SUMMARYOne of the main problems related to donor-supported health projects in the developing world is their lack of sustainability once external assistance has ended. Although 'projectized development assistance' is viewed by many as inappropriate to bring about development, projects are bound to remain for some time an important instrument of development assistance. Project managers, donor agencies and recipient countries need to be aware of the extent that their projects are likely to be sustained in the future and contribute to the viability of the whole health system. This article proposes a concep tual framework to monitor the performance of externally-assisted health projects in building their own sustainability. Possible criteria and indicators are discussed.

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SummaryCalciferol therapy for 12 months in white, Asian, and West Indian schoolchildren resulted in a highly significant increase in height and weight when compared with schoolchildren not so treated. The rate of fall of serum alkaline phosphatase was similar in both the treated and untreated schoolchildren and in other children treated in hospital for rickets. Dietary studies on 9% of the total survey by weighed inventory methods showed a low average intake of vitamin D, while random estimates of 25-hydroxycalciferol levels on 6% of the children were less than 3 8 ng/ml in 40% of those studied (principally Asian). It was concluded that there was a significant problem of vitamin D deficiency among Asian and West Indian teenagers and that white children were also affected to a less degree.