FADCANIC Capacity Building Activity Quarterly Report April 1-June 30, 2012

The project aims to strengthen FADCANIC's capacity to manage USAID funds and comply with USAID's complex requirements for program implementation, including reporting and achieving results. FADCANIC, a civil society organization located in the multi-ethnic region of Caribbean Nicaragua, is a major implementer of development projects in this region, focusing on environmental, agricultural, education, and youth development programs. AIR provides FADCANIC with technical assistance in institutional and programmatic areas to manage USAID funds according to USAID standards. The project's objective is to strengthen FADCANIC's capacity in areas such as administration and finance, personnel management, monitoring and evaluation, and strategic planning. AIR also provides technical programmatic assistance in approaches for working with youth to develop activities that introduce life skills and better employment opportunities. During the April-June 2012 period, activities under each result are described below. In June, a FADCANIC board retreat was facilitated by the strategic planning specialist, resulting in consensus on the current state and desired future state of the organization, as well as strategic goals to be pursued over the next 5-year period. In the area of administration and finance, the baseline report for the dimensions rated in the organization capacity assessment (OCA) tool was developed, and work towards evaluation and training tools started. A work plan for future activities was developed, refining the content and timing of activities for the rest of 2012. In personnel management, the AIR HR specialist traveled to Nicaragua to work with her FADCANIC counterpart, reviewing existing HR policies and documents and planning training sessions around these policies and related documentation. The AIR HR specialist also worked on documenting FADCANIC's baseline status in human resource areas and defined actions and steps needed to reach objectives in areas including recruitment and retention policies, job descriptions, personnel policies, staff performance management, and salary and benefit policies. A two-day workshop on basic monitoring and evaluation concepts was held in Bluefields, covering topics such as basic concepts and the project cycle of social projects, diagnostics and establishment of a baseline, project indicators, the logical framework in social projects, and M&E as a tool for decision making. Feedback from participants was positive, and a second workshop on the same topic is planned for the next quarter for FADCANIC staff members in the RAAN. Terms of reference for consultants were developed to present a proposal to assist and build capacity of FADCANIC staff to develop a baseline for the upcoming expansion of FADCANIC's youth-at-risk project. The diagnostic of FADCANIC practices, challenges, and needs in the area of M&E was finalized during this quarter. The current quarter proved to be a productive period in the strategic planning process, with participants in the strategic planning process and FADCANIC leadership reaching a shared understanding of the current and future states for FADCANIC. The AIR strategic planning specialist held a series of working and planning meetings in Nicaragua with members of the Strategic Planning Committee, developing preliminary strategic goals. These goals define the basis for the strategic plan currently under development.