ABSTRACT
In most design exercises, representatives from Agency for International Development (AID) and the host country participated. In every case this proved both necessary and desirable. In the case of AID, it proved important to have a participant from the Mission itself, rather than from AID/Washington; it was also helpful if the participant was scheduled to play some role in the implementation of the project. In one project, Niger, Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI) provided the design team leader while other team members were provided by universities, Peace Corps and private consultants. The design teams found much of the technical knowledge needed to develop project components available in the host country. In the DAI-assisted projects, an attempt was made to introduce service programs that required initial resource commitments by the local population and included mechanisms for shifting total costs to the users. Over the course of DAI's design experience, several issues arose with sufficient frequency to warrant discussion.
