Evaluation of HIV/AIDS Program, Norwegian Church Aid, Lao PDR

Background

In Laos, NCA has been carrying out HIV activities since the 1993. Throughout the 1990s these were localized to two provinces Savannakhet and Bokeo. In 2000 the NCA program expanded to include the provinces of Champasak, Sekong and Luang Namtha - these projects were integrated within other existing clean water and drug reduction programs. In 2002 activities in each of these 5 provinces were expanded and formalized as stand alone activities with specific MOU's signed on an annual basis (with support from NORAD and money raised by a TV campaign in Norway). The timeframe for these activities was 3 years although some activities have been extended into 2006.

Purpose/objective

• To assess the appropriateness and suitability of the program in terms of approaches/strategies/activities; partnership at both local and national levels and methodology for awareness raising, advocacy, reduction of stigma/discrimination and capacity building; geographical focus; and target groups (PLWA, services women, mobile population, school children).

• To assess achievements and results of the program on different levels of the targeted beneficiaries in relation to the stated objectives of the program, taking a gender, participation of PLWA, equity and human rights perspective into consideration. The main focus should be on the current projects and the phase since the last evaluation of regional HIV/AIDS Program in 2000.

• To formulate recommendations for the future program in terms of approaches and strategies as well as organizational set-up and staffing

Key findings

Responding to the need to be proactive in establishing HIV campaigns in Laos (and the region) NCA has been working in HIV programs in Laos since 1993. Initially activities were confined to Savannakhet Province, which as can be seen in the preceding data, has been at the forefront of HIV spread and AIDS cases in Laos, and a few activities in Bokeo. Setting the tone for what has characterized NCA's work in Laos has been the ability to plan in ways for the emergence of problems before they became critical. Thus NCA was the first to start community level programs in rural villages addressing the imminent numbers of people becoming ill with AIDS. Likewise, they have been instrumental in more recently establishing counseling facilities in selected provincial and district hospitals as well as prevention activities aimed at migrant labor. These activities are groundbreaking in Laos and NCA has played a key role in their emergence.

NCA has worked closely with local government counterparts and its programs have been provided the luxury of relatively flexible planning and reporting requirements by the donors in Norway. This is both a strength and a weakness.

On the one hand, this flexibility allows a degree of specificity to the individual programs in each district where DCCA can prepare working plans for actual activities that are carefully geared to the local (perceived) needs as they arise (and subsequently approved by relevant PCCA). Thus we get some activities that are targeted to specific contexts relevant in each province, and nationally the NCA program conducts some similar and some different activities in different provinces. Work plans can be amended easily and activities added or dropped with no formal request to the donor.

On the other hand, there is a relative scarcity of carefully prepared planning documents and by the same token a lack of monitoring indicators over the past years of operation. Lack of planning project documentation means that assessment of achievements against measurable benchmarks has, to date, been given less priority. There has been no systematic or external evaluation of project activities since 2000.

Recommendations

If the NCA budget for the next several years for HIV/AIDS work remains steady then activities should be more tightly focused on a more limited number of activities. If the budget increases existing activities can be maintained but improved and new activities considered.

• If budget does not increase, NCA should focus its activities on a more narrow range of target groups

• If budget does increase, new target groups and new activities need to be considered

• PLWHA community activities should be carried on and expanded in reach.

• Establish more coherent cross-border programs

• Some existing approaches need to be improved

• NCA should take a more pro-active role in providing guidance/leadership to government counterparts

• Much greater involvement of the Buddhist sangha should be encouraged

Comments from the organisation

We have not yet discussed and dealt with the evaluation reports findings and recommendations.