Graduating to Resilience Quarterly Report
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Graduating to Resilience Quarterly Report FY2019, Quarter 2 January 1, 2019 to March 30, 2019 Submission Date: April 30, 2019 Revised: June 13, 2019 Cooperative Agreement – AID-FFP-A-17-00006 October 01, 2017 to September 30, 2024 AOR Name: Graceanna Enzinger Submitted by: Jackie Aldrette, Activity Coordinator AVSI Foundation 8730 Georgia Avenue, Suite 209 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Tel: 301-589-9009 Email: [email protected] This document was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development, Office of Food for Peace. “This publication is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the Office of Food for Peace, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under terms of Cooperative Agreement No. AID‐FFP‐A‐17‐00006. The contents are the responsibility of AVSI Foundation and Graduating to Resilience and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.” Graduating to Resilience is implemented by AVSI Foundation in partnership with Acronyms and Abbreviations CBT Community Based Trainer CLA Collaborating, Learning and Adapting CRRF Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework DIP Detailed Implementation Plan EMMP Environmental Mitigation and Management Plan EVD Ebola Virus Disease FFS Farmer Field School FFBS Farmer Field Business School FGD Focus Group Discussion IEE Initial Environmental Examination IPA Innovations for Poverty Action IPTT Indicator Performance Tracking Table IRB Institutional Review Board KAP Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices KII Key Informant Interview LG Local Government MAM Moderate Acute Malnutrition MIS Management Information System MIYCF Maternal and Infant Young Child Feeding MUREC Mildmay Uganda Research and Ethical Committee OPM Office of the Prime Minister PDM Post Distribution Monitoring PERSUAP Performance Evaluation Report and Safer User Action Plan PRA Participatory Rural Appraisal PREP Pipeline and Resource Estimate Proposal PSEA Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse PSN Persons with Special Needs SAT Senior Advisory Team SAM Severe Acute Malnutrition SOP Standard Operating Procedures TSC Technical Steering Committee VHT Village Health Team 1 | Page 1. Activity Summary Activity title Graduating to Resilience [Development Food Security Activity in Uganda—Graduation Pilot] Agreement Number AID‐FFP‐A‐17‐00006 Name of Prime Implementing Partner: AVSI Foundation Name of Sub‐recipient(s)/Sub‐awardee(s): Trickle Up Program, Inc IMPAQ International, LLC Activity Start Date October 01, 2017 Activity End Date September 30, 2024 Reporting Period: FY2019, Q2: January 2019 – March 2019 FY2019, QUARTER 2 (January – March, 2019) AVSI Foundation, as the prime recipient, signed the USAID Cooperative Agreement, “Development Food Security Activity in Uganda—Graduation Pilot”, No. AID‐FFP‐A‐17‐ 00006, on September 30, 2017. The Activity is now operating with the project title, “Graduating to Resilience”, as per approved Branding Strategy / Marking Plan‐ BSMP.1 The activities covered in this FY2019 2nd Quarterly Report relate to the period between January 1, 2019 and March 30, 2019. Review of Context and Monitoring of Assumptions In the current quarter, 6th quarter of the Activity, the context has remained largely unchanged and the assumptions flagged for active monitoring have not escalated in severity. Seasonality: The region experienced isolated light rains and relatively dry conditions. The Farmer Field Business School (FFBS) groups carried out land preparation, received FFBS tools and are ready to plant in their demonstration gardens upon receipt of seed. Food Security Outlook: Host community households had adequate carryover of staple food stock (maize & beans) from last season’s bumper harvests and income from crop sales has been normal. Stocks are expected to decline by April‐May 2019. The refugees’ main source of food remained humanitarian aid, supplemented by own production. The security situation in and around Rwamwanja has remained stable. Elections in DRC: The DRC held general elections on December 30, 2018. An increased refugee influx in January‐February 2019 did not affect the program area. Ebola: Ebola is still active in DRC. No confirmed cases have been reported within the borders of Uganda. AVSI participates in the settlement’s Ebola Taskforce. Scenario planning around land and possible influx: The much‐anticipated refugee influx to Rwamwanja did not occur. Most recent contingency planning by UNHCR and OPM lists 1 The approved Branding Strategy/Marking Plan for this activity has been made part of Agreement AID‐FFP‐A‐17‐00006 with Modification No 01, Section D. 2 | Page Rwamwanja Settlement as third in line to receive new arrivals (only after Kyaka II and Oruchinga Settlements are full). The Activity maintained an active plan to switch to high‐ value crops that could be profitable on smaller plots if the situation suddenly changed and plot sizes reduced. Summary of Results to Date Graduating to Resilience is largely on‐track with planned activities. Major achievements during the past quarter include the following: Actual/planned beneficiaries: 6,629 households were identified and targeted for participation in Cohort 1. After activities began during this quarter, 6,564 households were actively participating. Only 1% of households dropped out or were removed from enrolment lists due to discrepancies or repetition of names. Coaching system in place: 194 coaches (176 Individual Coaches following an average of 25 households each and 18 Group Coaches assigned to 5 groups each, for approximately 125 households) were randomly assigned to treatment villages. The Coaching Curriculum has been finalized and all 194 coaches were trained. Additional coaches were hired as replacements and back‐up support for the coaches and Community Based Trainers (CBT). Cash transfer: Consumption smoothing cash transfer affected successful for two months, reaching 99% beneficiary coverage and with positive feedback received through post‐distribution monitoring. $370,780 in cash transfers were received directly by Graduating to Resilience participants during the quarter, largely by mobile money. M&E Plan – Graduation Criteria: The M&E Plan narrative and the revised Theory of Change were cleared by USAID/FFP and the Graduation Criteria are nearly finalized. VSLA mobilization: 190 Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) (72% of the total planned number) with 4,592 members (69%) have started saving. FFBS launch: 209 FFBS have been formed. 57 are finalizing their registration. 257 FFBS have been provided kits to commence their season‐long experiential learning, and the remaining 9 are scheduled to receive the kits in the coming quarter. Key strategic decisions made during the quarter: FFBS Enterprise Selection: The Technical Steering Committee (TSC) resolved to direct all FFBS groups to choose learning enterprises from those that were pre‐identified through the Value Chain Assessment (maize, beans, groundnuts). This decision was based on ensuring appropriate quality of technical support from CBTs, and on the observation of the high transferability of FFBS technical contents to other enterprises, post‐learning phase. VSLA membership: The TSC observed that occasionally members of VSLAs may not be the primary beneficiaries (as intended in the design). It was resolved that such cases be allowed if the primary beneficiary is unable to participate due to disability, illness, or family circumstances, in which case another family member will be allowed to join the VSLA in the interest of the participating family. All such cases should be clearly documented. Village Reassignments: The TSC opted to split a village cluster (“Bitojo + Bubaare”) following the substantiation of claims of excessive distance between the two villages (which hampered participation by 17 households). One “Bubaare” group was therefore rescinded from the 3 | Page “Bitojo” groups, and randomly assigned a treatment arm. The decision and data was conveyed to IPA. Cash transfer service provider: The TSC resolved to seek a different partner for the activity, since MTN had failed to deliver on transferring cash to beneficiaries using the custom‐made system for two consecutive transfers. The TSC resolved to hold discussions with Stanbic Bank (which had successfully stepped in to effect the February and March transfers) to continue delivering mobile money cash transfer and develop an alternative transfer modality for beneficiaries who cannot access mobile money services. 2. Activity Outputs Purpose 1 Establishment and support to Farmer Field Business Schools (FFBS): The Activity had originally planned to establish 265 Farmer Field Business School (FFBS) groups, 133 in the refugee settlement and 132 in the host community. Following a TSC decision (see Section 1) concerning excessive intra‐household distances for the “Bubaare‐Bitojo” village cluster, an additional group was added to the target. By the end of March 2019, a total of 209 groups (79%) were established, 104 in the refugee settlement and 105 in the host community and comprising 75% of the beneficiary households (92% female, 8% male). Male membership is slightly higher among refugees (11% vs. 5%). The remaining 57 FFBS groups are completing their group registration process. FFBS Training: All 266 groups, including those that had not completed their registration process, were taken through Group Action Planning (GAP) as a start‐up activity. Using participatory rural appraisal approaches, each group