Health Leadership Project (HLP) Annual Progress Report Fiscal Year 2021, Quarter 1 Progress Report

The program aims to strengthen the Government of Haiti's (GOH) capacity to lead and finance the health sector, as well as improve GOH planning and oversight of the health workforce. The HLP is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and has a total estimated contract/agreement amount of $7,599,504.00. The program's two objectives are to build GOH's capacity to lead and finance the health sector, and to improve GOH planning and oversight of the health workforce. To achieve these objectives, the HLP has implemented various activities, including training for health managers from the Ministère de la Santé Publique et de la Population (MSPP) on public financial management. During the reporting period, 16 MSPP/DAB staff received training on public financial management, exceeding the target of 10 staff members. The HLP has also conducted supervision visits jointly with DAB to the public financial management focal points at the departmental level. The DAB assessed the public finance management capacity at the departmental health director level, and the HLP accompanied the DAB and participated in the assessment in the North, Northeast, and West departments. The HLP has also continued to implement its COVID-19 contingency plan, which provides guidance on maintaining staff health and safety while ensuring project continuity. The HLP has also organized security training for all Haiti HLP staff, which focused on Haiti's current security context and strategies for reducing the likelihood of risk and ensuring personal security at all times. The training recommended removing branding and marking from the project vehicles that identify it as an international organization. The HLP has also organized meetings with both GC and CFET to discuss the status of health financing and human resources for health activities in the work plan, as well as project management priorities. For the next quarter, the HLP has identified several management priorities, including completing all required reports, conducting monthly meetings with HLP leadership and USAID team, monitoring sub-award compliance, and monitoring and mitigating the impact of COVID-19 and ongoing insecurity on project implementation. The HLP will also organize routine partner meetings with GC and CFET to discuss project management priorities and progress. The HLP has made significant progress in achieving its objectives, with notable achievements including the training of 16 MSPP/DAB staff on public financial management and the completion of supervision visits jointly with DAB to the public financial management focal points at the departmental level. The HLP continues to work towards its objectives, with a focus on building GOH's capacity to lead and finance the health sector and improving GOH planning and oversight of the health workforce. The HLP has also made significant progress in implementing its COVID-19 contingency plan, which has enabled the project to continue despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. The HLP has also taken steps to ensure the security of its staff, including organizing security training and removing branding and marking from project vehicles. Overall, the HLP has made significant progress in achieving its objectives and continues to work towards its goals. The program's focus on building GOH's capacity to lead and finance the health sector and improving GOH planning and oversight of the health workforce is critical to the long-term sustainability of the health sector in Haiti.