Youth House Sustainability in Bosnia, Georgia and Tajikistan

The Capstone team conducted an evaluation of Youth Houses in Bosnia, Georgia, and Tajikistan, with specific interest in the programmatic and financial sustainability of the houses independent of United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) support. The houses aim to provide educational, recreational, peace-building, and psycho-social assistance to youth in countries recovering from war and ethnic conflict. Through field visits to houses in Bosnia and Georgia, evaluations of financial and program documents from individual houses, and surveys distributed to youth and staff, the Capstone team found that while all the houses appear to have been successful in providing youth with valuable educational and recreational opportunities, the potential for programmatic and financial sustainability independent from UMCOR varies among the different houses. The Capstone team provides several recommendations as to how both UMCOR and the individual houses can encourage program sustainability.