RING_PreProposal_Conference_Presentation_luick.pptx

Pre-Proposal Conference November 28, 2012

Resiliency in Northern Ghana

(RING)

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Rationale Resiliency in Northern Ghana project is an integrated economic growth, agriculture, water/sanitation, good governance, and nutrition project to improve resiliency in the Northern Region.

Represents a paradigm shift in development through focusing, though not exclusively, on women’s contributions to household income while educating men to encourage and promote their active participation in child-rearing, care giving, and care seeking.

Integrated is more than the sum of its parts. There are many studies that show that each sub-variety of the thematic intervention works, but very few projects have attempted to reach across the aisle and truly integrate a project that helps the whole family.

The inclusion of governance is vital. As President Obama remarked when he was in Ghana in 2009 “To realize that promise, we must first recognize a fundamental truth that you have given life to in Ghana: development depends upon good governance.”

The Foundation of RING Working with and through local institutions ,while building capacity as needed, to maximize impact for vulnerable women and children in the Northern Region.

Collaboration with and learning from other development partners and local stakeholders.

Bringing the vision and funding of the Global Health Initiative and Feed the Future together for joint programming and implementation.

Ask any Ghanaian and they still remember President Obama’s visit to Ghana, they often quote him saying that Africa doesn’t need more strongmen but strong institutions and that is a correct quote. And it is applicable to RING. But when looking at the larger development assistance portfolio, especially in Ghana, and especially for the troubled and lagging behind Northern Region, the following quote seems more apt “The true sign of success is not whether we are a source of aid that helps people scrape by - it is whether we are partners in building the capacity for transformational change.”

Implementation and Oversight modalities Direct versus Indirect implementation per Figures One and Two in RFP.

USAID Ghana satellite office in Tamale with technical specialists to provide oversight of the direct implementation with district assemblies.

USAID/Ghana in Accra will house the Contracting Officers Representative for this Contract.

USAID satellite office to be operational by mid-March. Housed in the same building as the Regional Coordinating Council.

Updates on RING implementation The RING Basic Implementation Letter (BIL) was signed in June, 2012. The BIL governs how the project will be implemented and the flow of funds between USAID and the GOG.

In September, 2012 USAID signed implementation letters with the Northern Regional Coordinating Council and two District Assemblies that have passed USAID’s formal assessment process (PFMRAF) and qualified for direct assistance from USAID.

Risk mitigation measures plan for four additional districts on November 23, 2012.

Each District will have a DIL, which is a District Implementation Letter, an off-shoot of the BIL.

Updates on RING implementation September 2012: USAID met with and oriented staff from the NRCC and two DAs USAID’s financial management processes;

RING’s purpose and objectives, illustrative activities, and USAID’s expectations for first quarter implementation plans; and Initial quarterly district plans and budgets reviewed and feedback by USAID and the NRCC provided.

In October, 2012, USAID processed the first RING funds transfers based on approved quarterly work plans and budgets submitted.

Creation of a RING Steering Committee with MOFEP.

We expect this (the first bullet) to be a fairly standard way of doing business) Second bullet pertains to NRCC and two districts

Update: RING implementation In January 2013, USAID will further narrow down the menu of possible interventions (termed as illustrative activities) from which communities can choose from. The narrowing of the intervention “menu” is to ensure a clear list of real choices which a community/households can choose from, and that all activities are supported by evidence and that the list is focused on the outcomes we want to achieve.

Targeted economic growth and agriculture activities are focused around value chains that are traditionally female-controlled and have higher profit margins, with a cost benefit analysis indicating favorable short, medium, and long term profit potential.

Update: MICS Results Multiple Indicator Cluster Results launched on November 22, 2012.

Nutrition indicators got worse in the Northern region but improved overall.

Anemia among children is reported as 57%, a significant decline compared to 78% in DHS 2008. Children aged 12-23 months had much higher levels at 71%, compared to the rest in this age group.

Copies available on disc and will also be uploaded.

Obviously threshold for emergency in anemia is 40% so even though significant declines have been shown, and which we are investigating, even if they are a true representation of the actual situation, there is still significant cause for concern.

Boys appear more likely to be underweight (15%), stunted (25%), and wasted (7%) than girls (11%, 20% and 5% respectively).

Update: MICS Results 13% of children under 5 in Ghana are moderately or severely underweight.

23% of children are moderately or severely stunted or too short for their age.

6% under five are moderately or severely wasted or too thin for their height.

Of children 6-23 months currently breastfeeding, 46% consumed food items from at least 4/7 necessary food groups. 34% consumed food items from 4+ food groups and were fed the minimum number of times.

Children in Northern and Upper East regions are more likely to be underweight and stunted than children in other regions.

Update: Impact Evaluation Study Question: Within RING, what is the contribution of income growth strategies and consumption smoothing strategies to reducing vulnerability and improving nutrition?

The Impact Evaluation (IE) has become further defined over the last month. It is expected that the IE will be implemented in four districts, in a total of approximately 35 communities.

The IE will run a total of three years and is expected to start immediately and will begin in districts that are in the process of assessment for direct assistance from USAID.

What strategies help households weather economic shocks?

-inter-annual shocks -fluctuations in consumption between seasons Which coping mechanisms are best at protecting nutrition?

Tradeoff between income growth and smoothing consumption

Update: Impact Evaluation There will be four arms to the IE:

RING-Income expand income sources: cowpeas, shea nuts, ruminants, vegetables increase access to inputs and drip irrigation provide training and link farmers to markets RING-Smoothing increase access to low-risk savings mechanisms strengthen community-based seed/grain banks promote adoption of enhanced household storage facilities RING-Full all activities in RING-Income and RING-Smoothing, as in the rest of the RING project

Plus RING Lite, which will be the counter factual. But includes governance component, access to credit, public health messages ONLY not integrated: no other RING components until phased in serves as comparison group, phased into RING-Full in 3 years Randomly assign some communities to receive RING-Lite

Update: Impact Evaluation The impact evaluation will involve changes in some activities within the livelihood component of RING in a limited number of communities in order to learn which kinds of activities are most effective.

The impact evaluation partner will identify some communities in a limited number of districts where not all of RINGs activities will be undertaken.

The impact evaluation partner will provide trainings on how to implement these approaches.

Please note that, as always, impact evaluations, are a fine art of negotiation and collaboration, especially regarding technical approach. In this case, close collaboration, particularly regarding the implementation of RING livelihood activities will be needed.

Update: Impact Evaluation The Contractor will need to work closely with the impact evaluation partner to provide support of IE implementation in the districts and communities included in the IE, including providing support to the DAs in developing a monitoring system to include periodic data collection on performance indicators.

The impact evaluation team will also conduct light monitoring of progress with implementation in these communities, in the form of spot checks and communication with DA staff and local officials

USAID expects that the support of these activities in the impact evaluation communities will be modestly more intensive than the support provided in other communities on average image1.png