Introduction
The aim of the interphase evaluation – one
of two evaluations planned for the Umutara Community Resource
and Infrastructure Development Programme (UCDRIDP) – is to
evaluate the performance and impact of the project over the
past three years and on the basis of this evaluation to propose
modifications for the implementation of the second phase of
the project (2004 to 2007). The project is in fact two projects
that since early this year have been managed as one: the
first covering four of the eight districts in the Province
of Umutara became effective in December 2000; and the second
(referred to as the twin project), which covers the remaining
four districts, became effective in December 2002. There has
been three years of implementation of the first project, but
only one year’s implementation of the twin project (2003),
rather than the two years foreseen in the appraisal report.
A major part of the work of the team of
local and international consultants responsible for carrying
out the evaluation has focused on the reformulation of the
second phase, using the evaluation essentially as a ‘stepping
stone’ to achieve this end. The base document for the mission
is the ‘Internal Interphase Evaluation Report Phase One’,
a comprehensive review of project achievements and performance
prepared by the project prior to the mission’s arrival. What
is evident from this report – substantiated by the mission’s
review of the project over the three weeks evaluation mission
– is that there are serious weaknesses in the original design
of the project(s), both in terms of the formulation of individual
components and in the arrangements for implementation of those
components.
Following the preparation of the draft Interphase
Evaluation Report, the report was distributed to all Programme
stakeholders and a workshop held in the first quarter of 2004
(22-23 March in Nyagatare) to discuss the proposals contained
in the report. This formed the basis for further discussion,
analysis and proposals for modifications to the report. The
document presented below is the ‘Final Version’ that incorporates
the comments and recommendations coming from the workshop
and from subsequent discussions.
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