QUARTERLY PERFORMANCE REPORT Fiscal Year 2020, Quarter 1: October 1 – December 31, 2019

Host Country Contact Headquarters Contact Project Summary

Award No. AID-520-A-15- Chief of Party Senior Program Officer 00002 Community Strengthening Project Mercy Corps Headquarters

Start Date: June 12, 2015 Portland Oregon, USA End Date: June 11, 2020 Guatemala City, Guatemala

Tel: + ( Tel Report dates: April 1 – June 30, 2019

Mobile + Fax Total Award: $40 million

January 30, 2020 This document was prepared by Mercy Corps for review by the United States Agency for International Development.

Contents Acronyms List 2 Problem Statement 5 Theory of Change, Goal and Objectives 5

Executive Summary 6 Key Progress, Fiscal Year 2020, Quarter 1 6 Key Indicator Results 7 Key Challenges and Lessons Learned 8

Update on News and Context Relevant to Program Implementation 9

Progress on Activity Implementation 9 Objective 1: Support community commissions to institutionalize proven, integrated violence prevention initiatives in targeted areas. 9 Objective 2: Strengthen and mobilize municipal and national stakeholders and resources to develop and implement municipal level prevention plans through a multi-stakeholder, inter- institutional process. 12 Objective 3: Support secondary prevention projects in close coordination with municipal authorities. 14 Objective 4: Promote and integrate evidence-based policy making among prevention actors 17

Analysis of Project Implementation and Partnerships 18 Challenges and Lessons Learned 18 Integration of Gender, Vulnerable Groups, and Compliance with USAID Disability Policy 20 Institutional Capacity Building 20 Short-term Projects and Strategic Activity Funds 21

Monitoring & Evaluation 21 Indicator Results 21

Coordination, Communication, Compliance, and Future Activities 23 Collaboration with USAID Partners and Other USG Agencies 24 Social Communication 24 EMMP Compliance 24 Activities Next Quarter 25

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Acronyms List

AMBI Amor y Bienestar, Love and Well-being

APS Annual Program Statements ASIES La Asociación de Investigación y Estudios Sociales, Association of Research and Social Studies CA Cooperative Agreement CCPC Comisión Comunitaria de Prevención y Convivencia, Community Prevention and Coexistence Commissions (formerly Community Violence Prevention Commissions, CVPCs) CEMUCAF Centros Municipales de Capacitación y Formación Humana, Municipal Centers for Coaching and Human Training CEPC Comisiones Escolares de Prevención y Convivencia, School (Violence) Prevention and Coexistence Commissions CICAM Centro de Investigación, Capacitación y Apoyo a la Mujer

COCODE Consejos Comunitarios de Desarrollo, Community Development Councils COCOPRE Comisión Comunitaria de Prevención de la Violencia, Community Commission for Violence Prevention CONALFA Comité Nacional de Alfabetización, National Literacy Committee COMUDE Municipal Development Councils (Consejos Municipales de Desarrollo, COMUDE) COMUPRE Comisión Municipal de Prevención de Violencia, Municipal Violence Prevention Commission (formerly Municipal Violence Prevention Commission (MVPC) or Municipal Crime and Violence Commission (MCVC) CPTED Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design CSO Civil Society Organization CUB Comité Único de Barrio, Single Neighborhood Committee DIGEEX Dirección General de Educación Extracurricular, General Office of Extracurricular Education DMM Direcciones Municipales de la Mujer, Municipal Women’s Offices EMMP Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan

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FLACSO Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences FUNDAESPR Fundación Esfuerzo y Prosperidad, Foundation for Effort and Prosperity O GBV Services Gender Based Violence Services IEE Initial Environmental Examination IEPADES Instituto de Enseñanza para el Desarrollo Sostenible, Institute of Teaching for Sustainable Development IGER El Instituto Guatemalteco de Educación Radiofónica, The Guatemalan Institute of Radio Education INTECAP El Instituto Técnico de Capacitación y Productividad , Technical Institute for Training and Productivity IREX International Research and Exchanges Board LGBTI Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, intersex MESA DE LA Mesa a favor de las niñas y las Adolescentes, Working Group in Favor of Girls NIÑA and Adolescents/Working Group on Girls’ Rights MICUDE Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte, Ministry of Culture and Sport MINGOB Ministerio de Gobernación, Ministry of the Interior M&E Monitoring and Evaluation PTA Parent Teacher Association PNC Polícia Nacional Civil, National Civil Police RFA Request for Application

RRF Rapid Response Fund RTI Research Triangle Institute SAF Strategic Activities Fund SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Analysis Analysis TSE Tribunal Supremo Electoral, Electoral Supreme Tribunal ToC Theory of change

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UMG Urban Municipal Governance UPCV Unidad para la Prevención Comunitaria de Violencia, Unit for Community Violence Prevention USAC Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, San Carlos University of Guatemala USAID United States Agency for International Development USG United States Government YSET Youth Service Eligibility Tool

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Program Overview

Problem Statement Staggering rates of theft, human and drug trafficking, domestic violence, child abuse, extortion, kidnapping, assault and murder plague Guatemala, much of it concentrated in urban areas in and around Guatemala City. This chronic insecurity limits Guatemala’s potential. Income and profits are spent on increased security rather than contributing to Guatemala’s economic growth. Job and educational opportunities are limited in vulnerable urban neighborhoods in particular, where population growth has been dramatic over the last 30 years, and where few schools have been built, and where few investors or employers seek business opportunities or to recruit employees. Families often remain isolated in their homes, further disintegrating Guatemala’s social fabric and limiting the development of social capital. Yet staying at home does not necessarily protect women and children, who are the most likely to be the victims of intra- family violence. Some parents prefer the risk of their children migrating alone to the United States rather than having them remain in Guatemala to become a victim of violence or recruited into one of urban Guatemala’s many gangs. Even when children are returned, many try to migrate again. Mercy Corps recognizes that Guatemala is at a critical moment, where violence continues to tear families and communities apart. However, it is also a moment in which positive trends can be built upon to create a tipping point where urban Guatemala becomes safer and more secure.

Theory of Change, Goal and Objectives The Community Strengthening Project, known as the CONVIVIMOS Program, is a five-year violence prevention program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). CONVIVIMOS is based on the following theory of change (ToC): If individual, family, community and government capacities are improved, then communities’ resilience will increase and communities will become safer and more secure. The project goal is to support the Government of Guatemala, municipalities, civil society, and community actors to address the causes and consequences of violence through integrated prevention techniques. CONVIVIMOS has four complementary and mutually reinforcing objectives: Objective 1: Support community commissions to institutionalize proven, integrated violence prevention projects in targeted areas; Objective 2: Strengthen and mobilize municipal and national stakeholders and resources to develop and implement municipal-level violence prevention plans; Objective 3: Support secondary prevention projects in close coordination with municipal authorities; and Objective 4: Promote and integrate evidence-based policy making among violence prevention actors.

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Executive Summary

Key Progress, Fiscal Year 2020, Quarter 1

Mobilizing communities to prevent crime and violence:

Improving community infrastructure Improving community infrastructure raises the quality of life for local residents by mitigating environmental features that make an area vulnerable to crime and violence, and by strengthening social fabric through creating new public spaces where neighbors can peacefully coexist. During this quarter, CONVIVIMOS continued to work for the renovation of public spaces in three project municipalities. Additionally CONVIVIMOS has completed the design and construction process of Belen Park in Zone 7 in Mixco Municipality. The construction of the Municipal Women’s Office in Guatemala City was completed and the donation paperwork to handover the property ownership to the Municipality is in progress. CONVIVIMOS will start the construction work process of the Community Centers in Mixco in the following quarter.

Improving employability for at-risk youth During this quarter, CONVIVIMOS’ short-term partner, Fundación Toruño’s “GuatEduca Valores” Project, continued to implement activities that prevent violence and help young people prepare themselves for employment through the following strategies: knowledge transfer and academic support, improving emotional and mental health, social activities, and pre-employment scholarships and workforce readiness preparation. During this quarter, a total of 246 students participated in project activities.

Supporting education initiatives in violence prevention

CONVIVIMOS partner Fe y Alegría presented the results from the organization’s four years of implementation as part of the project consortium. 40 representatives from government and civil society attended the event, including representatives from President-elect Alejandro Giammattei’s transition team for the Ministry of Education. By sharing these results with the incoming administration, CONVIVIMOS is helping to ensure the sustainability of the project’s interventions.

Supporting municipal and national governments as partners in violence prevention:

Supporting Crime Analysis Units

During this quarter Mercy Corps’ TSU Team continued to strengthen the municipal technical team of crime analysis units in the municipalities of Villa Nueva, Mixco, San Miguel Petapa and Villa Canales. These trainings will improve the analysis to use primary data to supplement data collected from secondary sources.

Strengthening secondary violence prevention services:

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Strengthening Municipal Referral Networks

During this quarter, Mercy Corps’ TSU team continued to strengthen the capacity of the municipal referral networks for victims of violence.

Scaling up efforts to identify at-risk youth During previous quarters, the Mercy Corps Technical Support Unit adapted and customized a tool used by the Peruvian Ministry of Education to help the project identify at-risk youth. The tool takes into account conditions and situations of psychological risk that affect youth at the individual, household, school and community levels and is designed as an “initial screen” that can be applied broadly in a community. During this quarter, CONVIVIMOS applied a tool for identifying risk factors in youth in the municipalities of: Villa Nueva, Villa Canales, Amatitlán, San Miguel Petapa, Mixco and Guatemala. This tool allows the identification of situations of psychosocial risk that are recognized as determining or preventable factors related to violence in different areas: family, community and school.

Short-term partnerships with secondary prevention service providers During this quarter, CICAM continued implementing the “Psychosocial care in Guatemala City, Villa Nueva, Amatitlán, San Miguel Petapa, Villa Canales y Mixco” project. This project provides psychosocial counseling and legal support to vulnerable populations and victims of violence in the project’s areas of intervention. During this quarter, CICAM was able to provide legal and/or counseling services to a total of 714 individuals.

Deepening understanding of crime & violence through innovative research:

Producing research on crime & violence in Guatemala During this quarter, CONVIVIMOS partner FLACSO finalized the investigation “Youth of Guatemala City: Employment, Participation and Security Perception”. This investigation characterizes youth of Guatemala City through a survey conducted directly to young people on three key issues: employment and training, civic engagement and security perception.

Increasing local capacity to perform research on violence prevention This quarter, FLACSO continued a year-long post graduate certificate course on social research for violence prevention policy. A total of 21 participants concluded the post graduate program.

Key Indicator Results

● 604 people (402 women and 202 men) from target communities benefited from CONVIVIMOS ́ community activities. ● The project provided secondary care services, including psychosocial care and / or legal support to 447 people (361 women and 86 men) from vulnerable populations, including victims of violence. ● Through the adjusted identification tool mentioned above, CONVIVIMOS identified 3,157 at-risk youth (3,028 medium risk and 129 high risk) in the municipalities of: Villa Nueva, Villa Canales, Amatitlán, San Miguel Petapa, Mixco and Guatemala.

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● CONVIVIMOS provided technical and financial support to five projects that include activities or services designed to reduce specific risks or harm to vulnerable populations.

Key Challenges and Lessons Learned

Challenges ● Contingency planning in response to cuts in FY19 & FY20 foreign assistance funding for the Northern Triangle: As stated on previous reports, during Year 4, at USAID’s request, Mercy Corps submitted a contingency plan based on a reprioritization of activities in order to adhere to adjusted amounts of funding available for the program. To address the challenge created by these cuts, the CONVIVIMOS team held follow-up meetings with municipal participants and community leaders regarding budget reductions and project adjustments to preserve the trust that the project has gained with community members over the first four years of project implementation.

● Unanticipated setbacks have created challenges for the project’s remaining construction activities: In Amatitlán, the municipality’s proximity to nearby volcanoes has created delays for the planned construction projects. During the initial site evaluations, problems were problems were identified both with the unique soil composition and the presence of volcanic gas vents which have forced the project’s infrastructure team to reevaluate the technical designs, delaying the start of construction. Additionally, in Mixco, the infrastructure team encountered setbacks when a small group of local residents raised concerns about a planned community center in a neighborhood in Zone 6. Since the focus of CONVIVIMOS infrastructure projects is to build social cohesion by bringing communities together, Mercy Corps infrastructure and field teams decided to delay beginning construction while engaging with local leaders and municipal officials to resolve the issues.

● Change of Government 2020: The election season has concluded and the prospect of the government transitions presented another challenge for the project. Given that CONVIVIMOS will be closing out activities when these incoming administrations take over in January, the project has taken a proactive approach to ensuring the sustainability of CONVIVIMOS’s successes over the life of the project. In December, CONVIVIMOS arranged informational meetings with elected mayors where relevant activities and progress were presented in preparation for the government transition. Please see Collaboration with USAID Partners and Other USG Agencies section below for more information on the meetings with new municipal authorities.

Lessons Learned ● Migration is a pressing issue for CONVIVIMOS communities: This quarter CONVIVIMOS incorporated various questions about migration into the community- level survey that the project conducted to measure the results of the project’s cross- cutting “reference” indicators (the results of the migration data collected has been included in the “indicator results” section and in Annex H). A few of the key findings 8

from the survey results included that only 3.30% of community members have migrated or attempted to migrate; and 9.01% expressed their desire to migrate in the next three years and 81.93% of the participants reported that they plan to stay in Guatemala.

● Perceptions of the PNC in CONVIVIMOS communities, while still low, are improving: CONVIVIMOS partner IEPADES replicated a 2015 study of community member’s perceptions of the PNC. One of the key findings from the study was that in the municipalities where CONVIVIMOS has been working, just 11% of the population described the PNC as the most efficient security sector organization in 2015 (when CONVIVIMOS started) while 18% described it as the most efficient organization in 2019. This progress is an important step forward for the PNC, as community members are unlikely to report crimes to the PNC if they view their efforts as a waste of time due to the organization’s inefficiency.

Update on News and Context Relevant to Program Implementation

Crime and Violence One of the most difficult issues faced by CONVIVIMOS this past quarter was the increase in violence across the country, which had a direct impact on CONVIVIMOS target municipalities. One example of the situation was an armed confrontation between rival police groups, allegedly due to corruption within the institution, that occurred in Amparo I and Amparo II, in Zone 7 of Guatemala City on November 22.

During this quarter, there were also increases in rates of violent homicide, particularly in municipalities in the Department of Guatemala.

Migration The first asylum-seeking migrants who reached The United States and were designated to be sent to Guatemala, under the Third Safe Country Agreement signed between the two countries, have started to arrive. There is currently no infrastructure to receive them and NGOs (Casa del Migrante and Refugio de la Niñez) as well as the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees started collaborating to process and support the first cases.

Progress on Activity Implementation

Objective 1: Support community commissions to institutionalize proven, integrated violence prevention initiatives in targeted areas.

Result 1.1 (Governance of the Security Sector) – Treatment communities have developed and are implementing violence prevention plans. Advancing the ToC: The process of developing violence prevention plans strengthens collective action and social capital, contributing to community resilience in the form of resident inclusiveness, community leadership, and public participation. 9

During this quarter, CONVIVIMOS continued supporting the recently launched Inter- Municipal Youth Network (Red Inter-Municipal de Juventudes), a standalone youth organization that grew out of the CCPCs’ youth commissions. CONVIVIMOS’s TSU and communications teams worked with the youth network to develop scripts for a radionovela (radio soap opera) starring youth from the network. The radionovela episodes contain positive messages about the importance of peaceful coexistence and will help to raise the profile of the youth network in their communities. CONVIVIMOS anticipates recording the episodes with the youths in the upcoming quarter.

Result 1.2 (Governance of the Security Sector) – Strengthen communication and interaction between treatment communities and government officials, i.e. municipal authorities, COCODEs, police. Advancing the ToC: The enhanced collaboration between communities and government officials improves resource governance and social capital, contributing to community resilience in the form of increased public participation, community leadership, and accessible and responsive services.

There are no activities to report during this quarter.

Result 1.3 (Governance of the Security Sector and Basic Education) – Increased civic engagement in treatment communities. Advancing the ToC: Our increased civic engagement activities strengthen human capital and collective action, leading to community resilience in the form of increased public participation and resident inclusiveness.

Infrastructure Projects Infrastructure projects serve as a method for improving physical spaces in order to create opportunities that will generate positive social interactions, build social cohesion, and strengthen and promote factors that reduce violence. The following progress was made on the CONVIVIMOS infrastructure projects this quarter:

Guatemala City ● Linear Park in La Verbena, Los Aguilares Park in Zone 3 and Municipal Women ́s Office: These projects are completed. The project team is working on the paperwork for the donation to be registered as a public property at the Municipality.

Amatitlán ● In Amatitlán, the construction process for the parks in the neighborhoods of Blandón de Cerezo and Colonias Unidas has begun and is expected to be finalized in the upcoming quarter.

Villa Nueva

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● The construction materials for the renovation of public spaces, outdoor gym and playground equipment, was delivered. The Municipality started to work on the renovation of public spaces in Villa Lobos I, Mezquital, El Esfuerzo and Las Margaritas as planned.

Mixco ● The bidding process is completed for the construction of the Community Center in Paseo Los Campeones in Zone 4 and the Community Center in the San José Los Pinos, Las Brisas in Zone 6. It is expected that the construction process will start in the upcoming quarter. The Municipality of Mixco completed the design and planning process for the renovation of Belen Park in Zone 7.

Villa Canales ● The Municipality started the renovation of public spaces for the outdoor gym and playground equipment and it is expected to be finalized in the upcoming quarter.

Outdoor Gyms and Playground Equipment: ● This quarter, Mercy Corps’ infrastructure team coordinated with municipal officials in Villa Canales, Villa Nueva, Guatemala, San Miguel Petapa and Mixco to follow up on the municipalities’ installation of the equipment that had been delivered to the municipal warehouses in the previous quarter. The municipalities are expected to complete the installation of the outdoor gyms and playgrounds in the upcoming quarter.

Short-term partner civic projects

GuatEduca Valores: During this quarter, CONVIVIMOS short-term partner Fundación Toruño’s “GuatEduca Valores” project continued to implement activities with middle school and high school students in Fe y Alegria’s in Zone 7 of Guatemala City. This project focuses on preventing violence and helping young people prepare themselves for employment through the following strategies: knowledge transfer and academic support, improving emotional and mental health, social activities, and pre-employment scholarships and workforce readiness preparation. Fundación Jorge Toruño awarded 100 scholarships to students of Fe y Alegría schools 9 and 40 in Zone 7 of Guatemala City. These scholarships were provided in part through public-private partnerships and allowed the students to do internships where they gained five weeks of pre-work experience in large companies and government institutions.

Result 1.4 (Governance of the Security Sector) – Reduction of citizen insecurity in treatment communities. Advancing the ToC: The use of data mapping contributes to improved resource governance and security by enabling community representatives and local government to allocate resources appropriately to hotspot areas.

Maps developed in previous years under Result 1.1 with CCPCs were used to support the planning of the infrastructure projects supported under Result 1.3. Each community plan includes a map developed by community members that identifies specific needs related to violence reduction in their neighborhoods. These maps were then used by the Mercy Corps Infrastructure Technical team in their planning process and as supporting documentation for the selected 11

projects. The maps are particularly useful in identifying lighting projects in areas prone to crime and violence. Since all CONVIVIMOS infrastructure projects are currently in the design, procurement, or construction phase, the project is not currently undertaking any new mapping activities, however, the previous maps continue to serve as a valuable resource.

Result 1.5 (Governance of the Security Sector) – Increased provision of prevention programming/services in treatment communities. Advancing the ToC: Increased provision of prevention services contributes to accessible and responsive services and enhances human capital, leading to community resilience in the form of increased resident inclusiveness and social cohesion.

There are no activities to report during this quarter.

Result 1.6 (Basic Education and Governance of the Security Sector) – Strengthen the role of primary schools in primary prevention. Advancing the ToC: Strengthening primary schools increases human capital, laying the foundation for greater public participation and social cohesion.

During this quarter, CONVIVIMOS partner Fe y Alegría presented the results from the organization’s four years of implementation as part of the project consortium. One of the key takeaways from the event was that CONVIVIMOS violence prevention interventions didn’t just work in Fe Y Alegria’s schools, they were also transferable to traditional public schools as well. Researcher Walter Paniagua, who carried out a study of participants in the project’s school government interventions, highlighted how school government participants were nearly six times more resilient to critical life events than non-participants, demonstrating that schools can play a critical role in helping young people develop the life skills necessary to avoid participating in crime and violence. 40 representatives from government and civil society attended the event, including representatives from President-elect Alejandro Giammattei’s transition team for the Ministry of Education. By sharing these results with the incoming administration, CONVIVIMOS is helping to ensure the sustainability of the project’s interventions.

Objective 2: Strengthen and mobilize municipal and national stakeholders and resources to develop and implement municipal level prevention plans through a multi-stakeholder, inter- institutional process.

Result 2.1 (Governance of the Security Sector) – Establishment of inter-institutional crime and violence prevention commissions to manage prevention resources strategically in target municipalities. Advancing the ToC: Strengthening municipal crime and violence prevention commissions contributes to effective local institutions and stronger resource governance, which leads to community resilience in the form of greater political legitimacy.

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There are no activities to report during this quarter.

Result 2.2 (Governance of the Security Sector) – Development and implementation of municipal crime and violence prevention strategies and plans. Advancing the ToC: The development and implementation of the COMUPRE plans contributes to accessible and responsive services and effective local institutions, which leads to community resilience in the form of political legitimacy.

CONVIVIMOS support for municipal strengthening plans: In each of CONVIVIMOS’ six project municipalities, Mercy Corps’ municipal coordinators worked with municipal authorities to develop plans to support key violence prevention activities that the municipalities carry out. This quarter CONVIVIMOS supported Mixco Municipality to develop project proposals to strengthen the Municipal Women’s Office’s Victim Support Unit. During this quarter the following document was approved by the Municipal Council: Guía de abordaje para la atención psicológica y legal de mujeres víctimas de violencia basada en género.

Result 2.3 (Governance of the Security Sector) – Promote inclusive urban planning processes. Advancing the ToC: Consultative and inclusive planning processes contribute to collective action and effective local institutions, leading to community resilience in the form of social cohesion and public participation.

As described in Result 1.3, Mercy Corps implements infrastructure projects validated by both the community and municipality. Many of these infrastructure projects take into consideration Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles (natural surveillance, natural access control, territorial reinforcement, maintenance and management)1. CPTED principles help ensure that the infrastructure projects support the reduction of incidences of violence, as well as perceptions and fear of crime and violence in target communities and municipalities. All infrastructure, municipal, and community projects are identified through an inclusive, participatory process that takes into consideration the needs and interests of diverse groups.

Result 2.4 (Governance of the Security Sector) – Promote and strengthen community-based policing. Advancing the ToC: Effective community-based policing contributes to collective action and security, which strengthens social cohesion, public participation, and resident inclusiveness.

Mercy Corps community-based policing initiatives: The project has met all targets related to community policing, and therefore at this time is not planning any additional activities to promote community-based policing initiatives.

1 Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) is a multi-disciplinary approach to deterring criminal behavior through environmental design. CPTED strategies rely upon the ability to influence offender decisions that precede criminal acts. https://www.portlandoregon.gov/oni/article/320548 13

Survey of victimization and perception of the National Civil Police: CONVIVIMOS' partner, IEPADES, carried out a perception survey to identify communities’ attitudes towards the PNC. The study was carried out in coordination with INL and covered not only the municipalities where CONVIVIMOS operates, but the entire Department of Guatemala. It was also the continuation of the base-line survey in 2015, and the findings allowed CONVIVIMOS to understand how perceptions have changed during that time. One of the key findings in the municipalities where CONVIVIMOS works, indicates that perceptions of the PNC’s efficiency have increased dramatically. Just 11% of the population described the PNC as the most efficient security sector organization in 2015 (when CONVIVIMOS started) and 18% described it as the most efficient organization in 2019. This progress is an important step forward for the PNC, as community members are unlikely to report crimes to the PNC if they view their efforts as a waste of time due to the organization’s inefficiency.

Result 2.5 (Governance of the Security Sector) – Establishment and functioning of municipal crime and violence data collection systems. Advancing the ToC: Stronger data collection systems contribute to improved resource governance and security by enabling community representatives and local government to allocate resources appropriately to hotspot areas.

Supporting Crime Analysis Units: This quarter CONVIVIMOS strengthened the municipal technical team of crime analysis units in the municipalities of Villa Nueva, Mixco, San Miguel Petapa and Villa Canales. The topics covered in the trainings were: interpretation of statistical data, elaboration of statistical reports, community research; and negotiation and conflict resolution. A total of 20 persons attended these activities. These trainings will improve the analysis conducted by the UACs by allowing them to use primary data to supplement data collected from secondary sources.

Objective 3: Support secondary prevention projects in close coordination with municipal authorities.

Result 3.1 (Governance of the Security Sector) – Strengthened secondary prevention service providers in target communities. Advancing the ToC: Stronger secondary prevention services contribute to accessible and responsive services, which result in increased community resilience in the form of social cohesion and resident inclusiveness.

Mercy Corps-led strengthening of municipal referral networks in Mixco, Villa Nueva, Amatitlán, Villa Canales and San Miguel Petapa: During this quarter, CONVIVIMOS’ TSU Team began working with the municipal referral networks in Mixco, Villa Nueva, Amatitlán, Villa Canales and San Miguel Petapa to strengthen the provision of secondary violence prevention services in those municipalities. This quarter, the TSU focused on addressing three priorities identified during the assessment:

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Strategic plans for networks in San Miguel Petapa and Villa Canales: During this quarter CONVIVIMOS delivered the Strategic Plans for Networks during the assembly of the municipalities of Villa Canales and San Miguel Petapa.

Workshops on self-care and integrated health: Mercy Corps also identified a need to offer trainings for practitioners in the referral networks to better prepare them to manage the effects of working with victims of violence. This quarter, CONVIVIMOS provided technical assistance by providing a training on Treating Victims of Sexual Violence. A total of 30 members of the referral networks of Mixco, Villa Nueva, Amatitlán, Villa Canales and San Miguel Petapa attended this training.

Direct Psychosocial and Legal Care provided by Centro de Investigación, Capacitación y Apoyo a la Mujer, CICAM: During this quarter, CONVIVIMOS short-term partner, CICAM, continued providing secondary attention services to people in the communities through the “Community Project for Psychosocial Attention in the areas of Guatemala, Villa Nueva, Amatitlán, San Miguel Petapa, Villa Canales and Mixco.” As part of this intervention, CICAM provides counseling for victims of violence in both group and individual settings. CICAM also provides both legal advice and legal services for victims who wish to seek legal remedies for their cases.

Table1: Total individual who received psychological care 10-14 15-19 20-24 25-34 35-49 50-99 Undef. Municipali Total Total ty F M F M F M F M F M F M F M F M Total Amatitlán 1 1 2 -- 5 -- 4 -- 8 3 7 2 1 -- 28 6 34 Guatemala 1 2 5 -- 1 -- 8 -- 10 -- 2 -- 8 2 35 4 39 Mixco 2 5 4 2 2 -- 13 1 11 3 11 -- 6 6 49 17 66 San Miguel 9 4 6 2 2 1 25 4 32 3 14 1 4 10 92 25 117 Petapa Villa 5 2 7 -- 5 1 19 1 25 -- 7 2 5 9 73 15 88 Canales Total 18 14 24 4 15 2 69 6 86 9 41 5 24 27 277 67 344

Table 2: Total individuals who received legal support 15-19 20-24 25-34 35-49 50-99 Undef. Municipalit Total Total Tota y F M F M F M F M F M F M F M l Amatitlán 1 4 14 3 24 6 9 5 -- -- 52 14 66 Guatemala 3 2 15 3 18 9 5 7 16 -- 59 19 78 Mixco 3 6 -- 7 -- 2 -- 6 -- 24 -- 24 San Miguel 1 15 1 39 8 45 22 9 5 1 -- 110 36 146

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Petapa Villa 1 2 1 6 1 9 1 1 2 -- -- 19 5 24 Canales Villa Nueva 3 6 1 14 6 16 1 6 1 3 4 48 13 61 Total 9 32 3 94 21 119 39 32 20 26 4 312 87 399

Result 3.2 (Governance of the Security Sector) – Increased participation in cultural, community, educational, employment, and sports activities by targeted at-risk youth. Advancing the ToC: Participation in public activities by targeted at-risk youth, including economic opportunities, strengthens their human capital, leading to greater social cohesion and resident inclusiveness.

During the first two years of the project, CONVIVIMOS explored the possibility of implementing the City of Los Angeles Youth Service Eligibility Tool (YSET) model, but decided that the tool was not the right fit for the project. Other regional approaches were also considered, including an adaptation and field roll-out in Year 2 of a Pan American Health Organization methodology, which was considered to be too focused on health and sexual violence incidents for the needs of this project. In its place, the Mercy Corps Technical Support Unit ultimately decided to adapt and customize a tool used by the Peruvian Ministry of Education. The tool takes into account conditions and situations of psychological risk that affect youth at the individual, household, school and community levels and is designed as an “initial screen” that can be applied broadly in a community and will allow CONVIVIMOS to significantly extend the reach of the project’s efforts to identify at-risk youth. When appropriate, surveyed youth are provided with information regarding different services available in their community, although the project does not make a formal referral. In order to maximize the effectiveness of the project’s secondary prevention activities, Mercy Corps sequenced the scaling up of the identification process to begin after the project had worked extensively to strengthen the capacity of service providers in the municipal referral networks, increasing the availability of quality services available to at-risk youth who wish to take advantage of them. In addition, when scaling up the at-risk youth identification process CONVIVIMOS first engaged with community leaders and community-based organizations to identify at-risk youth in the project municipalities, rather than contracting a traditional survey firm to undertake a large-scale survey. Incorporating these grass roots organizations into the process allowed these local organizations to increase their capacity to link at-risk youth with services even after CONVIVIMOS has ended. By utilizing this sequenced strategy, CONVIVIMOS not only identified a total of 3,157 at-risk youth this quarter, it also ensured that service providers had improved capacity to respond to any increased demand while also promoting the sustainability of the process.

Table 4: at-risk youth identified Risk DECOR CICAM TOTAL

High 37 92 129

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Medium 2966 62 3028

Total 3003 154 3157

Result 3.3 (Governance of the Security Sector) – Reduction of citizen insecurity in treatment communities. Advancing the ToC: Implementation of projects by young women and men contributes to security and social capital, resulting in greater social cohesion.

Under this result, CONVIVIMOS partner IDEO.org worked closely with the CONVIVIMOS consortium to explore how to inspire at-risk youth to become agents of change in both their schools and communities. IDEO’s subaward concluded in Year 3 of project implementation, as such there are no new activities to report this quarter.

Objective 4: Promote and integrate evidence-based policy making among prevention actors

Result 4.1 (Governance of the Security Sector) – Promote evidence-based crime and violence prevention policy-making processes by supporting local research on citizen security issues and violence prevention models. Advancing the ToC: Evidence-based policy-making contributes to the effectiveness of local institutions, resulting in greater political legitimacy.

During this quarter FLACSO, received the first draft and is doing a final review of the investigation: “Mental health assessment of youth in CONVIVIMOS communities”, which will be completed during Q2 FY20.

Result 4.2 (Governance of the Security Sector) – Build research capacity on citizen security issues among Guatemalan stakeholders. Advancing the ToC: Increased research capacity on citizen security issues strengthens effective local institutions and resource governance, resulting in greater political legitimacy.

Graduate Certificate in Social Research for Violence Prevention Policy: This quarter, CONVIVIMOS partner FLACSO continued a year-long post graduate certificate course on social research for violence prevention policy. The courses that the students received this quarter included: - Theories of Violence - Social Research Theory - Quantitative Methods - Seminar on Prevention and Care protocols at Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Levels - Violence and Social Stratification Systems - Thesis Seminar

Table 5: Participants that finalized the Graduate Certificate

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20-24 25-34 35-49 50> Total Total Municipality F M F M F M F M F M Total Guatemala 1 -- 2 2 12 2 2 -- 17 4 21 Total 1 -- 2 2 12 2 2 -- 17 4 21

Analysis of Project Implementation and Partnerships

Challenges and Lessons Learned

Implementation Challenges

Contingency planning in response to cuts in FY19 & FY20 foreign assistance funding for the Northern Triangle As stated on previous reports, during Year 4, at USAID’s request, Mercy Corps submitted a contingency plan based on a reprioritization of activities in order to adhere to adjusted amounts of funding available for the program. Prioritized activities had two main criteria: high violence- prevention impact and commitment with participants, as well as other criteria including the level of advancement of each individual activity. This quarter involved many tough conversations with stakeholders at municipal and community levels to manage expectations amidst the modifications. To address this challenge, the CONVIVIMOS team held follow-up meetings with municipal participants and community leaders regarding budget reductions and project adjustments to preserve the trust that the project has gained with community members over the first four years of project implementation.

Unanticipated setbacks have created challenges for the project’s remaining construction activities

In Amatitlán, the municipality’s proximity to nearby volcanoes has created delays for the planned construction projects. During the initial site evaluations, problems were identified both with the unique soil composition and the presence of volcanic gas vents which have forced the project’s infrastructure team to reevaluate the technical designs for the planned projects, delaying the start of construction. The team has incorporated these geological challenges into a modified set of technical designs, and at this time, barring further setbacks, does anticipate completing the planned projects.

In Mixco, the infrastructure team encountered setbacks when a small group of local residents raised concerns about a planned community center in a neighborhood in Zone 6. Since the focus of CONVIVIMOS infrastructure projects is to build social cohesion by bringing communities together, Mercy Corps infrastructure and field teams decided to delay beginning construction while engaging with local leaders and municipal officials to resolve the issues. If the community ultimately can not reach a shared vision about the use of the public space, Mercy Corps 18

anticipates reassigning the funding for that community center to another community in Zone 4 of Mixco which had its design scaled back during the contingency planning process.

Change of Government 2020

The election season has concluded and the prospect of the government transitions presented another challenge for the project. In the municipalities of Guatemala City, Mixco, and Villa Canales, the current mayor was reelected, while in San Miguel Petapa, the mayor-elect previously served a top advisor to the current mayor, increasing the likelihood of continuity for the municipal officials that have participated in CONVIVIMOS activities. Additionally, in Amatitlán, the mayor-elect had previously served as mayor from 2011-2015, and in that role helped to coordinate CONVIVIMOS’ start up in the municipality in 2015. Finally, in Villa Nueva, a new mayor was elected, however the current mayor has committed to a transition plan with the mayor-elect, providing an opportunity to reinforce the sustainability of CONVIVIMOS interventions in the municipality. Given that CONVIVIMOS will be closing out activities when these incoming administrations take over in January, the project has taken a proactive approach to ensuring the sustainability of CONVIVIMOS’s successes over the life of the project. In December, CONVIVIMOS arranged informational meetings with elected mayors where relevant activities and progress were presented in preparation for the government transition in mid January in order to avoid potential delays with donation administrative paperwork. Please see the Collaboration with USAID Partners and Other USG Agencies section below for more information on the meetings with new municipal authorities.

Lessons learned

Migration is a pressing issue for CONVIVIMOS communities

Migration continues to be a priority issue not only for US foreign assistance, but also for residents in CONVIVIMOS communities. In order to gain a better understanding about migration in CONVIVIMOS communities and to provide data to USAID relating to the proposed migration indicators, this quarter CONVIVIMOS incorporated various questions about migration into the community-level survey that the project conducted to measure the results of the project’s cross- cutting “reference” indicators (the results of the migration data collected has been included in the “indicator results” section and in Annex H). A few of the key findings from the survey results included that only 3.30% of community members have migrated or attempted to migrate; and 9.01% expressed their desire to migrate in the next three years and 81.93% of the participants reported that they plan to stay in Guatemala. It is also important to highlight that the most frequent reason expressed by community members that could lead them to migrate is the lack of employment. This information is complemented by the data from CONVIVIMOS research: “Youth in Guatemala City, participation and security perception” that shows that 42.7% of young people looking for a job have been looking for a year or more. CONVIVIMOS anticipates that findings like these will play an important role in providing USAID with evidence to inform its foreign assistance planning in the future.

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Perceptions of the PNC in CONVIVIMOS communities, while still low, are improving

During this quarter, CONVIVIMOS partner IEPADES replicated a 2015 study of community member’s perceptions of the PNC. One of the key findings from the study was that in the municipalities where CONVIVIMOS has been working, perceptions of the PNC’s efficiency have increased dramatically. Just 11% of the population described the PNC as the most efficient security sector organization in 2015 (when CONVIVIMOS started) while 18% described it as the most efficient organization in 2019. This progress is an important step forward for the PNC, as community members are unlikely to report crimes to the PNC if they view their efforts as a waste of time due to the organization’s inefficiency.

Integration of Gender, Vulnerable Groups, and Compliance with USAID Disability Policy

Providing care for women, youth, and adolescent victims of violence This quarter CONVIVIMOS supported a center for victim services in Villa Nueva, which includes a shelter in addition to regular outpatient services for victims. CONVIVIMOS’ supported included assisting in the elaboration of the Response and Operations Protocol for the shelter, which helps the center to guarantees women's rights since these protocols are based on specific and ordered guidelines. Visual materials were also produced for the Municipal Referral Networks on what steps to follow in cases of reports of violence against women.

Providing Support to Childhood Victims of Violence This quarter, CONVIVIMOS evaluated the protocol of identification, attention and referral of cases of violence within the National Educational System. Among the main findings is the need for training for administrative staff on the application of the protocol for the referral of cases of violence against girls and boys.

Addressing Gender- Based Violence During this quarter CONVIVIMOS designed an information system which includes the definition of dimensions of analysis on human rights violations of LGBTI persons according to a proposal of qualitative and quantitative indicators, the development of a conceptual framework to standardize interpretations related to sexual diversity; and the construction of the legal basis that analyzes human rights norms, laws and regulations and the attributions of the Ombudsman through the Office for Sexual Diversity.

Institutional Capacity Building

During this quarter, the Mercy Corps subgrants team focused on supporting each of the CONVIVIMOS consortium members on how to elaborate / present their final report. This support was given through follow-up meetings with the members of the consortium to show them the structure of the final report and provide them with support during the elaboration of drafts until the final report. CONVIVIMOS also supported the members of the consortium by helping them identify the auditable documents that were delivered to the sub-concessions unit.

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Short-term Projects and Strategic Activity Funds

Short-term projects funded through the Annual Program Statement (APS), Request for Applications (RFAs), and the Strategic Activity Fund (SAF) (formerly Rapid Response Fund/RFF) mechanisms are reported by result under Progress on Activity Implementation. Please see Annex B for a list of active short-term projects during FY20Q1, listed by objective and result.

Monitoring & Evaluation

In addition to its regular activities, the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit has conducted comparison survey of security perception and violence in areas of intervention of the project to collect data on the project’s cross-cutting impact indicators.

Additionally, this quarter, CONVIVIMOS submitted an updated PMP to USAID reflecting the changes agreed upon during the Year 4 contingency planning process. This updated PMP was approved by the AOR on December 26th, 2019 and the updated targets have been incorporated into this report.

Indicator Results

Please see Annex C for FY20Q1 indicator data.

Cross-cutting Indicators Indicator 1: Percent of women that report meaningful participation in program-related decision- making bodies at community level: This is an annual indicator and as such will be reported on in the FY2020 final report.

Indicator 2: Number of people from target communities benefiting from community activities (ie cultural, educational, employment, sports, religious, etc): This quarter, 604 people (402 women and 202 men) from target communities benefited from community activities.

Indicator 3: Number of crime and violence prevention projects implemented through CONVIVIMOS: This is an annual indicator and as such will be reported on in the FY2020 final report.

Indicator 4: Percentage of USG-funded NGO or other international organization projects that include activities or services designed to reduce specific risks or harm to vulnerable populations

Table 37: Percentage of projects that included activities designed to reduce harm

Target Actual % Achieved Status Type

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100% 100% 100 Target met Non-cumulative

Indicator 5: Number of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) receiving USG assistance engaged in advocacy interventions: This is an annual indicator and as such will be reported on in the FY2020 final report.

Indicator 6: Number of people reached by a USG funded intervention providing GBV services (e.g., health, legal, psycho-social counseling, shelters, hotlines, other): During this quarter CONVIVIMOS supported GBV services reaching 447 individuals (361 women, 86 men)

Objective 1

Indicator 1.1: Number of community prevention plans operationalized with USAID support: This is an annual indicator and as such will be reported on in the FY2020 Final report.

Indicator 1.2: Number of community prevention and coexistence plans presented by CCPC members to COCODEs/CUBS or COMUPREs: This is an annual indicator and as such will be reported on in the FY2020 Final report.

Indicator 1.6.1: Number of PTAs or similar school governance structures supported: This is an annual indicator and as such will be reported on in the FY2020 Final report.

Indicator 1.6.2: Number of learners enrolled in secondary schools or equivalent non-school based settings with USG support: This is an annual indicator and as such will be reported on in the FY2020 Final report.

Indicator 1.6.3: Proportion of students, who, by the end of two grades of primary schooling, demonstrate that they can read and understand the meaning of grade level text: This is an annual indicator and as such will be reported on in the FY2020 Final report.

Objective 2

Indicator 2.1: Number of municipalities with Municipal Crime Prevention Committees: This is an annual indicator and as such will be reported on in the FY2020 Final report.

Indicator 2.4: Number of national civil police agents who attend workshops on community policing methodologies:

There are no activities to report during this quarter.

Objective 3

Indicator 3.1.1: Number of vulnerable people benefitting from USG-supported social services: 22

During this quarter, 490 people (378 women and 112 men) received secondary prevention services provided by CICAM.

Indicator 3.1.2 Number of secondary prevention service providers strengthened by the project: This is an annual indicator and as such will be reported on in the FY2020 annual report.

Indicator 3.2: Number of at-risk youth identified using secondary prevention pilot tool: During this quarter, CONVIVIMOS finalized rolling out the application of the at-risk youth identification tool, a total of 3,157 young people (1,901 women and 1,256 men) were identified at medium and high risk levels.

Objective 4

Indicator 4.1: Number of local organizations/universities/think tanks receiving support for research on citizen security issues and violence prevention models: This is an annual indicator and as such will be reported on in the FY2020 annual report.

Migration Indicators (MIRS) CONVIVIMOS produced the following Migration Indicators and conducted a community-level survey in November 2019 of the perspectives of residents in CONVIVIMOS communities, including individuals who were not CONVIVIMOS direct participants.

Table 6, MIRS results No. Indicator Result

1.1 Number of returned migrants receiving USG 204 assistance

1.2 % individual beneficiaries who are returned 3.30% migrants

4.1 % beneficiaries who express intention to 9.01% migrate in the next 3 years

4.2 % beneficiaries who plan to stay in their 81.93% country of residence

Coordination, Communication, Compliance, and Future Activities

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Collaboration with USAID Partners and Other USG Agencies

CONVIVIMOS promotes coordination and cooperation among the growing number of USAID violence and crime prevention implementing partners as well as with other USG agencies. On november 26, USAID, along with representatives from the USAID-funded CONVIVIMOS and Urban Municipal Governance (UMG) projects met with the incoming Mayor-elect of Villa Nueva, . During the meeting, USAID highlighted the importance of the coordinated approach that implementing partners have used to reduce crime and violence in Villa Nueva, as well as the important role that projects like CONVIVIMOS and UMG play in establishing Villa Nueva as a viable alternative for Guatemalans considering migrating to the United States. The Mayor-elect reiterated that one of his priorities was transforming Villa Nueva into a City that provides appropriate living conditions for citizens in Guatemala. The Mayor- elect also expressed that he looks forward to continuing to work with USAID during his time as Mayor.

Social Communication

During this quarter, the Communications team focused its efforts on project visibility and producing communications materials.

Project visibility

Social media visibility Facebook continues to be the project’s primary platform for engaging on social media. Through the end of December, the project’s social media platforms have reached the following audience:

Visibility No.

User interactions with posts 3,819

Organic reach 4,782

EMMP Compliance

Environmental Procedures: The Cooperative Agreement (CA), section A.11.9, is the basis for USAID environmental compliance on this project. It references the applicable codes and regulations. The referenced CA section includes “Guidelines for Implementing Partners on the USAID/LAC EMMP (Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan),” which is on file for access within CONVIVIMOS and outlines the procedures in detail. An Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) for CONVIVIMOS has been approved for this CA, covering anticipated activities, including small-scale construction. The conclusion of the IEE was a Negative Determination with Conditions, meaning that the general scope of the program is not expected to have a significant impact on the environment. However, since details on specific activities

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were not fully defined at the time the CA was signed, additional review/approval is required to ensure that activities align with the IEE assumptions and that mitigation measures are planned for and implemented in a manner that complies with the regulations. As needed, CONVIVIMOS has also prepared specific EMMPs corresponding to the activities carried out in each of the project’s six target municipalities.

This quarter, CONVIVIMOS has continued to carry out routine monitoring of project activities, including activities carried out by the partner organizations, in order to ensure their compliance with the project’s approved EMMPs. The contractor in charge of overseeing the quality control for the parks in the neighborhoods of Colonias Unidas y Blandón de Cerezo in Amatitlán reported that the contractor complied with the construction standards. The Infrastructure Team carried out the environmental monitoring during the construction of Belen Park in Mixco and the renovation of public spaces in Villa Nueva.

Activities Next Quarter

Objective 1: ● In Villa Canales the process of installing gyms and playgrounds; and the delivery of construction materials will be completed. ● In Guatemala City and San Miguel Petapa the process of installing gyms and playgrounds will be completed. ● Advances in infrastructure projects in Park Colonias Unidas and Park El Blandón (75% -80% of progress by the end of Q2).

Objective 2: ● No activities are planned under this Objective during Q2.

Objective 3:

● Training workshops for Referral Networks.

Objective 4: ● No activities are planned under this Objective during Q2.

Annexes a. Basic Education Earmark Report b. CONVIVIMOS Short-term partners c. CONVIVIMOS M&E Indicator Data for FY20 d. CONVIVIMOS Success Story - English e. CONVIVIMOS Success Story - Spanish f. Higher Education Narrative Report g. Workforce Development Narrative Report h. Migration Indicators 25