HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control SYNOPSIS Series:

Capacity Building

This SYNOPSIS presents a theoretical and practical means for the evaluation of organizational and institutional development (Capacity Building) in HIV/AIDS prevention and control programs in developing countries. It is based on experiences in measuring capacity building in more than twenty countries and two hundred projects, ranging from communications and behavior change initiatives to condom social marketing, to STI/HIV clinical interventions with a range of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and Ministries of Health.

Multiple frameworks, methodologies and paradigms for the evaluation of organizational and institutional development were reviewed and synthesized, resulting in a pluralistic model for the measurement of capacity building efforts. This proposed theoretical framework is based on seven capacity-building strategies — technical skill building, management skill building, management systems development, resource diversification, network building, organization cross-fertilization, and multi-sectoral collaboration — designed to enhance individuals, organizations, and institutions to design, manage, evaluate and sustain comprehensive HIV/AIDS programs and initiatives.

In addition to the theoretical framework, several practical steps are necessary to implement a monitoring and evaluation plan for capacity building. These steps include: building consensus among organization staff and stakeholders around the process of monitoring and evaluating capacity building; conducting a baseline assessment of organizational and institutional capacity; defining the objectives and indicators participatively to develop a strategic plan for capacity building; monitoring progress towards program objectives; measuring outcomes; and analyzing and interpreting results in collaboration with stakeholders. Traditional forms of capacity building evaluation — self-assessment, case study, outcome and impact evaluation — are presented and a framework for their integration at the level of interpretation and inference is provided.

There is a growing recognition among international and local organizations that while technical and financial inputs are often critical for improving project performance, this assistance alone is not sufficient to help groups manage and monitor their growth, define their vision and design effective strategies to adapt to a dynamic environment. The capacity building conceptual framework discussed in this SYNOPSIS — linking strategies, variables and outcomes — provides an instructive paradigm for the design and evaluation of HIV/AIDS prevention interventions worldwide. From our experience,we have found that conducting mixed method evaluation of capacity building efforts allows for a more insightful assessment of capacity building and a more comprehensive evaluation of HIV prevention programs.