Quarterly Progress Report QPR-012 Marginalized Populations Support Activity in Bosnia and Herzegovina Contract No. AID-168-I-15-00001 April 2018 This publication was produced by the Contractor for review by the United States Agency for International Development. 1 QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORT MARGINALIZED POPULATIONS SUPPORT ACTIVITY IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (PPMG) Report No. QPR-012 April 2018 Contract No.: AID-168-I-15-00001 Task Orders: AID-168-TO-15-00001 AID-168-TO-15-00002 AID-168-TO-15-00003 AID-168-TO-15-00011 AID-168-TO-15-00012 AID-168-TO-16-00001 AID-168-TO-17-00001 AID-168-TO-17-00002 The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. 2 CONTENTS 1. DOCUMENT REVISIONS ........................................................................................ 1 2. Acronyms .................................................................................................................. 2 3. Executive Summary .................................................................................................. 3 3.1. Project Background ............................................................................................... 3 4. activity highlights ....................................................................................................... 5 2. Conference held on early detection of developmental disabilities in children ........ 6 5. Interventions and Achievements ............................................................................... 8 5.1. Task order: AID-168-I-15-00001 ........................................................................... 8 5.2. Task order: AID-168-I-15-00003 ......................................................................... 22 5.4. OTHER ACTIVITIES ........................................................................................... 34 WHO PROVIDES CARE TO PERSONS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES IN SARAJEVO CANTON AND FBIH? ............................................................................ 34 6. FINANCIAL REPORT ............................................................................................. 35 3 1. DOCUMENT REVISIONS Version Date Person Comment 1 2. ACRONYMS CO Contracting Officer COR Contracting Officer’s Representative OCA Organizational Capacity Assessment PPMG Marginalized Populations Support Activity QFP Quarterly Financial Report QPR Quarterly Progress Report SOW Statement of Work TO Task Order USAID U.S. Agency for International Development 2 3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3.1. PROJECT BACKGROUND Total Funding: $3.4 million Project Duration: February 2015 – February 2020 Implementing Partner: Institute for Youth Development KULT Approved Subcontractor: NGO & Business Audit d.o.o. The Challenge While the international community has long supported activities that facilitate the inclusion of marginalized populations in civic and political decision making in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), these groups are often overlooked or ignored by the BiH Government. As a result, many citizens – youth, women, religious minorities, Romani, disabled persons, minority returnees and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons – remain unheard and excluded from mainstream social, cultural, economic and political life. Youth are disaffected. Romani, largely disenfranchised, are excluded from decision-making processes, while most cannot get the skills or training they need to join the labor market. Persons with disabilities are marginalized from early childhood. Many are institutionalized and lack access to basic education in mainstream schools. Women’s participation in political and public life is extremely low. BiH society continues to abhor the idea of homosexuality and most institutions ignore discrimination or violent acts against LGBT persons. In fear for their physical safety, most of them stay hidden from the public sphere, and, as a result, LGBT activism is weak. A new marginalized group emerged in the aftermath of the 2014 floods, when 40,000 people were displaced. Assistance is still needed to provide economic and social stability to help flood-affected citizens from the most marginalized groups rebuild their lives. Our Activity USAID’s Marginalized Populations Support Activity supports activities of local organizations that advocate for the rights, empowerment and dignity of underrepresented groups of BiH society, and builds the capacity of local NGOs, BiH institutions and USAID implementing partners to do so. Providing underrepresented groups with opportunities to participate in civic and political issues, through their engagement in civil society organizations, will ensure that the government recognizes them as necessary and respectable partners in policy development. Implementation and Expected Results The Activity provides grants to local organizations that promote the rights and dignity of marginalized populations and to enhance their performance and management capacity through formal classroom training, mentorship and one-on-one coaching. Training topics include legal structures, financial management, human resources, internal control systems, project performance management, procurement systems, organizational sustainability, and monitoring and evaluation. The Activity also builds the capacity of USAID partners, institutions and government leaders to promote and protect the rights of these underrepresented citizens. A component of the Activity is designed to respond flexibly and swiftly to public demand for humanitarian and other material assistance. By the end of the project’s life, the activity will: Strengthen the performance of at least 40 BiH NGOs and other organizations, including associations, civil society organizations, BiH institutions, and small and medium-sized enterprises; 3 Enhance the performance of at least 75 current USAID local partners, to enhance their performance and management capacity through group trainings; and Build the expertise of at least 75 BiH government leaders of municipalities and ministries collaborating with USAID. 4 4. ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS In the January – March 2018 reporting period, the following are the most notable activities of the Service Centers for Supporting Families of Children and Persons with Developmental Disabilities in Tuzla, Dajte nam šansu in Sarajevo and the Association «EDUS – Education for all». 1. Service Center SOCi will continue providing free support to families of children and persons with disabilities in Tuzla The Service Center for Supporting Families of Children and Persons with Developmental Disabilities “Socl” has a growing number of users, since their target population is not provided with systemic support. USAID's Marginalized Populations Support Activity (USAID/PPMG) provided the SC with BAM 64,000 KM, which is sufficient for funding the SC for the next two years. The grant agreement was signed at the Center, on February 27, 2018 by Jasmin Bešić, Chief of Party of USAID/PPMG and Alma Dizdarević, Director of the Association for Human Rights and Social Inclusion (Socl) from Tuzla. «USAID has been supporting marginalized groups for many years now, with an emphasis on families and children with developmental disabilities. What we see in the SCs is a chance to help with the socialization of children with developmental disabilities, and to improve their quality of life.» - said Jasmin Bešić, Chief of Party of USAID/PPMG. Approximately 80 families of children and persons with disabilities in Tuzla Canton use the free services offered by the center. Children with developmental disabilities are provided with day care at this SC for up to 4 hours, including services by psychologists, special education experts and educators, creative workshops, inclusive workshops, music therapy, and families are provided with legal advice, psychological counseling and help in crisis situations. The opening of the SCs was supported by USAID's Marginalized Populations Support Activity (USAID/PPMG) and the City of Tuzla, and the opening was initiated by the Association for Human Rights and Social Inclusion (Socl) from Tuzla. USAID's Marginalized Populations Support Activity supported the establishing of five service centers in BiH; in Foča, Banja Luka, Tuzla, and two in Sarajevo, and will provide financial support to all five centers for the next two years. 2. Conference held on early detection of developmental disabilities in children Early detection of disorders in children can prevent numerous problems – these are the words that started the two-day conference held on 23 February 2018, called “Achievements and Perspectives in Improving the Early Growth and Development of Children – Early Detection and Intervention”. The conference organized by the Association EDUS – Education for All, in cooperation with UNICEF and USAID was attended by 80 pediatricians, pedagogues, psychologists, teachers and other professionals in the field of early growth and development. The conference was opened by Geeta Narayan – representative of UNICEF-a for BiH and Peter Duffy – Mission Director of the USAID in BiH. “BiH has the capacity and experts who can work together to support children’s growth and development. USAID support families of children with developmental disabilities in various ways, and we hope that the research being conducted by EDUS will soon yield results that will help so many families in BiH.” – said Peter Duffy, USAID Mission Director to BiH. “Supporting early growth