HP+ MALAWI: FY 2016, QUARTER 2 REPORT

The project began work planning and project start-up activities, with several accomplishments under the Population, Family Planning (POP/FP) component. In January, Olive Mtema and Davie Kadzinja attended the International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) in Bali, representing the project. The conference provided an opportunity for the project team to engage with global experts and stakeholders in the field of family planning. In February, HP+ organized an advocacy meeting convened by the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Health. The meeting aimed to generate support from the Ministry of Finance to maintain an upward allocation to the Family Planning (FP) budget. The Ministry of Health and Research (MOH-RHD) presented updates on the use of 2015-16 FP budget allocation and their estimates for 2016-2017. The meeting was attended by Members of Parliament (MPs), who expressed their commitment to supporting the FP budget. During the quarter, HP+ also started recruitment for several positions, including a Senior Health Economist, a Finance and Operations Manager, and a Technical Advisor, Condom Programming. The project team collaborated with the MOH and USAID to develop job descriptions and began the recruitment process. The Senior Health Economist position was posted, and interviews are scheduled to take place in the first week of May. In February, HP+ initiated meetings with key stakeholders to inform the FY16 and FY17 work plan. The meetings were spearheaded by the Country Director and focused on new areas of work in condom programming. A participatory work planning trip was conducted from March 14-24, during which four members from HP+ headquarters office in DC joined the HP+ Malawi local staff. The team held around 30 meetings with various stakeholders to gain an understanding of current programs, priorities, and ways to complement efforts. The project team also submitted final revisions to the PEPFAR Malawi Gender Assessment report, based on feedback from PEPFAR and USAID Malawi. The report's findings and recommendations were presented during the Washington, DC COP management meeting in March 2016, and are being submitted in April with PEPFAR Malawi's COP16. Despite some challenges, including a low number of applications received for the Senior Health Economist position, HP+ was able to extend the deadline and receive several more qualified candidates. The project team also learned valuable lessons from meetings with stakeholders during the participatory work planning trip, which will inform the work plan over the life of the project. One notable success story from the quarter is the partnership with DanChurchAid, which provided resources to further the project's work. DanChurchAid, with funding from KfW, printed 1000 copies of the Faithful Voices advocacy guides to disseminate and use as part of their FP advocacy work with religious leaders. The project team is currently preparing to submit the work plan to USAID for approval at the end of April. The work plan will include all of the plans for the coming quarter and will be a key document in guiding the project's activities moving forward.