Assessment framework for an integrated approach to NGO rural development programs : the Salvadorean case

Abstract

In El Salvador, the situation of the rural community is one of profound impoverishment and environmental deterioration, as a consequence of historical neglect by the state and twelve years of civil war. This has increased during the postwar period by a conflict in the implementation of two different socio-economic alternatives: (a) the structural adjustment program initiated in 1989; and (b) the Peace Accords which have created the best conditions the country has ever had for overcoming the structural conditions of poverty and underdevelopment. In this context, NGOs have been extremely active, particularly after the Peace Accords. However, their effectiveness and accountability have been of great concern in El Salvador, particularly due to their proliferation, the large amount of economic aid given to them with little results, and the ongoing budget cuts from the international community which is seeking more effective allocation of aid funding. This study addresses three research questions: (1) How effective and accountable are the NGOs that operate in the context of rural development in El Salvador? (2) Is there a need for an assessment model to NGOs rural development programs? (3) If there is, what an adequate assessment model look like? (Abstract shortened by UMI.)