Malawi MELS Activity Report FY 2021 Q2

(IBTCI) under contract with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project aims to provide monitoring, evaluation, and learning support to USAID/Malawi's Sustainable Economic Growth (SEG) Office, specifically for the Feed the Future (FTF) and Environment (Global Climate Change and biodiversity) activities. The MELS project has four primary objectives: performance evaluations of FTF and ENV activities and of the Sustainable Livelihoods Project, assessments of Feed the Future Malawi Agricultural Diversification activity performance, studies and analyses on selected topical issues, and strengthening local capacity to undertake evaluations and assessments. The project's total estimated period of performance is approximately five years, starting February 1, 2017, and going through January 31, 2022. During the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2021 (January 2021 - March 2021), the MELS team carried out various activities, including quarterly and annual reporting and financial reporting. The team also submitted a final Verification Report on February 11 for the AgDiv Verification Activity and presented the findings to USAID/Malawi and AgDiv on March 8. Additionally, the team submitted the final Annual Survey Report on February 16 and met with the COR for the Malawi MCHF project on March 15 to discuss indicators for verification in FY22 Q1. The MELS team also conducted a webinar on Qualitative Methods in FY21 Q2, which was recorded and distributed along with presentation slides and a Qualitative Methods software comparison matrix. The webinar recordings will be available to anyone upon request. The next webinar is scheduled for late May and will focus on Cost-Benefit Analysis. The MELS project has achieved significant progress towards its expected outcomes, with 100% realization of performance evaluations designed and implemented, 100% realization of methods for baseline and annual performance assessments of key performance indicators for FTF AgDiv Project, and 100% realization of baseline and annual beneficiary-based surveys for FTF farm-level outcome indicators. However, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose challenges for the MELS team, affecting planned capacity-building activities and requiring the team to adapt to new technologies such as remote monitoring, digital tools, and flexibility in survey methods. The MELS team has submitted COVID-19 mitigation strategies for conducting fieldwork, which have been approved by USAID and serve as a model for other projects to follow.