Major Factors Influencing HIV/AIDS Project Evaluation

• Published in: Evaluation review Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 313 - 330
• Main Authors: Niba, Mercy Bi, Green, J. Maryann
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA SAGE Publications 01.08.2005; Sage Publications; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; AIDS; Case Studies; Empowerment; Evaluation; Evaluation Methods; Evaluators; Female; Health technology assessment; HIV; HIV Infections - prevention & control; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Intervention; Male; Organizational Case Studies; Program Evaluation; Program Evaluation - methods; Projects; Sexual behaviour; Sexuality; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Social Change; South Africa; South Africa; HIV/AIDS; participation; empowerment; evaluations; interventions
• ISSN: 0193-841X; 1552-3926
• DOI: 10.1177/0193841X05276654

This article aimed at finding out if participatory processes (group discussions, enactments, and others) do make a valuable contribution in communication-based project implementation/evaluation and the fight against HIV/AIDS. A case study backed by documentary analysis of evaluation reports and occasional insights from interviews stood as the main methods. To identify values, the state of beneficiaries prior to and after project implementation/evaluation was compared. Participatory processes were noted to have created an enabling environment for project beneficiaries to become activists for social change, leading to the limiting of the spread of HIV/AIDS through sexual behavior and a change of attitude—the essence required for successful intervention. Group participatory processes were also noted to have contributed in overriding, to a great extent, limitations arising from sociodemographic differences in the attainment of project objectives and limitations arising from differences in forms of evaluation (internal versus external evaluators).