What Development Interventions are Sustained After an NGO Project Ends? Health, Water/Sanitation and Agriculture Interventions Six Years Later in Bolivia

Project evaluations are often conducted within the confines of donor requirements with evaluation frameworks for individual projects developed inconsistently (Clements 2008). Project Concern International (PCI) is one of few non-governmental organizations (NGOs) investing in non-donor driven post-project impact evaluation. This paper assesses the first pilot post-project evaluation conducted by PCI in Bolivia six years after the completion of the $26 million USAID-supported Development Assistance Program (DAP). The project ran from 1997-2002, with a focus on community water and basic sanitation, agricultural productivity (irrigation and silos) and rural infrastructure, and maternal and child healthcare. The core research question this paper attempts to answer is: “What is the real and lasting impact of PCI's DAP in Bolivia from 1997-2002?” In 2008, PCI's post-project methodology was trialed in Bolivia. Data collected involved quantitative and qualitative surveys and qualitative research in 13 communities in Cochabamba and Potosi Departments. Key lessons included a high prevalence of macro-level water system infrastructure sustainability as well as institutional sustainability. Maternal and child healthcare indicators illustrated high levels of sustainability, but there was erosion in hygiene and sanitation behavior and latrine maintenance. This paper explores why communities which received integrated health and development investments seemed to sustain development interventions better than communities that received assistance in specific sectors. This paper provides policy recommendations to practitioners and donors in post-project evaluations and ensuring water and health sustainability after a project ends.