Puerta Abierta Program Evaluation

Background

Puerta Abierta was founded in 1997, working with people living with AIDS in poor
neighbourhoods in San Pedro Sula. In 2002 it started to receive funds from abroad. From then on the organisation grew quickly, from two employees to nine, in addition to many volunteers. With the access to international funds - first from The Pan American Health Organization, then from Catholic Fund for Overseas Development (CAFOD), UNICEF and NCA, and recently from the Global Fund - Puerta Abierta is witnessing abrupt changes, as well as growing challenges and requirements in relation the organisation's institutional consolidation and professional capacity.

Purpose/objective

Make a general reflection on the achievements and the impact of Puerta Abierta since the foundation in 1997.
Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of its present program, including the five areas of work (integral health, education, labour promotion, human rights and political and social advocacy).
Reflect on strengths and weaknesses of Puerta Abierta's structures, policies and systems of administration and management, and to explore the issues related to its institutional development and growth.

Methodology

Revision of project documents, reports, information material etc.
Interviews with employees, volunteers, board members, governmental health entities, network partners of Puerta Abierta and representatives of CAFOD and NCA.
Observation of activities with PLWA and their families.

Key findings

Puerta Abierta has had an important role in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, as it shows that the Catholic Church takes its work in HIV/AIDS seriously. This partner is recognised by other local and international organizations and mainly by PLWHA.
Main strengths and weaknesses of Puerta Abierta:

Strengths:
The commitment and dedication of the team.
Real impact in the quality of life of PLWA.
Local and regional recognition and rootedness (donations, collaborations and coordinations)

Weaknesses:
Difficulties in the transition from being a small program based on principles of faith, solidarity, commitment and voluntary work, to a consolidated and efficient organisation at institutional, programmatic, administrative and financial levels.
Lack of documentation, systematization and communication of the work.
Incipient administrative and financial systems.
Lack of a clear organisational structure.

Recommendations

To strengthen the weak planning systems, administration and financial management of resources.
The great challenge for Puerta Abierta is - faced with the imperative need for institutional consolidation and professional capacity building - to find models for institutional growth and strengthening that do not sacrifice the values, principles and inspirations that motivated the birth of this organisation; but equally imperative is the need to improve the professional capacity and the efficiency, especially with the sudden growth of the organisation.