Save the Children in partnership with SNV

Projet USAID Nutrition et Hygiène à

Cooperative Agreement No. AID-688-A-13-00004

Quarterly Performance Report

Year 1 Quarter 2

January 1, 2014 – March 31, 2014

Contact Information for this report: Maurice Gerald Zafimanjaka, MPH Directeur de Projet, Le Projet de Nutrition et Hygiène Email: [email protected]

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Contents

Acronyms ...... 3

Executive summary...... 4

Reporting period...... 5

Technical assistance (TA)...... 6

Travel and visits...... 6

Major activities planned in the next reporting period...... 6

Environmental compliance...... 7

Issues requiring the attention of USAID management ...... 7

2 Acronyms ASC Communautaire (Frontline Health Worker) AEA Agriculture Extension Agents ASACO Associations de Sante Communautaire ASDAP L’Association pour le Soutien du Développement des Activités de Population ATPC Assainissement Total Piloté par la Communauté or CLTS BDS Business Development Providers CLAN Community Leaders for Action on Nutrition CLTS Community Led Total Sanitation or ATPC CMAM Community-based management of acute malnutrition CSCOM Centre de Sante Communautaire DRACPN Direction Régionale de l’ inissement et du Contrôle des Pollutions et des Nuisances ENA Essential Nutrition Actions FARN Foyer ’Apprentissage et de Réhabilitation Nutritionnelle FFMSy Family Farming Marketing Systems FFS Farm Field Schools FSL Food Security and Livelihoods GOM Government of HKI Helen Keller International ICRISAT International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics IER Rural Economy Institute IPC Interpersonal Communication IYCF Infant and Young Child Feeding JFAN Jeune Filles for Action on Nutrition MAM Moderate Acute Malnutrition MUAC Mid-Upper Arm Circumference MICS Multi-indicator Cluster Survey MOH Ministry of Health OD Open Defecation OTP Outpatient Therapeutic Feeding Program PANAC Projet d'Amélioration du Nutrition à travers des Actions Communautaires PLW Pregnant and Lactating Women USAID/NHP L’Projet de Nutrition et Hygiè ’USAID RFA Request for Applications RUTF Ready-to-use therapeutic foods SAM Severe Acute Malnutrition SBC Social and Behavior Change SBCC Social and Behavior Change Communication SIS Système ’Information Sanitaire SOW Scope of Work TA Technical Assistance TOR Terms of Reference SACCN Senior Advisors for Client Counseling and Negotiation SFP Supplementary Feeding Program WASH Water Sanitation and Hygiene

3 Executive summary During the second quarter of implementation for the USAID Projet Nutrition et Hygiene or Nutrition and Hygiene Project (USAID/NHP), the foundations for project implementation were set. The Project Director assumed his role at the start of the quarter and other key staff including the Deputy Project Director and FSL Advisor were recruited. An office space was secured and furnished in Sikasso for the project staff and a project launch was held with Malian authorities and representatives from the donor and implementers in attendance.

Project overview Save the Children leads the implementation of the USAID Projet Nutrition et Hygiene or Nutrition and Hygiene Project (USAID/NHP). USAID/NHP is implemented in partnership with SNV in the of Mali. USAID/NHP will reach 13,000 pregnant and lactating women and 53,000 children under two in six health districts in the Sikasso Region with the totality of its interventions over a period of five years.

USAID/NHP’ goal is to improve the nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women and children under two years of age through an integrated set of programmatic approaches. USAID/NHP uses social and behavior change and community mobilization approaches to stimulate change. Approaches include Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), and Community Leaders for Action on Nutrition (CLAN) to improve hygiene and nutrition behaviors and the Farm Field Schools (FFS) and innovative Family Farming Marketing Systems (FFMSy) to improve production and consumption of nutrient-dense foods. USAID/NHP also supports the Malian Ministry of Health in addressing acute malnutrition through CMAM and encouraging Interpersonal Communication (IPC) in client- patient exchanges.

Achievements and successes USAID/NHP completed its second quarter on March 31, 2014. In this quarter, the project laid much of the foundation for implementation including the identification of a project office in Sikasso, an official project launch with Malian authorities, representatives from the donor USAID, and SNV and SC, the recruitment of the majority of project staff, procurement of essential project materials, and the mapping and identification of communities to be targeted by the project for implementation.

Recruitment for USAID/NHP

Staffing All of the three key staff associated with the project were successfully recruited or assumed their roles during this quarter. Maurice Gerald Zafimanjaka assumed his role as Project Director on January 9, 2014. USAID/NHP successfully recruited Mr. Drissa Ouattara as Deputy Project Director this quarter. As Mr. Ouattara will start his assignment on June 1, 2014, SC staff member Dr. Aissata Diarra will act as temporary Deputy Project Director from April to May 2014. Mr. Elie Dembele took his role as Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL) Advisor in the last quarter, in October 2013. SNV recruited Mr. Noufou Sanogo to function as Agro-Economic Advisor to the project and he began in January 2014. Thirty (30) program staff members were recruited by Save the Children in March and will begin their field-based work from April 2014 onwards. The agro-nutrition advisor position recruitment is ongoing and is expected to be filled by end of April 2014.

Project launch An official launch for the project was held on March 28, 2014 at the conference room of the Regional Health Directorate of Sikasso. Two representatives from USAID attended including Ms. Fatimata Ouattara and Ms. Mariam Cire Bah. Local authorities (territorial and technical sectors), under the leadership of the Governor of the Region, as well as local partners (UNs and NGOs) also attended the ceremony. The Project Director presented h proj c ’ o l obj c iv o h u i c p ci l u v speeches. The delegation of local authorities and partners visited the project office and observed newly purchased furniture, equipment, and vehicles. National and local media were convened to cover the event. In addition, a round table discussion was facilitated and broadcasted through a local radio station with a high coverage (Radio Kene) to inform the population about the new project.

Project Office and Procurement An office in Sikasso was secured during this quarter. The office is large enough to accommodate all of the project staff. Vehicles, computers, and other essential equipment were procured.

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USAID/Health area and Village targeting Th proj c ’ l r hip initiated the targeting of communities to be included in the project and submitted the list of proposed communities to USAID during this quarter. USAID/NHP committed to working in 1,200 villages of six health districts (, , Kignan, , and Sikasso which was recently split into two districts Nièna and Sikasso) in the Sikasso Region, of which 250 will participate in the full package of activities included in the three strategic objectives. In the other 950 villages, the project will implement some project components with the intention of complementing the other actors working in the area, such as ASDAP. In the Koutiala, Kignan, and Kadiolo health districts where ASDAP implements a similar project using SBC approaches to improve IYCF, USAID/NHP will support CMAM and CLTS.

During the targeting exercise, USAID/NHP collected secondary data from individual public and private partners to draft a mapping table of key actors - where they are present, what types of interventions they support, and the duration to ensure that the project will not duplicate. This draft mapping tables was a key document used to generate discussion at a targeting workshop with all key project partners on March 18, 2018. Based on discussions and recommendations from this workshop, USAID/NHP refined its targeting criteria and identified communities for intervention. The list of communities will be submitted to USAID for approval in April 2014.

Baseline survey coordination USAID/NHP has been actively coordinating with USAID and the other organizations with projects implemented by CARE and ASDAP, and funded under the same mechanism on the baseline survey. In February, consortia leaders, CARE, ASDAP and Save the Children shared their jointly-developed baseline survey methodology with USAID. SC has identified a consultant to conduct the baseline in the proposed project area and the baseline survey is scheduled to begin in April 2014. Project staff will be intensively involved in baseline survey, mainly for data collection and entry.

Formative Research: USAID/NHP leadership began negotiating terms for the formative research to guide the formulation of the proj c ’ SBC r y i rv io . pr , it is the intention of USAID/NHP to conduct formative r rch joi ly wi h SC M li’ Improving Community Health (ICH) project which has similar aims. ICH is being implemented in five health districts (Nièna, Sikasso, Koutiala, Kignan, and Kadiolo). The two projects intend to conduct the formative research using the same methodology (Doer/Non-doer and Barrier Analysis) for similar health and nutrition behaviors. For efficiency the research will be conducted in two phases. The first will be a formative research using Doer/Non-Doer Analysis. The second will be a more in-depth qualitative research refining findings from Doer/Non-Doer Analysis. A consultant with a background in Sociology and qualitative research methods has been identified for the first phase of the formative research which will start in the next quarter.

Challenges and constraints The primary challenges experienced in this quarter were related to the start-up of the project, specifically recruitment and procurement. It was challenging to identify a well-qualified Deputy Project Director experienced as a manager as well as in community mobilization and social and behavior change. Fortunately an exceptional candidate was identified though he will not be available to start until the third quarter of the project.

Project leadership expects that the imminent rains that typically begin in mid-May and last until Mid-October and agriculture activities will impede project implementation. Inevitably some communities will not be accessible and the vast majority of community members will be busy with cultivation. The project will focus on planning, the development of strategies, tools, and modules, and trainings during this time.

Priorities for the Next Quarter: - Orientation of new project staff to their roles to include assigning areas of supervision, training in specific technical areas/methodologies/approaches used by the project such as CLTS and community mobilization; - Baseline survey to include active participation of project staff; - Formative research and Social and Behavior Change Strategy considerations and planning; - Development of training materials and other project guidance: Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), Community based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM), Community mobilization, monitoring system; 5 - Data collecting tool development for survey and assessment: village surveys, needs assessments (CSCOM, and Health district and ASACO); and - Assessment of participating communities and health facilities (CSCOM) by project staff.

Reporting period This is the USAID/NHP project’ Year 1 Quarter I1 report covering the reporting period from January 1, 2014 to March 31, 2014.

Publication/reports Did your organization support the production of publications, reports, guidelines or assessments during the reporting period?

No/Not Applicable Yes If yes, please list below:

During the project launch, the project produced materials such as banners, pamphlets, T-shirts, and hats or caps. The project received a prior approval from the donor in the branding and marking strategy.

TA Providers/Visitors Did your organization utilize short-term TA during the reporting period? No/Not Applicable X Yes X Please list below:

No TA providers visited the project during this quarter. Technical assistance from provided remotely.

Travel and visits Did your organization support international travel during the reporting period? No/Not Applicable Yes

6 Field monitoring and supervision visits

Have any program monitoring visits/supervisions been made during the reporting period?

No/Not Applicable

Yes Please list below

Major activities planned in the next reporting period The project will conduct the following activities in the next reporting period:

Staffing: - SNV will recruit one (01) agro-nutritionist, operational in May 2014.  Subcontracting: - SNV will recruit two local capacity builders, April-May 2014 - SNV will recruit the value chain analysis consultant, May 2014  Submission of list of health areas and villages of intervention to USAID for approval, April 2014;  Conduct a baseline survey, April-June 2014;  Conduct village surveys, June 2014;  Conduct value chain analysis, May-June 2014;  Identify and organize of producer groups, May-June 2014;  Conduct needs assessments for CMAM management structures and prioritized CSCom, June 2014

Environmental compliance As project activities within the region of Sikasso were not initiated in the second quarter, reporting on environmental compliance is not applicable.

Issues requiring the attention of USAID management This is not applicable.

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