Monthly Progress Report: February 2013

The project is managed by Management Sciences for Health (MSH) and is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under Contract Number AID-OAA-C-11-00161. ASH senior management participated in the February 2013 USAID Africa work planning and coordination meeting between AFR/SD and the three USAID regional missions in Nairobi. The meeting focused on work planning and coordination for the upcoming year. ASH Project Director, Godfrey Sikipa, accompanied by Dr. Ishrat Hussain, met with Professor Miriam Were and her staff to discuss Kenya's experience in implementing the nation's community strategy for healthcare. Godfrey also met with Ms. Makiko Sugishita, Chief Advisor for Community Strategy, to discuss possible collaboration with ASH in costing community strategy activities. ASH made notable achievements in February 2013, including the recruitment, selection, and hiring of consultants for the systematic review of evidence on relationships between HIV and maternal mortality. The review aims to provide evidence-based recommendations for improving maternal health outcomes in Africa. ASH also participated in the quarterly teleconference of the RBM MiP Working Group, which focuses on malaria in pregnancy. The ID Advisor continued to work on the finalization of the Malawi IPTp report and developed a first draft of the assessment tool that will be used for facility-level IPTp assessments. In the area of infectious diseases, ASH participated in a cholera meeting in Washington DC, which aimed to review trends of cholera in Africa. The meeting was followed by a planning day that included USAID, CDC, WHO AFRO, and the Stimson Centre. Key topics discussed included the intended IDSR evaluation and the proposed communication strategy for IDSR. ASH will hire a consultant to facilitate the literature review process for the IDSR evaluation. ASH also made progress in monitoring and evaluation, including the development of an evaluation framework and a results chain with assumptions and risks. The M&E Advisor completed the transformation of the PMP into an M&E Plan with a logical framework, in accordance with the latest ADS guidance. Indicator protocol reference sheets were revised and expanded. In terms of management and administration, ASH's books for February 2013 have not been closed yet, and expenses for the month are based on estimates. The total obligation for the project is $6,783,004, and total expenditure and accruals as of January 2013 are $3,433,894. Estimated expenses for February 2013 are $225,000, and total estimated expenses as of December 31, 2012 are $3,658,894. ASH staff also worked on the design and structure of the ASH website, inviting all staff to comment. Additional feedback on the structure and layout will be sought from USAID before finalizing the website. ASH drafted a scope of work for a consultant to complete a review of USAID family planning programs in Africa, which will begin in March 2013.