BURKINA FASO VICTORY AGAINST MALNUTRITION PLUS (VIMPLUS) DEVELOPMENT FOOD SECURITY ACTIVITY NO. 72DFFP18CA00008 FISCAL YEAR 2020 QUARTER 2 REPORT

During the January-March 2020 quarter, the governance component refined strategies for various interventions, including the voucher program, cash transfer, accountability, gender strategy, Social Behavior Change (SBC), and disaster risk prevention and management plan. These refinements were aimed at preparing for the upcoming agricultural and market gardening campaign and developing support mechanisms for risk and disaster prevention and management. Capacity building of local organizations was also a priority during this quarter. The governance component finalized capacity building plans and coaching of organizations for different strategies, including accountability and social cohesion, management of community resources, and development of prevention and risk management plans. These trainings and coaching integrated principles of functionality based on ten criteria, revised administrative and financial management tools, and plans for building ownership of accountability and equity principles in community asset management. Implementation of cash transfers was another key activity during this quarter. ViMPlus began validating the lists of extremely poor and chronically vulnerable households, and recorded audio tapes in French and the local Mooré language to support village validation committees. These audio tapes served as a methodological guide on the process of setting up committees and validating household information. The ViMPlus program also made progress in improving health, nutrition, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) outcomes for vulnerable households, particularly adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women, and children within the first 1,000 days. The program continued discussions with State technical services to draw up collaboration protocols and agreements, and deepened discussions on land governance with RISE II partners such as TerreEauVie (TEV) and Appui à la Sécurisation des Terres (ASTER). In terms of economic wellbeing, ViMPlus refined strategies for the voucher program, cash transfer, and livelihoods interventions. The program also finalized the recruitment of staff in the monitoring and evaluation, grant, and livelihood departments, and trained 27 promoters and 14 supervisors on program and security management. The COVID-19 pandemic presented a significant challenge to the ViMPlus program, disrupting interactions with the population and requiring adaptation strategies. In response, ViMPlus developed an activity-wide adaptation guidance document to prepare business continuity and contingency plans. The program also prepared and submitted a programmatic adaptation plan for each component, detailing how activities would be redesigned and which strategies would be adopted to ensure implementation. Overall, the ViMPlus program made significant progress during the January-March 2020 quarter, refining strategies, building capacity, and implementing interventions to improve food security, health, nutrition, and economic wellbeing outcomes for vulnerable households in Burkina Faso.