Quarter Four Report: Essential Health Project, Project Year Two/ Fiscal Year 2019

The project aims to improve maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes in Myanmar. The project is implemented in collaboration with consortium partners Koe Koe Tech, Pact, Population Services International (PSI), and ThinkWell. The project's work plan has undergone several iterations, with the first draft submitted to USAID in September 2018. Subsequent updates were submitted in February and April 2019, with the final version approved by USAID on April 24, 2019. This report details progress against the approved work plan matrix for the period of July 1, 2019, through September 30, 2019. The project focuses on several key areas, including tuberculosis (TB) control, maternal and child health, and health system strengthening. The project's intermediate results (IRs) are organized into three main categories: IR1, IR2, and IR3. IR1 focuses on improving maternal and newborn health, IR2 focuses on reducing TB and other infectious diseases, and IR3 focuses on strengthening the health system. During the reporting period, the project made significant progress in achieving its IRs. IR1 achievements included the training of 1,200 health workers on maternal and newborn health, the establishment of 20 maternal and newborn health facilities, and the distribution of 10,000 maternal and newborn health kits. IR2 achievements included the testing of 10,000 individuals for TB, the treatment of 5,000 TB patients, and the distribution of 5,000 TB diagnostic kits. IR3 achievements included the strengthening of 20 health facilities, the training of 500 health workers on health system strengthening, and the development of a health information system. The project also made progress in cross-cutting activities, including the implementation of a quality improvement program, the development of a health literacy promotion unit, and the establishment of a learning and performance improvement center. The project's monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) activities included the collection of data on project outcomes, the analysis of data to inform project decisions, and the development of a performance monitoring plan. The project faced several challenges during the reporting period, including the ongoing conflict in Rakhine State, which affected the project's ability to reach some communities. However, the project was able to adapt to these challenges and continue making progress towards its goals. The project's financial information for the reporting period is included in Annex 11. The project's success story is included in Annex 10, and photos of project activities are included in Annex 9. The project's short-term technical assistance visits are documented in Annex 8, and the project's environmental compliance update is included in Annex 7. The project's performance monitoring plan updates are included in Annex 6, and the project's IR achievements table is included in Annex 5. The project's work plan matrix with status updates is included in Annex 4, and the project's plans for the next quarter are included in Annex 3. The project's sub-recipient achievements are documented in Annex 2, and the project's overall challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned are included in Annex 1.