Community Rising (CR) Project [District Orphans and Vulnerable Children System Strengthening (DOSS)] Page | 1 Cooperative Agreement Number: AID-611-A-13-00005
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Community Rising (CR) Project [District Orphans and Vulnerable Children System strengthening (DOSS)] Page | 1 Cooperative Agreement Number: AID-611-A-13-00005 Year 4: Quarter 1 Project Progress Report Period: (October 1, 2016 to December, 31, 2016) Submitted: January, 2017 Submitted To: Josephat Kakoma, Agreement Officer’s Technical Representative, USAID, Zambia. Email: [email protected] I. Acronyms/ Abbreviations ACC Area Coordinating Committees BU Boston University Page | 2 CCPU Community Child Protection Unit CMMB Catholic Medical Mission Board CWAC Community Welfare Assistance Committee DCPC District Child Protection Committee DDCC District Development Coordinating Committee DHO District Health Office DOSS District Orphans and Vulnerable Children Systems Strengthening DWAC District Welfare Assistance Committee ECR Expanded Church Response GRZ Government of the Republic of Zambia IOM Integrated Organization Model LF Luapula Foundation MCDSW Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare MTA Men Taking Action NHC Neighbourhood Health Committees OVC Orphans and Vulnerable Children PEPFAR President Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief PWAS Public Welfare Assistance Scheme RDC Residents Development Committee SIMS Site Improvement Management Systems SCD System Capacity Development UNICEF United Nation Children’s Fund ZCHARD Zambia Centre for Health Research and Development ZAMFAM Zambia Families Project Page | 3 ZR Zambia Rising Project II. Executive Summary Luapula Foundation (LF), a local Non-Governmental Organization, partnered with the Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) to implement the Community Rising (CR) Project which was awarded by USAID with effect from October 1, 2013, through a Cooperative Agreement Page | 4 Number; AID-611-13-00005 under President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). LF provided the work plan to illustrate how the project for systems strengthening for FY17 activities shall unfold in the targeted districts to USAID mission/Zambia and the plan was approved by USAID to allow LF and its sub-partner CMMB implement the proposed activities for year four. LF and CMMB works in conjunction with the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare, other child focused ministries such as Education, Health, Youth, Sports and Child Development to promote access to quality services delivery to orphans and vulnerable children in 14 districts from five provinces in Zambia. The purpose of the project is to improve orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) services by strengthening the existing district and sub-district structures. This is conducted through implementing activities that culminates into enhanced and improved client identification, linkages and referrals coordinated by Department of Social Welfare at district (DWAC) and sub- district structure (through CWACs and ACC). The project has entered fourth year (FY17) and the targets are only reached following completion of four ear-marked Systems Capacity Development (SCD) activities; thereafter, the district and sub-district structures are mentored for sustainability for a period of six months before exit. The project has targeted fourteen districts in five provinces, namely: Southern, Copper-belt, Luapula, Central and Lusaka. In each district the project is at different stages; the first cohort districts (Choma, Kitwe, Namwala and Ndola) were phased-out in the fourth quarter of FY 16. The second cohort districts (Chingola, Mazabuka, Mwense and Nchelenge) completed its intermediate stage and have entered into the phase out stage and it will last for six months (1st Oct 2016 to 31st Mar 2017) of FY17. The third cohort districts (Kabwe and Luangwa) have entered into the intermediate phase stage in the first quarter of FY17. In the first quarter of FY 17 the project scaled up to four new districts which are the fourth cohort districts (Mkushi and Kapiri in central province and Chongwe and Kafue in Lusaka province which are in the phase in stage. This therefore means that the CR project has now entered the fourteen (14) districts in five provinces as was the project target; albeit at different implementation levels. In this first quarter of FY 17 progress report, LF highlights the progress made towards achieving the targets and the outcomes associated with the System Capacity Development (SCD) as Page | 5 outlined in the approved FY17 work plan covering the fourteen (14) districts as stated above. The report shall include: Table of contents, Introduction, Key Strategies, Objectives, Deliverables and Progress under Objectives and Activities, Results Summary Table, Major Accomplishments and Changes, Best Practices, Challenges Encountered and CR Responses, List of Key Upcoming Events (2nd Quarter of FY17). Contents I. Acronyms/ Abbreviations ..................................................................................................................... 2 II. Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................... 4 1.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 7 2.0 Key Strategies ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Page | 6 3.0 Objectives, Deliverables and Progress under Activities ....................................................................... 10 4.0 Project progress on Key Indicators ....................................................................................................... 24 4.1: Project Results Summary Table to date ............................................................................................... 25 5.0 Major accomplishments and changes during the quarter under review ................................................ 26 6. Best Practices .......................................................................................................................................... 27 7.0 Lessons Learnt ...................................................................................................................................... 27 8.0 Challenges encountered and CR Response. .......................................................................................... 28 9.0 List of Key Upcoming Events ............................................................................................................... 30 1.0 Introduction Luapula Foundation (LF) a local Nongovernmental Organization (NGO) has implemented Community Rising (CR) project for three years three months out of five years of the life of the project, which was awarded by USAID effective from October 1, 2013, through a Cooperative Page | 7 Agreement Number; AID-611-13-00005 under President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). CR is a systems strengthening project with a goal of strengthening OVC social service delivery systems and structures at the district and community levels of the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare (MCDSW) in five provinces and 14 districts in Zambia. The CR project has now been implemented for thirty nine (39) out of the sixty (60) months of the life of project timeframe (it has run 65% of project life). Under the CR project, LF as a lead partner working with CMMB as a sub partner is working in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) and Zambia Rising (ZR) consortium at district and sub-district levels. Additionally, the project is working with an array of OVC service providers and stakeholders at district and sub-district levels to strengthen social welfare systems, improve coordination amongst line ministries, and bridge the gap between government, civil society, the private sector and other critical stakeholders through the Department of Social Welfare as the coordination unit for OVC service provision. The activities under CR project are implemented in accordance with the project objectives; this helps to track progress made towards achieving the project objectives: The project has three objectives which provide the basis of the program to be implemented over 5 years of the project and they are as follows; 1. To strengthen and improve efficiency of OVC service delivery systems in selected districts at the community level. 2. To strengthen the provision of care to OVC according to national OVC services through improved linkages and referrals. 3. To collaborate with other OVC projects (ZR and DR). In addition to the above project objectives, Luapula Foundation set one more objective in order to continue monitoring its compliance to the United States Government (USG) rules and regulations and maintaining LF high standards of performance in the entire life of the project, this objective is part of the annual work plan; Page | 8 4. ‘To strengthen organizational capacity of LF; to ensure conformity with USAID financial, administrative and management procedures to successfully manage the project.’ However the fourth objective focuses on LF as an institution in terms of building its capacities to be able to adhere to the rules, regulation and improve own ability to manage projects. This report highlights project progress that LF and its sub partner have made towards the implementation of the FY17 first quarter planned activities from October 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016. The outline of the report will flow as follows: Highlight key Strategies being deployed; the objectives with their