Country programme evaluation

Participatory evaluation with PNG core learning partnership

IFAD's Office of Evaluation and Studies, in October 2000, per agreement with the Government of Papua New Guinea undertook a Country Programme Evaluation (CPE) in Papua New Guinea. IFAD per its Approach Paper, in agreement with the Department of Treasury & Planning (DT&P), for the purpose of this evaluation formed a Core Learning Partnership. The latter would take stock of lessons learned, review them and facilitate their subsequent use so as to ensure better impact in rural development programmes. This Partnership has been composed of representatives of the Foreign Aid Management Division of the DNPM, UNDP and other donors, the Provincial Administration and the Project Management Team in Simbu, and NGOs.

The evaluation mission in October 2000 conducted two workshops so as to be guided by this Learning Partnership. Representatives of the Foreign Aid Management Division chaired these workshops. The Secretary of the DPNM opened the second workshop.

In the first workshop, the mission presented the context and its objective. It presented its proposed evaluation and survey methodology, and plan of visits. In the second workshop, the mission presented its preliminary findings and suggested solutions. In the latter, the Government with other stakeholders welcomed and endorsed the mission's recommendations for the ‘Four-Pronged Approach' (see below). The Government, moreover, welcomed a final Round Table Workshop in 2001 for the IFAD team to present findings and lessons learned. The latter workshop took place on August 3, at the Vulupindi Haus, in Waigani, Port Moresby.

This assessment with its suggested generic ‘Four-Pronged Approach' is intended for use by the wider community of partners in the PNG rural development effort. The Government in year 2000 adopted a plan to reduce national prevalence of chronic malnutrition from 43% to 21% over a period of ten years. But modalities and instruments are not in place to ensure such progress. In contrast, the present study sets out an approach with which to accelerate reductions in malnutrition.

The ‘Four-Pronged Approach' represents a core menu of solutions, coherent yet flexible, with which to raise effectiveness and sustainability of efforts by the Government and donors alike in promoting better living standards in the rural areas. The approach with its focus on use of anthropometric indicators to reveal progress in reducing the prevalence of chronic malnutrition - the hidden poverty - has merits for assessing performance with different institutional approaches and types of interventions. The several and unique lessons learned from the findings of our in depth surveys of community based organisations support the need to shift the development focus away from mere "hardware". The case is strong for building up the management capabilities of community-based organisations – not least the Wok Meris - through empowerment and diffusion of relevant organisational skills, and simultaneously to support them in addressing the widespread malnutrition.

Findings

Limited impact and sustainability of development efforts

In Simbu, East Sepik, Eastern Highlands and Madang, the mission assessed performance in rural development as against institutional constraints and decentralised governance structures. The Organic Law with reforms was initiated to start the devolution of power to the provinces. The machinery and the capabilities with which to ensure steady progress in such devolution are not yet in place.

Moreover, across provinces, two issues stand out.

First, there is little or no data available with which to demonstrate that progress-monitoring systems have become operational, let alone that data on impact at household and community levels are collected and analysed.

Second, even when directors, managers and project staff report that they perceive or rate impact to be high, sustainability of interventions is rarely if ever assured.

Three explanatory factors prevail. First, assured funding to maintain the activities beyond the date when the project will close is very rare. Second, ownership of the interventions at ward and LLG levels is rare, even in the primary health service sector. Third, the delivery systems are high cost, vide the case of the UNDP supported micro credit schemes in Eastern Highlands, as well as the NSRDP supported scheme in Simbu. The former lends at a rate of 30%, whilst the Wok Meri groups lend at a far lower rate, or at 14% (on an annual basis).

Little impact in reducing malnutrition

Hidden poverty is rural PNG is high and not decreasing. The prevalence of chronic malnutrition is a precise indicator for endemic poverty at community level. It is reliably measured by the prevalence of stunted children in the age group up to five years. In PNG, in 1982/83 stunting at the national level was estimated at 43%. This level represents a hidden poverty: it is a cause of concern. This concern is heightened. The most recent survey was conducted in 1996: it recorded over not less than a fifteen year period no progress or reduction (World Bank 1999).

The current year 2000 IFAD-OE surveys in Simbu and East Sepik provinces demonstrated that children were more likely to be chronically malnourished (stunted) in Simbu (46%) than in East Sepik (30%). By contrast, the prevalence of seasonal malnutrition (of wasting) was higher in East Sepik (20%) than in Simbu (4%). Our study findings of the determinants of child nutritional outcomes suggest that, in areas, and for the CBOs, that have received no assistance (from PNG Government, NGOs, International Organisations), measures that significantly improve child nutrition status comprise improving the safety of the drinking water, supporting savings and credit groups, and improving access to land, and to health services

Four dimensions explored

First, programme management capacity is limited. The Government' capability to service the rural poor remains limited. The line departments are being restructured and downsized to reduce government expenditure on staff costs. Such downsizing generally starts with closure of offices and staff working in remote locations. This reduces further the access to services of already deprived families in remote locations. Withdrawal of aid posts in the remote locations illustrates the point.

Second, sustainability of service delivery to rural communities is at risk. Three factors contribute to this situation. First, the delivery cost of institutions involved in providing services to rural communities is high. Staff costs and overhead are high. Law and order problems and difficulty to access rural communities compound problems. Second, the government resource allocation to deliver services to the rural communities has been low and is declining over time. Third, cost efficient community owned models for delivery of such services are yet to emerge.

Third, community participation remains at its infancy. Community participation in providing primary health care services is increasing. Reduction in the size of the government makes it all the more urgent to enhance community participation in a wide array of service delivery ranging from primary health, non-formal education, micro-finance to maintenance of access roads. But community participation and community level planning are yet to become the building blocks of bottom-up planning as enshrined in the reformed Organic Law. Most donor interventions remain sector specific and physical output oriented. The stakeholders have limited exposure to the concept of participatory development.

Fourth, the efforts in the formal development sector towards building social capital in PNG remain at an "infancy stage". Four factors contribute to limited efforts in creating much needed social capital, trust and "bonding". First, formal programme interventions in PNG typically have not recognised the untapped resource base provided by the indigenous networks and social systems of rural women despite the diversity of the latter in faith, clan and political affiliation. Second, the directive planning processes and top down service delivery have created dependency of the community upon government handouts (the "cargo cult"). Third, the social capital is further eroded when communities are not owning the interventions. Fourth, most women groups at the rural community level are not supported with the exception of assistance inter alia from AusAid and Save the Children funded by the GONZ. Even in these cases, the support remains sector specific without a step-wise process of "graduation" for women to assume leadership roles.

Recommended longer term solutions: framework for strengthening community capabilities

‘The four-pronged approach'

Community-based organisations (CBOs) have the capabilities and the potential for becoming focal points for broad participatory-based development to reduce deprivation or chronic malnutrition¹. The mission suggests a Four-Pronged Approach:

1) Focus on sub-ward level women organisations: Creating raised capabilities of community level women organisations: support with which to raise capabilities of Wok Meris, similar organisations, and women church groups.

2) Providing a component with which to raise awareness and knowledge of women organisations about causes to chronic malnutrition and household and community level solutions in reducing malnutrition.

3) Micro-finance: Provision of small equity funding for creating and strengthening community (self-administered) revolving funds to raise individual household food and nutrition security.

4) Community development fund (CDF): Providing funds for micro projects at community level for improving infrastructure with self-help to go hand in hand with gradual improvement of capabilities – an important incentive mechanism.

Normative Steps and Sequencing of Interventions in Rural Development Projects in PNG

Much testing has taken place in the use participatory methodologies. In the current phase, attention has shifted to explore processes and strengths and weaknesses in building viable village level institutions. Experience to date suggests that the participatory processes that promote empowerment and equity through self-help activity are yet to be fully understood. The importance of a proper phasing and sequencing of activities is not sufficiently emphasised. Four steps normally need to be considered for driving success in the use of participatory planning exercises at community levels. These steps are:

• Community institution building that includes capacity building of the communities for collective action and testing resolve of the communities to work together for common good.
• Facilitation of the community to identify core causes for their problems and search for feasible and low cost solutions.
• Establishing budgetary allocations for within which communities need to set priorities.

Establishing a step-wise graduation process with explicit benchmarks for performance. This would include provision of a smaller budget initially and increasing the budget in the subsequent years based on performance.

Agreed solutions

Presentation

The IFAD team presented the `Four-pronged Approach`, based on the following components: (i) to improve capabilities of women organisations at community level (training); (ii) to raise awareness and knowledge of causes to chronic malnutrition and provide regular growth monitoring and promotion sessions; (iii) to provide small equity funds to strengthen community revolving funds and raise nutrition security and (iv) to provide "community development fund" for micro projects to improve infrastructure with self-help.

The team elaborated on the recommended phasing and sequencing of the four-pronged approach. It remarked that sustainable and accelerated growth in service provision at community level requires that priorities expressed by communities (CBOs) be reflected in development plans and budgets at provincial, district, LLG and ward levels. Communities should also receive support and facilitation to raise capabilities; finally their needs and plans would be integrated into formal budgeting processes. The team recommended the start up of pilot programmes in at least three provinces of PNG, including Simbu and East Sepik.

Round table workshop endorsement of multi-pronged approach

During the August 3 Workshop, discussions were held in three small groups, each reflecting a cross-section of participants' affiliation and background. Participants in these deliberations validated the suggested multi-pronged approach and particularly the setting by communities of own objectives in terms of health, food security and well being using regular monitoring through anthropometric indicators.

The Chairman of the session, Mr. Kwayaila, First Secretary, Department of Planning and Monitoring, expressed appreciation of the presentations made. He stated that according to the most recent estimates, the PNG population has reached 5.3 million and it is imperative that all citizens be provided with sufficient and nutritious food. Mr Kwayaila thanked the IFAD team for the important and relevant information provided in the draft evaluation report. He stated that the Government endorses the Four-pronged Approach: the PNG Structural Adjustment Programs has resulted into declining availability of public funding for rural areas, thus alternative low cost solutions are to be planned. Pilot programmes hinging on the four-pronged approach should be initiated not only in three provinces but also progressively in all PNG provinces. Funding from donors will be sought for the purpose.

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IFAD has funded three projects in PNG: the Artisanal Fisheries Project (AFP) closed in 1991, the South Simbu Rural Development Project (SSRDP), closed in 1995 and the North Simbu Rural Development Project (NSRDP), scheduled to be closed in 2002.

1/ Field surveys suggest that CBOs in PNG can be classified into three categories: (i) Wok Meris, mothers' groups; (ii) religious groups; (iii) externally supported (by Government, credit programs, or NGOs).