Management Sciences for Health LMG Ethiopia Fiscal Year 2015 Semiannual Progress Report: October 1, 2014-March 31, 2015

The project's objective is to strengthen and expand the people-centered capacity building strategy pioneered under the Leadership, Management and Sustainability (LMS) Project. The LMG Project's focus is on addressing the gap in leadership, management, and governance capacity of policy makers, health care providers, and program managers to implement quality health services at all levels of the health system. Governance functions, distinct from leadership and management functions, are an important focus of LMG because they provide the ultimate commitment to improving service delivery and foster sustainability through accountability, engagement, transparency, and stewardship. The project's geographic focus is on Ethiopia, with the goal of improving health systems strengthening in the country. During the reporting period from October 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015, the LMG Project supported the production of publications, including a post-training evaluation of workplace team-based L+M+G skill development for organizational performance improvement. The project also utilized short-term technical assistance, with consultants providing governance training, PHOA strategic plan development, and gender manual translation and training of trainers. The project supported international travel, with staff attending conferences, workshops, and meetings. Monitoring visits were conducted by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) and the LMG Ethiopia Project, with recommendations provided for further support and coaching. The project also conducted a mid-term review, with recommendations to be provided in the report due in the first week of April 2015. In the program area of Organizational Health Systems Strengthening (OHSS), the project achieved several key accomplishments. Governance training was provided for 20 HSM course instructors from eight universities, and support was given to Team Training Programs (TTP) for staff and graduating students from Jimma and Gondar universities. A L+M+G Core Competency Development and Content Integration Workshop was held for two health categories, Medicine and Pharmacy. The revised curriculum for Health Services Management (HSM) courses was piloted in the summer classes at Mekelle and Hawassa universities, with a governance component included. Training on governance was offered from November 25-28, 2014, with 20 participants from all eight universities and Menelik II College of Health Sciences participating. The training was facilitated by Lourdes De la Peza, a Principal Technical Advisor for Management Sciences for Health. The project's accomplishments in the reporting period demonstrate progress towards its objective of strengthening and expanding the people-centered capacity building strategy in Ethiopia. The project's focus on governance functions and its support for technical assistance, international travel, and monitoring visits have contributed to improved health systems strengthening in the country.