Quarterly Report #8: July 1 – September 30, 2016

The services aimed to strengthen the design, management, and evaluation of regional and bilateral education programs in LAC. SSG Advisors provided support in four key areas: planning and implementation of new programs and activities, monitoring and evaluation of education programs, organizational learning and knowledge management, and data collection and communication. The contract, which initially had a two-year term with three option years, was extended to September 2017 after the first option year was exercised. This report describes major activities in the seventh project quarter, from July 1 to September 30, 2016. The report concludes by noting future activities expected in the next quarter, from October 1 to December 31, 2016. SSG Advisors made significant progress in various work streams during the project quarter. In the Project Management work stream, SSG sent weekly written progress updates, held weekly calls with LAC/RSD, and submitted quarterly reports and budget reports. However, there were challenges in tracking labor hours, which resulted in a higher utilization by the Project Analyst than anticipated. In the Nicaragua Youth Assessment and FADCANIC Evaluation work stream, SSG uploaded reports onto the DEC system, but there were delays due to changes in cover photos requested by the Mission. The printing of reports was not completed through SSG, as the Mission opted to print them separately. The Haiti Education Conference work stream involved implementing back-to-school events to raise awareness about literacy and numeracy. SSG successfully implemented workshop events in Port-au-Prince and Cap Haitien, Haiti, but faced challenges in coordinating across multiple stakeholders and delays in receiving prior approval for local consultant rates. In the Haiti Consultants work stream, SSG finalized and signed individual learning agreements (ILs) for Materials Revision Advisor, M&E Advisor, and EGRW Advisor positions. However, there were delays in verifying candidates' biodata forms and the identified EGRW Advisor candidate accepted another consultancy with higher remuneration. The Miami/DC Regional Education Workshop work stream involved managing preparations, organizing logistics, and ensuring successful completion of two five-day technical workshops for the LAC Regional Bureau. A first statement of work (SOW) was drafted, and a list of quotes for hotels in Miami and DC was provided to the LAC/RSD team. However, the originally proposed dates fell in hotels' high season, and the dates were pushed back to March/April. In the next quarter, SSG anticipates prioritizing several activities, including project management, the Haiti Reading Conference, consultants for the Haiti Mission, and the DC Regional Education and Workforce Development Workshop. SSG will continue to communicate regularly with LAC/RSD and Missions to ensure responsiveness to changing resource needs.