PEPFAR Ethiopia In-Country Reporting System (IRS) Progress Report for FY2011 Quarter I Program Results (Q 1) (OCT 2010 - DEC 2010)

The program reached 16,052 households and 56,887 Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC) with program interventions, exceeding the targeted 12,000 households and 45,000 OVC. This achievement was made possible through the partnership with 41 implementing partners in 16 cities. The program's expansion is expected to continue with the addition of 9 new implementing partners and 4 new cities in February 2012. The beneficiaries of year two officially graduated in December 2010, with the program reaching 9,287 households and 28,928 OVC, exceeding the targeted 7,500 and 26,250 figures. A total of 7,516 households are ready to graduate, while 1,777 households require additional time and technical support due to late starts or dropouts. A notable achievement was the visit by Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a high-level White House advisor, to the Kokebe Stebahe school on October 28. Dr. Emanuel was impressed with the gardens and recommended that they be replicated in health facilities across the country. The USAID UGP annual meeting was held from November 15-18, 2010, at the Ghion Hotel in Addis Ababa. The meeting brought together 109 participants, including directors of implementing partners, USAID UGP management team, technical advisors, and Operation Area Coordinators. The meeting focused on the outcome evaluation conducted in July 2010, which highlighted key findings such as: * 80% of gardeners intend to continue gardening * 98% of gardeners consume vegetables they produced * Income among clients increased by 50% (from 200 bir per month to 300 bir per month) * The percent of clients reporting reduction in stigma increased from 82.1% to 90% The meeting also identified programming gaps in gardening and HIV knowledge, which are being addressed through new training approaches and staff additions. Better linkages to HIV education and improved integration of HIV as a topic area in discussion groups are planned. The annual meeting served as an opportunity to unite implementing partners and staff around the program's goals, learn from the outcome evaluation, and share promising practices related to working with OVC, marketing, and nutrition integration.