HN/SOC INV FUND III

closed

The Third Social Investment Fund Project (Honduran Social Investment Fund (FHIS) Second Stage) will continue to assist the Government in strengthening its poverty allevation efforts and in maintaining social cohesion, while the Government attempts to regain fiscal balance and the line ministries strengthen their institutional capacities. It will also support the Government's decentralization strategy, development to the local contracting industry, the sustainability of subprojects, and the targeting of scarce resources in poorer areas. To achieve this, it will focus on meeting priority social and economic departments, municipalities, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and communities, within the parameters of municipal allocations decided on the basis of a poverty targeting formula. The project will support FHIS's investment program for a four-year period, as well as efforts to establish a better social data base and to assist municipalities on environmental matters. It will provide for (a) a range of small-scale, social and economic infrastructure subprojects; (b) a priority basic needs program; (c) a comprehensive program of technical assistance to help FHIS overcome some institutional weakness; (d) the establishment of a social data mapping system and strengthening of the design and implementation of national household surveys as the major tools to target the poor and to monitor progress of social development programs; and (e) subject to trails carried out by FHIS under the Environmental Development Project, a small program of technical assistance to municipalities in assessing environmental issues and in preparing programs for corrective action.