partners in social development . Community audits indicated a range of civic, religious-based, and private sector institutions providing community-based support, which helps to fill gaps due to public sector fiscal or institutional constraints. These groups provide potential partners for the coordination of social agenda activities and the rationalization of efforts on the ground. #6 Finding : Many examples illustrate the Programme’s strengths and results chains . Improved roads led to access to markets and stimulated agricultural production and small businesses along roads. Upgraded footpaths/drains improved physical access to schools, attendance and pedestrian safety. Potable water reduced diseases and freed up women and children from fetching water, enabling productive and learning activities. Renovated schools improved learning environments, teacher productivity, school attendance and scholastic performance. Health clinics provided faster access to care for vulnerable, remote communities, or incorporated one-stop health education and recreational, services, drawing in males and females from communities to attend to their health needs. #7 Finding : Skills development courses indicate deficiencies in planning and execution and as well as some disconnect between training and its linkages to market demand. Problems include inadequate attention to market analysis, and to enhancing access of trainees to apprenticeships, employment/self-employment opportunities, entrepreneurial skills, and certifications to improve competitiveness in the job market and increase incomes. Insufficient consideration was given to the outsourcing of training services or the use of certified service providers, and there was little follow up by BNTFOs on courses as well as weak trainee feedback ii through course evaluations. It was not possible to assess employment or income-generating outcomes related to training. #8 Finding: BNTF 5 experienced inefficiencies and implementation challenges. Execution bottlenecks led to tardy completion of sub-projects, inefficiency, and the postponement of services to be accessed by beneficiaries. Issues included complexity of design/overoptimistic assumptions at appraisal, intricate programme management structures and BNTFO weaknesses, counterpart constraints, cumbersome CDB and in country procedures, weak results and risk management, and underestimation of start up, staffing, training, organisational, coordination, reporting and supervision challenges. #9 Finding: Methodologies were important to foster objectivity of BNTF5 management. Poverty assessments, PRAPs, beneficiary targeting, sub-project selection criteria, regulations, operational manuals and BNTFO/PSC guidelines, and training were important steps to instill technical criteria and mitigate arbitrary, objective or political influences on the Programme. Further effort is needed to foster performance criteria and stability in BNTFO staffing and management, and PSC oversight. #10 Finding : Inadequate attention to maintenance and sustainability provisions. While training of some communities was conducted, and a number of good practices were observed, in general, maintenance was not mainstreamed and afforded the high priority as envisaged in BNTF 5 design. There is a wider problem: inadequate policies and lack of maintenance “culture”, declining/flat public sector budgets, fewer self-help traditions, and community skills and fund-raising gaps to cover their maintenance responsibilities. Piecemeal maintenance approaches need scaling up to comprehensive solutions. Institutional sustainability concerns relate to line ministries’ ability to manage completed sub-projects (SPs), particularly in the light of fiscal and human resource constraints. #11 Finding: The Programme experienced difficulties in mainstreaming gender equality. There were encouraging examples of female empowerment, and steps towards breaking gender hierarchies in certain sectors, but the analysis of gender contexts and impacts of SPs lacked depth. The mechanics of gender-sensitive design and implementation was not fully understood or embedded, due to weak policies, capacity weaknesses of BNTFOs, and the lack of specific household level and community data. Insufficient attention was placed to the critical interface of gender equality with poverty reduction. #12 Finding: The treatment of environmental/natural disaster factors in BNTF 5 varied. PCR findings indicate that there has been significant progress in some countries, but in others, much more work still has to be done to anchor these factors in the project cycle, especially in the implementation phase. These are key elements of sub-project sustainability and longer-range beneficiary use of facilities and services. #13 Finding : Beneficiary assessments and community audits shed light on key issues facing poor youth. These include unemployment, the growing disenchantment of young males with schooling, inadequate life skills and growing marginalization, incarcerated youth, teenage pregnancy and young victims of domestic and child abuse. Insights on the youth indicate the need to better focus and target this group in future programming. #14 Finding: BNTF 5 has contributed to the shift in countries’ approach to community development and stakeholder involvement envisaged after BNTF 4 . A significant part