[Operational evaluation of a project of food-nutrition surveillance]

The Project "Food and Nutrition Surveillance System (SVAN)" of Honduras, functions in a pilot area of the Department of El Paraíso, Honduras, with the participation of several national institutions involved in the food and nutrition problem. In accordance with the plan established in the Project, an evaluation of SVAN was carried out with the following purposes: a) determine the efficiency of the System in relation to the established objectives and goals; determine the obstacles and problems that have risen and the necessary methods and resources to solve them, and c) arrive to conclusions in regard to the Project until the moment of its evaluation, an express recommendations for its future development and extension. The formal aspects evaluated were: objectives, goals, strategies, organization and functioning of the SVAN, advisory services and supervision, personal training, equipment and materials, indicators, actions generated by the SVAN and resources used. To establish the effective value of the Project, informal aspects such as integration of multisectoral surveillance groups were included, as well as communication among the participating sectors in the System, as a result of the functioning of SVAN. Finally, conclusions derived from the evaluation process are presented in regard to: efficacy of the SVAN, costs in terms of invested resources, and feasibility of the System concerning its future extension, both in time and geographic coverage terms.