J11 IEE SRG2 FINAL.pdf

USAID/MALAWI

YOUTH ACTIVITIES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (DO) 2

INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL

EXAMINATION

PROJECT/ACTIVITY DATA

Project/Activity Name: Positive Youth Development Project Geographic Location(s) (Country/Region): Malawi Amendment (Yes/No), if Yes indicate # (1, 2...): No Implementation Start/End Date (FY or M/D/Y): FY 2021 – FY 2026 Solicitation/Contract/Award Number(s): Various Implementing Partner(s): TBD Bureau Tracking ID: Malawi PYDP IEE Tracking ID of Related RCE/IEE (if any): Malawi Sustainable Livelihoods IEE 2018 - 2023 https://ecd.usaid.gov/repository/pdf/50950.pdf

Malawi Secondary Education Expansion for Development IEE-Malawi Secondary Education Expansion for Development (SEED) IEE 2017 -https://ecd.usaid.gov/repository/doc/50453.docx

Malawi Education Portfolio IEE Malawi Education Portfolio IEE 2018-2023 https://ecd.usaid.gov/document.php?doc_id=50920

Malawi Integrated Health and HIV Prevention Portfolio IEE Malawi Integrated Health and HIV 2018-2023 https://ecd.usaid.gov/document.php?doc_id=51714

Malawi Democracy Human Rights and Governance IEE (link not yet available)

Tracking ID of Other, Related Analyses: Malawi DO1 (Public Sector) and DO3 (Private Sector) IEEs

ORGANIZATIONAL/ADMINISTRATIVE DATA

Implementing Operating Unit(s):

(e.g., Mission or Bureau or Office)

USAID/Malawi

Lead BEO Bureau: AFR Funding Account(s) (if available):

Original Funding Amount: $864,022,446 Prepared by: USAID/Malawi:

Robert Matengula - MEO Archanjel Chinkunda - DMEO Amy Scott - DO2 Strategy Lead https://ecd.usaid.gov/repository/pdf/50950.pdf https://ecd.usaid.gov/repository/doc/50453.docx https://ecd.usaid.gov/document.php?doc_id=50920

YOUTH ACTIVITIES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (DO) 2

ECOS (Lead: Josh Habib) Date Prepared: April 2021

Resubmitted on July 14, 2021

ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE REVIEW DATA

Analysis Type: ☒Environmental Examination ☐Deferral Environmental Determination(s): ☒Categorical Exclusion(s)

☒Negative ☐Positive ☐Deferred (per 22 CFR 216.3(a)(7)(iv)

IEE Expiration Date (if applicable): June 1, 2026 Additional Analyses/Reporting Required: Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plans

(EMMPs), Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Reports (EMMRs), Integrated Waste Management Plan

(IWMP)

Climate Risks Identified (#): Low ___5___ Moderate ___8___ High ___4___ Climate Risks Addressed (#): Low ___5___ Moderate ___8___ High ___4___ about:blank about:blank

YOUTH ACTIVITIES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (DO) 2

THRESHOLD DETERMINATION AND SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

PROJECT/ACTIVITY SUMMARY

USAID/Malawi’s Positive Youth Development Project Design Document focuses on several components to improve education, health, civic, and livelihood opportunities for the country’s youth (ages 0–35) including:

● Increase access to equitable learning opportunities for all, emphasizing girls and women.

● Rehabilitate and construct school facilities.

● Enhance technical assistance to the Ministry of Education (MoE), Ministry of Health, and

Ministry of Youth, and local providers, among others.

● Develop curricula and other pre-primary, primary, secondary, and tertiary educational materials.

● Improve learning outcomes through enhanced literacy, numeracy, and life-skills instruction/support.

● Expand reading and numerical instruction for learners with disabilities.

● Improve nutrition for youth.

● Strengthen Malaria Case Management, particularly at the district level.

● Improve maternal, reproductive, and child health outcomes.

● Promote livelihood and civil society opportunities for youth.

● Reduce harmful norms and social practices, in particular gender-based violence, child labor, and child marriage.

● Improve community support and the enabling environment for positive youth development.

Upon approval of this document, the determinations become affirmed, per Agency regulations

(22 CFR 216).

TABLE 1: ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATIONS

Note: Table 1 illustrates Environmental Determinations and illustrative Intervention Categories for pre-award mechanisms under USAID/Malawi’s Youth DO2. The AOR/CORs for each mechanism must work with the Implementing Partners and the Mission Environmental Officer (MEO) to ensure that appropriate mitigation measures are developed for any activity that could have adverse social and environmental impacts. As the work under each mechanism is further defined and awarded, this could involve revisiting the assigned Intervention Categories noted in the table (i.e., each mechanism could potentially address additional Intervention Categories).

For ongoing and central mechanisms, see Annex 2.

ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION

Intervention Category 1:

Improve Access to and Capacity of All Levels of Education

Categorical Exclusion (CatEx)

§216.2(c)(2)(i)

(i) Education, technical assistance, or training programs except to the extent such programs include activities directly affecting the environment (such as construction of facilities, etc.);

Intervention Category 2:

Construction of School Facilities

Negative Determination w Conditions (NDwC)

Intervention Category 3: CatEx

YOUTH ACTIVITIES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (DO) 2

Improve Nutrition for Youth §216.2(c)(2)(i) (viii) Programs involving nutrition, health care or population and family planning services except to the extent designed to include activities directly affecting the environment (such as construction of facilities, water supply systems, wastewater treatment, etc.)

Intervention Category 4:

Strengthen Malaria Case Management

NDwC

Intervention Category 5:

Improve Maternal, Reproductive, and Child Health Outcomes

NDwC

Intervention Category 6:

Increase Youth Livelihood and Civil Society Opportunities

NDwC

TABLE 2: INTERVENTION CATEGORIES ADDRESSING MECHANISM

Intervention Categories Mechanism(s)

Intervention Category 1:

Improve Access to and Capacity of All Levels of Education

Strengthening Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Expanding Degree Opportunities (SSTEMEDO) Female Leaders Fellowship Upper Primary Reading Activity (UPREAD) Reading for all Malawi (REFAM) Printing and Distribution of Teaching and Learning Materials (TLM) Secondary School Textbook, Lab Equipment, and Furniture Procurement Secondary Transition Activity Tertiary Institutions and Transition Support WEI (APA) Follow On -Transition Awards Youth Advisory Council

Intervention Category 2:

Rehabilitation and Construction of School Facilities

Secondary Education Expansion Development (SEED) – Rural and Urban

Intervention Category 3:

Improve Nutrition for Youth

LUANAR: Nutrition - Leveraging Local Capacity to Strengthen Health Service Delivery (LLCAP)

Nutrition Innovation Lab

Intervention Category 4:

Strengthen Malaria Case Management

Leveraging Local Capacity to Strengthen Health Service Delivery Project - Malaria Case Management

Leveraging Local Capacity to Strengthen Health Service Delivery Project - Entomology

YOUTH ACTIVITIES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (DO) 2

Lilongwe Catholic Health Commission (LLCHC) Follow-on

SBCC LLCAP

President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) Impact Malaria Follow-on PMI Vector Link-Follow-on

Local Endeavors for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment (LEAP) Follow-on

Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EPIC) Follow-on

Intervention Category 5:

Improve Maternal, Reproductive, and Child Health Outcomes

Empower Population Services International Malawi (PSI), Empower PSI Transition, Empower Follow-on, Empower FHI

Intervention Category 2:

Construction of School Facilities

Intervention Category 4:

Strengthen Malaria Case Management

Intervention Category 5:

Improve Maternal, Reproductive, and Child Health Outcomes

Tiwalere III

SEED

Intervention Category 6:

Increase Youth Livelihood and Civil Society Opportunities

Youth business acceleration and access to finance activities

Youth Response for Social Change

Youth Mappers

YOUTH ACTIVITIES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (DO) 2

Intervention Category 1:

Improve Access to and Capacity of All Levels of Education

Intervention Category 2:

Rehabilitation and Construction of School Facilities

Intervention Category 3:

Improve Nutrition for Youth

Intervention Category 4:

Strengthen Malaria Case Management

Intervention Category 5:

Improve Maternal, Reproductive, and Child Health Outcomes

Intervention Category 6:

Increase Youth Livelihood and Civil Society Opportunities

SHEAMA & Higher Ed. Performance Evaluation

Next GEN Evaluation

Small Project Assistance (SPA) grant to Peace Corps

Read Malawi: Next Gen Flagship and Next Gen Follow-on

Youth Landscape and Learning Platform

ANY ADDED OR FUTURE MECHANISMS/INTERVENTIONS

For any mechanism/intervention that is not yet planned or included in this IEE, USAID/Malawi will assess whether these activities can be covered under the existing Intervention Categories (i.e., do not substantially differ from other activities) or if they require an Amendment. The review and approach to added activities should be determined by the Mission, with consultation with the AFR BEO.

This IEE will come into effect from the date of its signature by the USAID/Malawi Mission Director and Africa Bureau BEO for a period of 5 years, unless amended, or substituted by a BEO approved environmental document that claims precedence.

AMENDMENT PROCESS FOR THE IEE

This IEE outlines the DO2 activities/awards covered by the USAID/Malawi programming and provides a high-level analysis of the intervention categories anticipated under each activity. If necessary, more detailed analysis of activities within this program would be provided through IEE Amendments. Two scenarios might require an amendment to this IEE: 1) a significant change in the duration or funding for a mechanism(s), or the addition of a new activity/award to

YOUTH ACTIVITIES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (DO) 2

biodiversity programming, 2) the addition of a new intervention category or significant sub-intervention to a new or ongoing activity/award not addressed in the existing intervention categories. To determine whether changes meet the threshold of an Amendment, the COR should work with the MEO and the AFR BEO.

CLIMATE RISK MANAGEMENT

The Climate Risk Management (CRM) screening identifies climate-related risks to the youth development activities that should be addressed in order to enhance resilience and safeguard activity development objectives. This screening was conducted as part of implementing the Reference for ADS Chapter 201 “Climate Risks Management for USAID Projects and Activities.”

The results of the CRM screening is documented in Section 4.2 of this IEE. The Climate Risk Screening Matrix is provided in Annex 1.

BEO SPECIFIED CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL

The following AFR BEO conditions supplement those conditions found in Section 6.

1. COVID-19 Conditions

a) In order to reduce COVID-19 transmission during the implementation of these activities, USAID managers must:

● Ensure all activities addressed by this IEE adhere to current, applicable COVID- 19 guidelines. Refer to the AFR COVID-19 PIEE (attached and linked here --https://ecd.usaid.gov/document.php?doc_id=52754) for links to U.S. and international guidance on appropriate measures to reduce COVID-19 transmission. Such measures may include, but are not limited to social distancing, use of personal protective equipment, limiting the size of gatherings and travel, and effective disinfection.

● Share with the partner:

o Applicable COVID-19 guidance from the USAID Mission or U.S.

Embassy;

o Applicable COVID-19 guidance from local authorities;

o The following Agency-wide “COVID-19 GUIDANCE FOR

IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS” page on the USAID website:

https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/resources-for-partners/covid-19-guidance-implementing-partners

● Ensure that partners have appropriate training, authorization, and resources to meet the expectations of the applicable guidance while implementing these activities.

2. Health Care Waste Management Conditions

The Africa Bureau has adopted new standard mitigating conditions for IEEs regarding healthcare waste. The following conditions should be applied to this program of activities as soon as possible. These conditions continue the Agency’s commitment to WHO and local healthcare waste management standards; what has been clarified is the role that USAID should have in ensuring that healthcare waste is managed appropriately in healthcare facilities and activities that USAID supports.

https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/resources-for-partners/covid-19-guidance-implementing-partners https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/resources-for-partners/covid-19-guidance-implementing-partners

YOUTH ACTIVITIES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (DO) 2

a. Where USAID support increases the delivery of healthcare services, such as through the provision of supplies, equipment, and/or staffing, USAID will take responsibility for ensuring the proper management of medical waste from that facility; including, but not limited to, proper handling, labeling, treatment, storage, transport and final disposal.

b. When USAID supports healthcare service delivery in partnership with other actors, including the host country, the GRA, NGOs, CSOs, etc., USAID will ensure appropriate, sufficient, and sustainable medical waste management through collaboration. If significant deficiencies1 in medical waste management persist in spite of collaborative efforts, USAID must reallocate its resources to either independently close those gaps or to work in facilities where medical waste is properly managed.

c. USAID must regularly monitor the state of healthcare waste management in the healthcare facilities it supports, and USAID should request reports on that monitoring with the same regularity as it receives reports on other programmatic objectives of the activity.

d. When reports or other information indicate significant deficiencies in the management and disposal of medical waste in a given facility, USAID will commit its resources (independently or through collaborative efforts) to a speedy correction of significant deficiencies. In this case, USAID will request from implementing partners or prepare internally a Corrective Action Plan that will resolve the subject deficiencies as quickly as possible, not to exceed 6 months from the initial indications of deficiencies.

e. As applicable, all efforts to strengthen or improve health commodity supply chains (e.g., pharmaceuticals, diagnostic tests kits (including HIV test kits), VMMC disposable kits etc.), including procurement, storage infrastructure, and distribution must address and take all practicable efforts to assure that adequate facilities, procedures and capacities are in place to properly manage expired, used, obsolete or surplus commodities and/or that plans and strategies incorporate and provide for such management. In any instance that a USAID project controls commodities at end-of-life, appropriate end-of-life management must be assured. Mandatory references for “appropriate end of life management”:

WHO Guidelines for Safe Disposal of Unwanted Pharmaceuticals at:

https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/85349/9789241548564_eng.pdf;jsessionid=2 9E4FC7B647745587FF832EB6C1E8EED?sequence=1

“Healthcare Waste” chapter, USAID Sector Environmental Guidelines at:

https://www.usaid.gov/environmental-procedures/sectoral-environmental-social-best-practices/seg-healthcare-waste/pdf

f. Any healthcare waste generated by USAID-funded training, capacity building and/or technical assistance activities must be appropriately managed, including disposal, following WHO guidelines as well as the Government mandatory procedures and guidelines at:

1 Significant deficiencies are defined as not meeting “minimum approaches” as established by WHO Guidance for each of the following aspects of medical waste management: health care waste management policy; planning; waste minimization; segregation, storage and transport; treatment and disposal; wastewater management; waste management costing; health and safety practices; hygiene and infection control; training, education and public awareness.

https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/85349/9789241548564_eng.pdf;jsessionid=29E4FC7B647745587FF832EB6C1E8EED?sequence=1 https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/85349/9789241548564_eng.pdf;jsessionid=29E4FC7B647745587FF832EB6C1E8EED?sequence=1

YOUTH ACTIVITIES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (DO) 2

https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/85349/9789241548564_eng.pdf;jsession id=29E4FC7B647745587FF832EB6C1E8EED?sequence=1

g. Training, supervision, curricula development and other health care workforce capacity building must address appropriate management practices concerning the proper handling, use, and disposal of medical waste, including blood, sputum, and sharps, when techniques or care situations being addressed would generate and require disposal of hazardous or highly hazardous waste (e.g., sharps, afterbirth from delivery, waste from screening for HIV or STDs, sputum samples for diagnosis of TB). Note that this condition applies to activities targeting home care and community health workers, not just those in clinics and health facilities. Wherever relevant, appropriate disposal mechanisms in home-based and community-based situations that are cost effective and safe must be identified and appropriately incorporated in training, protocols, and guidelines. This includes training home care and community health workers to deliver positive messages about personal and household hygiene, sanitation, and proper disposal of condoms and other potentially harmful materials.

3. Reporting Conditions: The AFR BEO requests that the activity managers/AORs/CORs provide access to the Regional Environmental Advisor (REA) and to the AFR BEO Team to review (not approve) the Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plans/Reports (EMMPs/EMMRs) that will be written to implement the findings of this IEE. These should be uploaded into the appropriate sub-folder(s) of this Google Drive folder:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1q7HGMzgopJ-MuKxkQEJ4GSPp9R7Qzv- 5?usp=sharing

This will facilitate access by all parties who need these documents, including the Mission Environmental Officer and the AOR/COR. This will allow the REA and the BEO Team to spot-check and review these documents to confirm that the mitigations seem appropriate and are cognizant of the specific design of the activities.

4. Only interventions outlined in the analysis included therein have been analyzed for environmental impacts and assigned mitigation measures and conditions. No interventions outside of those included in this analysis are authorized to proceed prior to an amendment to the scope of this IEE.

IMPLEMENTATION

In accordance with 22 CFR 216 and Agency policy, the conditions and requirements of this document become mandatory upon approval. This includes the relevant limitations, conditions and requirements in this document as stated in Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the IEE and any BEO Specified Conditions of Approval.

https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/85349/9789241548564_eng.pdf;jsessionid=29E4FC7B647745587FF832EB6C1E8EED?sequence=1 https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/85349/9789241548564_eng.pdf;jsessionid=29E4FC7B647745587FF832EB6C1E8EED?sequence=1 https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1q7HGMzgopJ-MuKxkQEJ4GSPp9R7Qzv-5?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1q7HGMzgopJ-MuKxkQEJ4GSPp9R7Qzv-5?usp=sharing

YOUTH ACTIVITIES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (DO) 2

USAID APPROVAL OF INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINATION

PROJECT/ACTIVITY NAME: Malawi Positive Youth Development Project

Bureau Tracking ID: TBD

Approval: Cleared 05/27/2021 Catie Lott, Mission Director Date

Clearance: Cleared 05/14/2021 Belien Tadesse, Acting Deputy Mission Director Date

Clearance: Cleared 05/06/2021 Josephine Franscico , Acting Program Development and Analysis Director

Date

Clearance: Cleared 04/30/2021 Amy Scott, Strategy Integration Team Youth Development Lead

Clearance: Cleared 05/04/2021 Robert Matengula, Mission Environmental Officer Date

Clearance: Cleared 05/10/2021 Michael Weaver, Regional Environmental Advisor, Southern Africa

Date

Clearance: Cleared 05/10/2021 Mark Hyland, Regional Legal Officer Date

Clearance: Cleared 07/06/2021 Colin Quinn, Climate Integration Lead Date

Concurrence: 07/28/2021 Brian Hirsch, AFR Bureau Environmental Officer Date

DISTRIBUTION:

YOUTH ACTIVITIES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (DO) 2

INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL

EXAMINATION

CONTENTS

THRESHOLD DETERMINATION AND SUMMARY OF FINDINGS 3

PROJECT/ACTIVITY SUMMARY 3

CLIMATE RISK MANAGEMENT 7

BEO SPECIFIED CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL 7

IMPLEMENTATION 9

USAID APPROVAL OF INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINATION 10

1.0 PROJECT/ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION 13

1.1 PURPOSE OF the IEE 13

1.2 PROJECT OVERVIEW 13

1.3 ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION 13

TABLE 3: Illustrative Intervention Categories and Sub-interventions 13

2.0 BASELINE ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION 16

2.1 LOCATIONS AFFECTED AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT (ENVIRONMENT,

PHYSICAL, CLIMATE, SOCIAL, THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES) 16

2.2 APPLICABLE AND APPROPRIATE PARTNER COUNTRY AND OTHER

INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS (E.G., WHO), ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL LAWS,

POLICIES, AND REGULATIONS 18

2.3 COUNTRY/MINISTRY/MUNICIPALITY ENVIRONMENTAL CAPACITY ANALYSIS 21

3.0 ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL RISK 22

4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATIONS 31

4.1 RECOMMENDED ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATIONS 31

Table 5: ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATIONS 31

4.2 CLIMATE RISK MANAGEMENT 34

Methodology 34 Risk Ratings and Defined Actions 35

5.0 CONDITIONS AND MITIGATION MEASURES 37

5.1 CONDITIONS 37

5.2 AGENCY CONDITIONS 38

5.3 MITIGATION MEASURES 39

6.0 LIMITATIONS OF THIS INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINATION 49

7.0 REVISIONS 49

ATTACHMENTS: 49

YOUTH ACTIVITIES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (DO) 2

Annex 1. Climate Risk Management Summary Table 51 Annex 2: Illustrative Descriptions of Mechanisms 55 Annex 3. Ongoing Activities 58

Annex 4. Environmental Review Form 60

YOUTH ACTIVITIES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (DO) 2

1.0 PROJECT/ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

1.1 PURPOSE OF THE IEE

The purpose of this document, in accordance with Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 216 (22 CFR 216), is to provide a preliminary review of the reasonably foreseeable effects on the environment of the USAID intervention described herein and recommend determinations and, as appropriate, conditions, for these activities. Upon approval, these determinations become affirmed, and specified conditions become mandatory obligations of implementation. This IEE also documents the results of the Climate Risk Management process in accordance with USAID policy (specifically, ADS 201mal).

This IEE is a critical element of USAID’s mandatory environmental review and compliance process meant to achieve environmentally sound design and implementation. Potential environmental impacts should be addressed through formal environmental mitigation and monitoring plans (EMMPs) and/or Environmental Assessments (EAs), if needed.

1.2 PROJECT OVERVIEW

USAID/Malawi’s Youth Project Appraisal Document focuses on several components to improve education, health, and livelihood opportunities for the country’s youth (ages 0–35) including:

● Increase access to equitable learning opportunities for all, emphasizing girls and women.

● Rehabilitate and construct school facilities.

● Enhance technical assistance to the Ministry of Education (MoE), Ministry of Health, and

Ministry of Youth, and local providers, among others.

● Develop curricula and other pre-primary, primary, secondary, and tertiary educational materials.

● Improve learning outcomes through enhanced literacy, numeracy, and life skills instruction/support.

● Expand reading and numerical instruction for learners with disabilities.

● Improve nutrition for youth.

● Strengthen Malaria Case Management, particularly at the district level.

● Improve maternal, reproductive, and child health outcomes.

● Promote livelihood and civil society opportunities for youth.

● Reduce harmful norms and social practices, in particular gender-based violence, child labor, and child marriage

● Improve community support and the enabling environment for positive youth development.

1.3 ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

TABLE 3: ILLUSTRATIVE INTERVENTION CATEGORIES AND SUB-INTERVENTIONS

Intervention Category 1 — Improve Access to and Capacity of All Levels of Education

Sub- intervention 1.1 Strengthen Capacity of Malawian educational institutions Examples of strengthening capacity of educational institutions include training of in-service and pre-service teachers in Early Grade reading and training of faculty in developing courses for virtual/Open Distance and e-Learning. Higher education institutions will also be provided with technical support to develop and improve Learning Management Systems for virtual learning.

https://www.usaid.gov/our_work/environment/compliance/22cfr216 https://www.usaid.gov/ads/policy/200/201mal

YOUTH ACTIVITIES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (DO) 2

Sub- intervention 1.2 Technical assistance to the Ministry of Education (MoE), e.g., reading benchmarks.

Sub- intervention 1.3 Develop curriculums and other pre-primary, primary, secondary, and tertiary educational materials.

Sub- intervention 1.4 Materials (e.g., textbook) procurement.

Sub- intervention 1.5 Improve education access to women and girls, including higher education opportunities.

Sub- intervention 1.6Improve reading instruction of learners with disabilities in Malawian schools and improve family and community support to learning for children with disabilities.

Intervention Category 2 — Construction of School Facilities including WASH activities.

The rehabilitation and construction of ~250 school facilities under this intervention is a continuation of ongoing activities, which have been covered by their own IEEs - SEED and AMAA - and are expiring in 2022. The main objective of this activity is to increase access to secondary schools through expansion of existing schools or construction of new schools in urban and rural areas nationwide, bringing secondary schools closer to where most vulnerable girls live.

Sub- intervention 2.1 Build or rehabilitate school facilities and components, including labs, classrooms, and lavatories, WASH infrastructure, boreholes, digital connectivity infrastructure, and recreational areas.

Sub- intervention 2.2 Construction of prefabricated classroom blocks.

Intervention Category 3 — Improve Nutrition for Youth

Sub- intervention 3.1 Strengthen nutrition initiatives; build the capacity of the Government of Malawi nutrition program managers, Malawian academics, and health care providers to plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate nutrition programs.

Sub- intervention 3.2 Build pre-service nutrition education and training capacity (e.g., classroom training, scholarships, travel, and various meetings).

Sub- intervention 3.3 Develop and disseminate dietary guidelines for the management of nutrition-related non-communicable diseases; develop national clinical dietetic practice guidelines and other supporting protocols for inpatient and outpatient clinical nutrition care.

Intervention Category 4 — Strengthen Malaria Case Management

Sub- intervention 4.1. Strengthening of malaria diagnostics through training and supervision, particularly at district level.

Sub- intervention 4.2 Training and supervision in case management and malaria in pregnancy (MIP) for facility-based health care providers.

Sub- intervention 4.3 Support for the community health worker program in selected districts to effectively deliver routine case management services to hard-to-reach populations.

Sub- intervention 4.4 Support for National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) supportive supervision activities include financial (daily allowances for food), material (data collection tools), and logistical (fuel) support. The IP, Impact Malaria, also trains supervisors that are participating in supportive supervision and hosts data review and lessons learned meetings.

Sub- intervention 4.5 Development, production and dissemination of guidelines and data collection tools.

Intervention Category 5 — Improve Maternal, Reproductive, and Child Health Outcomes

Sub- intervention 5.1 Improve access to, and quality of, maternal and child health care to reduce maternal, newborn, and child mortality.

Sub-intervention 5.2 Increase COVID-19 education, prevention, and vaccination.

Intervention Category 6 – Increase Youth Livelihood and Civil Society Opportunities.

Potential business enterprises that could be developed under this intervention are similar to those described in the DO3 Private Sector IEE, but targeted for youth livelihood improvement. Small to

YOUTH ACTIVITIES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (DO) 2

medium enterprises include: agricultural, livestock, fisheries, non-timber forest product-related value chains, including processing, conservation enterprises, among others (see Table 4F for more details).

Sub- intervention 6.1 Increase youth business acceleration and access to finance activities.

Sub- intervention 6.2 Enhance youth skills training and job development (e.g., in fisheries sector).

Sub- intervention 6.3 Increase participation of youth in civil society activities (e.g., participation in community groups).

Will this project/activity involve construction2 as defined by ADS 201 and 303? Yes ☒ No ☐

2 Construction, as defined by ADS 201 and 303, includes: construction, alteration, or repair (including dredging and excavation) of buildings, structures, or other real property and includes, without limitation, improvements, renovation, alteration and refurbishment. The term includes, without limitation, roads, power plants, buildings, bridges, water treatment facilities, and vertical structures. In the box below, describe any construction planned for this project/activity.

Refer to ADS 201maw for required Construction Risk Management procedures.

If yes, describe in the space below:

Small-scale school facility rehabilitation and construction in urban and rural areas. Includes installation or construction of new structures (e.g., school blocks) and construction of small-scale water and sanitation (WASH) infrastructure.

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1865/201maw.pdf

YOUTH ACTIVITIES DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (DO) 2

2.0 BASELINE ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION

2.1 LOCATIONS AFFECTED AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT (ENVIRONMENT, PHYSICAL, CLIMATE, SOCIAL, THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES)

Youth Context. Malawi’s ability to achieve self-reliance in the next two to three decades is at a critical juncture. Almost 80 percent of the population is under the age of 35, with 46 percent under the age of 15. Approximately 51 percent of Malawians live below the poverty line. Fertility rates have fallen but remain high; on average 4.4 children are born per woman in Malawi. Despite instituting compulsory and free primary education (Standards 1-8), the quality of the education provided has not maintained pace; the Learning-Adjusted Years of Schooling (LAYS) is just 5.4 years. Dropout rates are high as they range from 4.4 percent to 8.4 percent across all grades in primary school3). The 2018 Population and Housing census report indicates that 26.8 percent and

24.5 percent (1,016,202) of primary school going children (6-13 years) were out of school in 2008 and 2018, respectively. Moreover, with the population set to double in just over two decades, and with one of the lowest UNDP Human Development Index scores in the world (171 out of 189 countries in 2018), Malawi’s young and rapidly expanding population presents a risk for instability as well as potential for achieving significant growth.

Development constraints. Poverty is rife and human health and nutrition indicators are uniformly poor in Malawi.4 About 50 percent of Malawians live in poverty,5 and the gross national income per capita in 2016 was approximately 350 USD. Roughly 80 percent of Malawians work in agriculture, most of which is rain-fed, subsistence farming. Policy and electricity uncertainty are significant binding constraints; poor governance, including wide-spread corruption, also impede development objectives.

Malawi’s major development constraints include a lack of infrastructure, accelerated urbanization, increasing unemployment, deforestation, soil degradation, climate change, and environmental degradation. Health, agriculture, and environmental issues are closely linked, particularly with respect to water, sanitation, and nutrition: potable water is limited, access to sanitation is low, and environmental degradation adversely affects smallholder productivity and consequently nutritional status of much of the population. Pressure from rapid population growth significantly contributes to these problems. The population pressure and need for land and livelihoods also increase stress on the country’s natural resources.

Protected Areas. Malawi has five national parks (Kasungu, Lake Malawi, Lengwe, Liwonde, and Nyika), four wildlife reserves (Majete, Mwabvi, Nkhota-Kota, and Vwaza Marsh), two Ramsar sites (Lake Chilwa and Elephant Marsh), UNESCO Biosphere reserve in Mount Mulanje. There are 209 forests reserves, and the Malawi-Zambia Transfrontier Park is also proposed. Lake Malawi National Park, located at the southern end of the lake, was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1984) of global importance for biodiversity conservation, particularly related to fish diversity. The lake is one of the deepest in the world and provides habitat for 500-1,000 cichlid fish species. The lake is considered an important example of biological evolution, specifically for adaptive radiation and speciation in the cichlid population. The Chongoni Rock Art Area - within

3 EMIS, 2019.

4 World Bank 2017, “Data for Least Developed Countries: UN classification, Malawi,” World Bank Data, http://data.worldbank.org/?locations=XL-MW 5 USAID, “USAID Food Assistance Factsheet – Malawi” https://www.usaid.gov/malawi/food-assistance.

https://www.usaid.gov/malawi/food-assistance

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Lake Malawi National Park - was recognized in 1997 for its rich concentration of culturally significant rock art. There are over 127 different areas where rock art is found within the site.

Ecosystems. Due to local variations in topography and seasonal rainfall regimes, Malawi has a rich diversity of landscapes. These have been divided into five major agro-ecological zones, which are primarily differentiated by elevation, and to a lesser extent, vegetation. These are Highlands, Escarpments, Plateaus, Lakeshore and Upper Shire Valley, and the Lower Shire Valley.6 Terrestrial biodiversity is greatest in the Highlands, which house many of Malawi’s 97 protected areas. Over a quarter of the total surface area of Malawi is covered in aquatic ecosystems that include lakes, small water bodies, rivers, marshes, and swamps. The four largest lakes are Lake Malawi, Lake Malombe, Lake Chilwa, and Lake Chiuta.

Terrestrial systems. The Highlands (elevation greater than 1300 meters) are represented by isolated mountains in the southeast, including Dedza and Zomba, and larger high plateaus in the north, including Nyika and Mulanje. Evergreen bush and shrublands occupy the upper elevations, while grasslands occupy the lower elevations, and reach into the Escarpments. The Escarpments are essentially a contiguous zone of grasslands, running north-south along the edge of the Rift Valley. The Plateaus comprise about 75 percent of Malawi’s land, and range from flat to rolling landscapes between 750 to 1300 meters in elevation. Malawi’s lowland rainforests are predominantly situated on the plateaus. The Lakeshore and Upper Shire Valley are flat to gently rolling plains that cover 8 percent of the country. The Lower Shire Valley is the hottest and driest part of the country, but also contains several wetlands.7

According to the 2012 Malawi Environmental Threats and Opportunities Assessment (ETOA),8 biodiversity and ecosystems in Malawi are threatened due to habitat loss, illegal hunting, and degradation of natural systems, driven by population density. Increasing population results in agricultural expansion, overharvesting of natural resources, unsustainable land use practices and soil erosion, poverty, which is also exacerbated by poor governance. Unsustainable land use practices include continuous cultivation by smallholder farmers on plots of half a hectare to one and a half hectares in size, encroachment into wetlands and riverbanks, and cultivation on mountainsides. Household energy demands – i.e., from the use of charcoal – also pose a significant threat to forests and air quality.

Aquatic systems. Malawi has diverse flora and fauna both on land and in its substantial freshwater ecosystems. Lake Malawi has one of the most diverse freshwater fish populations on Earth, many of which are important economic and food security resources. Another significant lake, Lake Chilwa, is a designated Ramsar site, as it supports internationally important wetlands and 153 resident species, and 30 migratory species of water birds. Activities near the lake include fishing, agriculture, and livestock grazing. Fishing from Lake Chilwa captures between 25 and 30 percent of total fish production in Malawi.9 The Shire River, a tributary of the Zambezi, is Malawi’s largest river and Lake Malawi’s sole outlet. The Shire valley contains several important wetlands, including Elephant and Ndindi marshes. The Elephant Marsh was declared a Ramsar site, the second in Malawi, in early 2017. Around 26 water bird species have been found at the site, including some threatened species (e.g., the wattled crane). Elephant Marsh is also home to

6 Government of Malawi, “Fifth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity,” 2014.

7 Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Natural Resources, “Malawi National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan,” 2006,https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/mw/mw-nbsap-01-en.pdf.

8 USAID, “Malawi Environmental Threats and Opportunities Assessment (ETOA),” 2012, http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/pnadz972.pdf.

9 Ramsar Sites, “Malawi,” accessed on 26 August 2015,http://www.ramsar.org/wetland/malawi.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shire_River http://www.ramsar.org/wetland/malawi

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populations of hippopotamus, and several species of fish and aquatic invertebrates. The site plays an important role in sustaining the valley’s hydrological regime.10 Malawi has two main aquifers:

an extensive but low-yielding Precambrian weathered basement complex and a high yielding complex of quaternary alluvial aquifers.

The 2010 Government of Malawi State of the Economy Report noted that Malawi was one of the most water-stressed countries in Africa with a projected 403 cubic meters and 300 cubic meters of water available per capita in 2025 and 2035, respectively.11 Many river basins in the country are under severe pressure due to deforestation, unsustainable agriculture, unplanned settlements, mining, industry, commerce, tourism, and climate change. These activities have influenced deterioration in water quality due to increased sediment loads, industrial wastes, chemicals from agricultural lands, and the proliferation of aquatic vegetation.12

The British Geological Society reports that most of the urban water supply in Malawi comes from groundwater, which is collected from hand-dug wells, springs, and hand-pumped boreholes.

According to USAID, approximately 80 percent of the Malawian population has access to an improved source of drinking water, however about 4 million people still lack access to safe water.

Only about six percent of Malawi’s population has access to a sanitation facility. Proper sanitation practices and storage of clean drinking water are essential for preventing the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera. The British Geological Society has stated that the chemical quality of groundwater in Malawi has been little documented, however, the main problems affecting groundwaters appear to be high levels of salinity and high fluoride concentrations in some areas. For instance, one study has found elevated fluoride concentrations in groundwater around the village of Chande and the Jali area, both in Zomba District.13 In spite of the high proportion of the Malawian population that now has access to clean drinking water, climate variability and change are likely to endanger water, sanitation, and hygiene. Climate shocks such as intense precipitation and flooding can cause serious damage to boreholes and other water supply infrastructure, and these types of extreme weather events are projected to become more frequent in Malawi. For example, in 2015, record rainfall damaged 3,000 boreholes and water supply and treatment infrastructure in Southern Malawi, leading to flooding and cholera outbreaks in Chikwawa district, bordering Blantyre.

2.2 APPLICABLE AND APPROPRIATE PARTNER COUNTRY AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL

STANDARDS (E.G., WHO), ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL LAWS, POLICIES, AND REGULATIONS

Environmental Assessment. Chapter III (13) (d) of the Malawian Constitution states, “The State shall actively promote the welfare and development of the people of Malawi by progressively adopting and implementing policies and legislation aimed at achieving the following goals:

To manage the environment responsibly in order to 1) prevent the degradation of the environment; provide a healthy living and working environment for the people of Malawi; 2) accord full recognition to the rights of future generations by means of environmental protection and the sustainable development of

10 Ramsar Sites, “Elephant Marsh,” accessed on 4 December 2017 https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2308 11 Malawi Government, Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy, and Environment, “Malawi State of Environment and Outlook Report: Environment for Sustainable Economic Growth,” 2010.

12 Laisi, E,, “Chapter 9: Water Resources,” in EAD 2010b. Malawi State of Environment and Outlook: Environment for Sustainable Economic Growth, (Lilongwe, Malawi: Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Environment 2010).

13 Anastasia von Hellens, “Groundwater quality of Malawi - fluoride and nitrate of the Zomba-Phalombe plain,” 2013.

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natural resources; and 3) conserve and enhance the biological diversity of Malawi.”

The Environment Management Act (EMA) of 2017 provides for the protection and management of the environment and the conservation and sustainable utilization of natural resources in Malawi;

Section 5 (1) gives every Malawian a right to a clean and healthy environment. Part V Section 24 states the need for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Audit and Monitoring. Under this section, the Minister is mandated to specify the types and sizes of projects which shall not be implemented unless an EIA is carried out.

Part V of the EMA delegates management of the EIA process to the Director of the Malawi Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) and outlines all steps that must be followed before implementing any project. EIA guidelines to implement Part V of the EMA were put in place in December 1997. The EMA lists which documents must be filed with MEPA depending on the project type and scope.

The EMA also specifies that any project subject to EIA requirements cannot be licensed and implemented until a satisfactory EIA study has been completed and the project has been approved by the Director of MEPA. Because an EIA is a statutory requirement in Malawi, the EMA stipulates penalties for non-compliance. The implementing partner (IP) and USAID/Malawi must contact the MEPA to determine if the submission of a Project Brief to the Director is necessary depending on the project activities. The MEPA has overall responsibility for ensuring that EIAs are carried out for all projects in accordance with national standards.

EMA Process in Relation to School Construction

School construction projects do not fall under the Environmental Management Act’s (EMA) definition of a List A project that mandates an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) be done prior to construction as such the Malawi Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) formerly Environmental Affairs Department (EAD) has determined that construction of additional school blocks and WASH related facilities to an existing school does not require a site specific Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) but rather a District Environmental and Social Management Plan could be prepared to cover several schools with such works within that particular district. However, where a complete new school is being constructed, MEPA requires preparation of a site specific ESMP to address potential environmental and social impacts from construction works. The ESMP contains additional details as prescribed in the Terms of Reference provided by MEPA upon review of the project brief. This process will still have to be preceded by submission of Project brief to MEPA prior to commencement of construction works.

MEPA will also determine if the application of the guidance applies both to rural and urban settings considering the different environmental and social contexts presented by the two areas.

Biodiversity Conservation. The Malawi National Parks and Wildlife Act (amended 2017) provides new definitions of "endangered species" and "protected species" in provisions concerning hunting licenses, wildlife impact assessments, illegal possession of and trade in game species, protected species, endangered species or listed species, and other offences. It also inserts new provisions concerning offences involving endangered species and listed species.

It establishes the opportunity to request a wildlife impact assessment for anyone who has “good and sufficient reason to believe” that a proposed or existing process or activity may adversely affect the wildlife or community in the region where the project is implemented. The wildlife impact assessment report must be submitted to the Minister within 90 days. The report must include the

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existing or anticipated impacts upon wildlife (species, communities, and habitats), proposed alternative actions or inaction, and further recommendations.14

Waste Management. Sections 37 – 40 of part VII of the EMA describe waste management, licenses for waste, importation and exportation of hazardous waste, and classification of pesticides and hazardous substances. These sections may have implications on the disposal of construction or agro-processing waste. They require a license to handle, store, transport, classify, treat and dispose of waste (other than domestic waste), or to operate a waste disposal site. They state that each town is responsible for municipal waste disposal. As a result, local authorities regulate the disposal of solid waste within each community; projects need a license from the Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Environment to transport, treat and dispose of construction waste.

Land Tenure and Resource Rights.15 In 1995, the GOM undertook ambitious efforts toward land reform that led to the passage of the National Land Policy in 2002. The policy calls for the redistribution of land from large estates to smallholders, formalization of customary tenure to address tenure insecurity, and the creation of a commission to review and revise existing land legislation. Some elements of the land reform program have shown positive results in pilot programs. The Land Law of 2016 and Customary Land Act of 2016 implement the 2002 Land Policy. Land use and resource rights may be a concern for projects where natural resource access may change or be limited, in areas where construction takes place, or in instances of landscape level land use management changes (e.g., watershed management programs).

The Malawi Parliament passed four land tenure related bills in 2016, including the Land Act, the Physical Planning Act, the Land Survey Act, and the Customary Land Act. The 2016 Land Act prohibited the allocation or granting of all Freehold land in Malawi, and enacted the surrender and acquisition of non-developed freehold land.16 The 2016 Land Act and the 2016 Customary Land Act provide individuals in local communities the opportunity to request that the Traditional Authority register land as their private property. Another important change of the Act is the power given to youth and women to be registered as land owners. There remain a number of land related bills that are before Parliament in 2017, including the Land Acquisition Bill (Amendment) and the Registered Land Bill (Amendment).

Health Policy. The National Environmental Health Policy (2010) defines environmental health as “the management of environmental factors (physical, biological, chemical) in order to prevent diseases.”17 The policy recognizes the increased prevalence of environment-related diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid as well as the high incidence of food poisoning attributed to the presence of chemicals and poisons in foods. The Environmental Health Policy recognizes the fragmented nature of institutions that have a role to play in ensuring environmental health, which include the Ministry of Health (MoH); the Ministry of Forestry and Natural Resources, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Mining; the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA); and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The vision of the Environmental Health Policy is a “Healthy Malawi Free from

14 FAOLEX, “An Act to Amend the National Parks and Wildlife Act,” Malawi, 2017, https://www.ecolex.org/details/legislation/national-parks-and-wildlife-amendment-act-2017-no-11-of-2017-lex-faoc169263/.

15 USAID, “Property Rights and Resource Governance: Malawi,” https://www.land-links.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/USAID_Land_Tenure_Malawi_Profile.pdf.

16 Malawi Legal Information Institute, “An Act to make provision for land in Malawi and for all matters incidental or connected thereto,” 2016, https://www.malawilii.org/mw/legislation/act/2016/16 17 Malawi MOH, “Draft National Environmental Health Policy,” 2010.

https://www.land-links.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/USAID_Land_Tenure_Malawi_Profile.pdf https://www.land-links.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/USAID_Land_Tenure_Malawi_Profile.pdf https://www.malawilii.org/mw/legislation/act/2016/16

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