GAZA 2020: HEALTH MATTERS Quarterly Report / Year 2 – 1st Quarter

The project is led by International Medical Corps and its partners, including Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere, Inc. (CARE), Juzoor for Health and Social Development (Juzoor), and Mercy Corps. The project's geographic coverage includes Gaza and the West Bank, with a focus on mapping services, providers, and community needs in Gaza. The project's expected outcomes include the development of emergency preparedness plans at the community and facility levels, the capacity of community-based organizations (CBOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to deliver targeted prevention and treatment programs, and increased capacity of existing NGO hospitals to reduce referrals for specialty care. The project's crosscutting activities include coordination, assessments, barrier analysis, branding and marking guidance, information and communications technology (ICT), and procurement/logistics. During the first quarter of the new fiscal year, Mercy Corps finalized its FY17 plans and timeline, detailing the project's activities and objectives. Key achievements under this program include identifying ICT system priorities, starting the tendering process for a software development company, identifying the health messaging strategic approach, starting the MHPSS trainings, and finalizing the SHC NGOs organizational capacity development (OCD) assessments and starting the tendering process for performing the OCD work. Mercy Corps' MHPSS and CBR component will contribute to building the capacity of Consortium Partner's (CP) staff members and local sub-grantees through training workshops, coaching, and technical guidance. The plan includes training workshops on IASC MHPSS Guidelines, Psychological First Aid (PFA), and other topics, as well as coaching and technical guidance to staff members of local sub-grantees. Mercy Corps' staff will provide technical support to staff members of local sub-grantees, including field visits, technical expertise, and review of specific activities and deliverables. The project's consolidated training plan for FY17 includes various technical and non-technical trainings to be organized by GHMP's CPs. The technical trainings cover topics such as MHPSS, emergency care, and CBR, while the non-technical trainings focus on organizational capacity topics such as fundraising, project management, human resources, logistics, monitoring and evaluation, and finance. Mercy Corps organized two training workshops on "IASC MHPSS Guidelines and PFA" during the first quarter, which were attended by staff members of local sub-grantees. The project's quarterly report highlights the progress made during the first quarter of the new fiscal year, including the finalization of FY17 plans and timeline, the identification of ICT system priorities, and the start of MHPSS trainings. The report also highlights the project's expected outcomes, including the development of emergency preparedness plans, the capacity of CBOs and NGOs to deliver targeted prevention and treatment programs, and increased capacity of existing NGO hospitals to reduce referrals for specialty care.