In 1997, UNICEF Vietnam conducted a participatory evaluation, 'Pathways For
ward', to assess the impact of the Income Generation and Facts for Life (FF
L) Communication Project, which communicates basic health messages to women
who are also participating in a revolving loan scheme. Twenty-five people
from UNICEF and the Vietnam Women's Union participated in the month-long ev
aluation. They used a combination of case studies, interviews, surveys, and
social indicators to determine the project's impact on women finishing the
ir final loan cycle in two project communes. A second group studied the pro
ject's microcredit component in order to recommend a financial strategy for
the future.
Evaluators found that while the project had successfully met many of its ob
jectives, the degree of its success varied dramatically between the two com
munes studied. Further, the evaluation found the project's operational capa
city needed to be strengthened so as to support existing microcredit activi
ties;
Based on these findings, the Pathways evaluation recommended that UNICEF po
stpone any future loan disbursements and focus instead on building the proj
ect's capacity through increased staffing levels and additional training. I
t also recommended a number of measures be taken to strengthen FFL communic
ation activities, including training for group leaders and simpler, locally
-produced FFL materials. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
.