February Monthly Progress Report

The project aims to support health initiatives in Africa through partnerships with African institutions and organizations. ASH staff participated in quarterly reviews with the Center for Health Services (CHS) Project, where they presented progress and challenges to senior management. These reviews facilitate the identification of best practices, emerging programmatic issues, and potential African partner institutions. ASH staff also developed scopes of work for activities agreed upon at the January USAID-ASH retreat and will submit revised Technical Cooperation Notes (TCNs) and Statements of Work (SOWs) to USAID for review. ASH provided support to World TB Day preparations in Washington DC, with Gwen Morgan working closely with USAID bureaus. The project also maintained contact with USAID East Africa (EA) in Nairobi, discussing potential support for African Network for Care of Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (ANECCA) and Regional Center for Quality of Health Care (RCQHC) as they evolve into autonomous non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Additionally, ASH made contact with four African institutions involved in regional health initiatives, including The African Centre for Global Health and Social Transformation (ACHEST), GLUK, and others, to discuss governance, support for ICB, and community strategies for healthcare. ASH submitted a budget modification request to USAID Contracting Officer on February 10, 2012, to change the contract type from hybrid to cost reimbursement. The project is still awaiting feedback from USAID. Subcontracts were issued to ASH partners APHRC and Khulisa, with Khulisa signing the contract in the second week of March 2012. ASH is still waiting to receive a signed subcontract from APHRC. Two Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) meetings were held on February 7 and 15, and one ASH staff meeting was held on February 14. Budget constraints continue to impact ASH's capacity to engage with African institutions face-to-face, prompting the project to explore innovative collaboration methods, such as leveraging trips by ASH staff funded by other MSH activities. Key activities planned for March 2012 include finalizing scopes of work and COR letters, revising the work plan following USAID approval of the retreat report, and establishing further contacts with partners and collaborators in the USA and Africa.