Norwegian Mission Alliance Vietnam Evaluation Report September 2005

Background
Starting in 2002, a new 4-year project plan became the basis for the work for NMAV– expanding both the coverage and funding considerably. At the time of this evaluation the programme includes 4 programme components:
• Community development
• Health (including HIV/AIDS)
• Micro credit
• Inclusive education.

Purpose/objective
The evaluation had a dual purpose. Firstly, it had the purpose to evaluate the work of the NMA in Vietnam covering the period from 2000 until May 2005. And secondly, based on the findings of part 1, to give clear recommendations on future work of the Mission Alliance in Vietnam, with special emphasis – however not limited to the following: Areas of work, project components, strategies and approaches, distribution of resources.

Methodology
The evaluation methodology concerned qualitative evaluation methods, which included: Desk studies of available project plans and reports, site observations of work done, interviews with implementing partners and beneficiaries, meeting with NMAV management and staff. The meetings and the selection of project site visits were arranged with assistance from NMAV. The selection was based on non probability. The internal work of the evaluation team was organised as: preparation of evaluation matrix and interview guide, discussion of evaluation of approach and sharing of responsibilities, individual daily observations and interviews, discussion of daily findings at the end of each day, feedback to implementing partners, feedback to NMAV, final conclusions based on terms of reference.

Key findings
The main findings of the present evaluation can be summarised as:
- Most of the work has been carried out as it was planned and the technical objectives have been reached.
- There is a positive and cordial relation between NMAV and authorities and NMAV partners.
- The beneficiaries value the work as positive and good.
- The main focus is sponsoring of national activities such as building of infrastructure and training of professional staff. There is little transfer of knowledge from NMAV to the national partners.
- The activities are generally planned by NMAV and its national partner and there has been less involvement of local community or what can be characterised as civil society organisations.

The community development component reflects the overall findings above. The technical objectives have been reached and the work is of good quality. The work carried out is based on the priorities of the district and provincial authorities with little influence from the communities affected by the work. A considerable part of the work is building of infrastructure and to a less degree on people, community and capacity building. The question is therefore if construction of physical infrastructure will lead to community development or if community development is a necessary precursor for successful investment in infrastructure.

The microcredit component is based on a well known methodology with solidarity groups organised in loan centres. There is high local demand for the services and micro credit is included as one of the national priorities in the poverty reduction strategy. The micro credit project is not sustainable at present but has possibility to become sustainable if the right measures are implemented. At present the project is covering all the operational costs but does not cover the loss of inflation or any financial cost. It is necessary to invest in increased competence both at the administrative and the operational level. The overall question is, however, if Women’s Union will be able to comply with the requirements of the new government decree on micro finance. It is necessary to make a detailed analysis before a qualified conclusion can be made.

The activities of the health project are highly relevant in relation to the national plans. The national partner is well qualified and motivated. The contribution from NMAV is mostly on financing different activities carried out by the national partner and there is relatively little professional contribution from NMAV.

Inclusive education is a new project that just started in September 2005. The project is demanding as it aims to include teaching of disabled children in ordinary schools. The project has a clear focus on a group that normally is among the most marginalised in the society. The project will require increased competence in NMAV.

Recommendations
Presently NMAV supports four independent and demanding programme components and there is an apparent gap between the requirements of these programmes and the professional experience and preparation of the staff. On this background the organisation appears as overambitious and overextended.  Based on this observation it is recommended that the organisation reviews its strategy and seeks to find a better match between community needs on one hand and organisational competence and capacity on the other. The evaluation recommends that NMAV closes those programmes where the organisation has limited internal professional experience. Specifically it is recommended that NMAV closes the health project and inclusive education. Involvement in micro credit should only continue if NMAV in close cooperation with its national partner Women’s Union, finds that Women’s Union will be able to comply with the national regulations of micro finance in Vietnam, or that NMAV identifies another relevant national partner for micro credit in Vietnam. For both options NMAV should either draw heavily on experiences from NMA in other countries or draw on the extensive experience in micro finance from other countries in Asia. It is recommended that NMAV build on the experiences of community development as the organisation has one Vietnamese staff member with long and broad experience in community development.

On the overall strategic level NMAV should reflect if the organisation at all should be involved in development work in Vietnam. Vietnam is a low income  country with gross national income of 480 dollars per capita. The recent economic growth is strong  with positive future prospects. Corruption is high among public authority  and NMAV as other international NGOs have limited possibilities to work directly with the population and to strengthen representative civil society organisations. In such a prospect NMAV can be seen as legitimising the work of a one party state instead of strengthening the civil society in Vietnam.

Comments from the organisation, if any: