Improved Services for Vulnerable Populations (ISVP)/USAID Twiyubake Program FY18 Quarter 3 Progress Report

Funded by USAID/PEPFAR and implemented by Global Communities, this work is expected to reduce the risk and impact of health conditions such as HIV/AIDS on vulnerable populations. Vulnerable populations include people living with HIV/AIDS, orphans and vulnerable children, members of households caring for these two groups, very poor households, and out-of-school youth, especially girls and young women. The program's activities build upon current and past USAID support to the Government of Rwanda and civil society partners in the 12 targeted districts. The overarching goal of the program is to identify and assist 250,000 vulnerable children, youth, and adults by increasing the capacities of families and communities to provide better care for vulnerable individuals, improving household and community care and support practices for vulnerable populations, and increasing access to education and social services for vulnerable populations. The USAID/Twiyubake Program is expected to achieve four interlinked intermediate results: increased capacity of families and communities to provide healthy, nurturing, and engaging environments for vulnerable children under 5 years; decreased economic vulnerability of families; increased knowledge, attitude, skills, aspirations, and confidence of adolescents; and increased capacity of communities to provide essential preventative and protective services to vulnerable families and children. The program consortium includes Global Communities, Partners in Health, and six local civil society organizations, referred to as Rwanda Partner Organizations (RPOs), each assigned between one and four of the 12 program districts and responsible for program implementation and service delivery. The RPOs are engaged through cost-reimbursement contracts or sub-grants and receive tailored capacity building support from USAID/Twiyubake staff to strengthen their capacity in program implementation and quality service delivery to vulnerable households and communities. The program has realized that disability inclusion remains a challenge at some Early Childhood Development (ECD) sites. In some cases, the availability of accessible facilities and materials for children with disabilities has been noted as a concern. To address this issue, the program proposes to conduct a needs assessment to identify the specific requirements of ECD sites and develop a plan to improve accessibility and inclusion. The program has also identified the need to strengthen the capacity of local partners and households to deliver high-quality healthcare and promote clinic-community linkages for enhanced access to health and social services. To achieve this, the program will work with Partners in Health to build the capacity of local partners and households to deliver high-quality healthcare and promote clinic-community linkages. In the reporting period, the program has made progress in implementing its activities, including the establishment of ECD sites, the provision of household and family strengthening services, and the promotion of inclusive quality education in early childhood development. The program has also conducted a household and community strengthening assessment to identify the needs and capacities of vulnerable households and communities. The program's expected results include increased capacity of families and communities to provide healthy, nurturing, and engaging environments for vulnerable children under 5 years; decreased economic vulnerability of families; increased knowledge, attitude, skills, aspirations, and confidence of adolescents; and increased capacity of communities to provide essential preventative and protective services to vulnerable families and children. The program will continue to work towards achieving these results through its activities and partnerships.