Quarterly Progress Report: Learning4impact Knowledge Partner in Health

The report is a collaborative effort between L4i, USAID, and its implementing partners, with the goal of promoting cross-learning and improved effectiveness between projects. National-level engagement was a significant focus during the quarter, with a meeting of USAID/HO Covid-19 Partners held on September 13. The meeting aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of USAID/India's Covid-19 support to its new Mission Director, Ms. Veena Reddy, and to share learnings, challenges, and support required to maximize investment impact amid the pandemic. The L4i team supported USAID by organizing and finalizing the content for the meeting, taking care of logistics, and preparing learning documents with follow-up activities. The L4i Platform continued to be a key tool for sharing knowledge and best practices, with new content uploaded regularly and circulated widely through social media and other platforms. The platform received 1857 views during the quarter, with 499 users, including 238 new users. The Covid-19 Microsite also continued to curate Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) materials, guidelines, and advisories to support implementing partners. An additional 152 RCCE materials were curated and added to the repository, bringing the total to 1164 at the end of the quarter. Efforts were made to strengthen the content in regional languages, with about 30% of the RCCE material on the Microsite available in different languages. A new functionality was created to enable users to search for material by language, category, and/or issuing organization. The Microsite was also populated with 111 guidelines and advisories issued by various authorities, including the Government of India, World Health Organization, and CDC. Inclusive Development was another key focus area, with the creation of factsheets based on six groups identified through the resource guide. Learning events on women's health participation and accessing health for LGBTIQ+ communities were held to provide enriching perspectives. Year four also started a concentrated approach on focusing on gender perspectives and indicators, through piloting suggestive indicators for programs. Empowerment Evaluation was also a key area of focus, with regular meetings of the core group continuing every fortnight. The core group includes the REACH team, L4i/Swasti lead, Dr. David Fetterman, and USAID. An empowerment evaluation webinar was conducted on July 27 to discuss how empowerment evaluation differs from traditional evaluation approaches and inclusion. The panelists from REACH, USAID, and Catalyst Group, along with other 205 people, attended the webinar. A brief empowerment evaluation workshop was also conducted on July 20 with the REACH State M&E Leads. On July 3rd, a 'Touched by TB' pilot empowerment evaluation exercise was conducted in Delhi. The report also highlights the transition of Ms. Rachna Mathur, who was transitioned out during the quarter, and the joining of Ms. Alka Shinghal Pathak as the Chief of Party for L4i. The work plan for the fifth year of the project (2021-22) was developed and shared with USAID for review and approval. Overall, the L4i Quarterly Progress Report highlights the organization's commitment to promoting cross-learning and improved effectiveness between projects, while also addressing the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The report demonstrates the organization's ability to adapt and respond to changing circumstances, while continuing to deliver on its goals and objectives.