Quarterly Progress Report for Marawi Activities, October – December 2018

The project is implemented by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and aims to assist the Philippine government in repairing and upgrading water infrastructure, and supporting water service providers achieve improved, secured, resilient, and sustainable water and sanitation services. The Marawi Restoration and Reconstruction on Water and Sanitation program is a key component of the SURGE Project, focusing on repairing and upgrading water infrastructure in Marawi City and its surrounding areas. The program involves the creation of a core team for the formulation of the Water Safety Plan, which is needed to manage quality standards of drinking water. The SURGE Project also strengthened the capacity of the water district in basic water operations and management through a training conducted in partnership with the Cagayan de Oro Water District. The Restoration of Livelihoods of IDPs and Support for Economic Recovery program provides assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and displaced traders and businessmen to regain their livelihoods through skills, capability building, and technical training; provision of start-up materials and equipment, and market access; and promote overall private sector participation in the economic rehabilitation process. The program facilitated various business development workshops and trainings for IDPs and entrepreneurs in Marawi, including the launching of the Weaving Hope in Marawi Project to revive the traditional weaving industry, the vegetable production project, basic and advanced baking and bakery operations trainings, and the roll-out of the Store Training and Access to Resources (STAR) Program to develop the skills of women entrepreneurs. The SURGE Project also forged partnerships with the provincial government of Lanao del Sur and private sector groups to restore economic activity in Marawi. Partnerships were established with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), and ECHOsi Foundation for the Weaving Hope in Marawi Project, and with the Coca-Cola Company and East-West Seed Corporation for the STAR Program and vegetable production project, respectively. The detailed engineering and architectural designs, construction management, and quality assurance plans for the construction of four trading centers in Marawi were submitted to and approved by USAID during this quarter. The main challenge faced by the SURGE Project during this quarter was finding consultants willing to work and travel to Marawi. Despite this challenge, the project continued to make progress in its activities and achieved several key accomplishments, including the creation of a core team for the formulation of the Water Safety Plan, the strengthening of the capacity of the water district in basic water operations and management, and the facilitation of various business development workshops and trainings for IDPs and entrepreneurs in Marawi. The SURGE Project's activities are aligned with and reinforce the existing strategy of the United States Government (USG) of reducing the overall vulnerability of IDPs to violent extremism. The project's focus on water and sanitation, economic recovery, and private sector participation in the economic rehabilitation process is critical to achieving the strategic objectives and priority goals of the work plan. The submission of this quarterly progress report is in compliance with Section F.6 (Reports and Deliverables) of the contract between USAID and ICMA.