Income generation and Facts for Life communication in Vietnam

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 .