Quarterly Report April - Jun 2019

The program's geographic focus is on these two regions, with a specific emphasis on the districts of Atsimo Atsinanana, Vatovavy-Fitovinany, Farafangana, Vangaindrano, Vondrozo, Manakara, Mananjary, and Vohipeno. The program's goal is to achieve sustainable improvement of food and nutrition security and resilience of vulnerable populations. To achieve this goal, the program has three main purposes: Purpose 1, Purpose 2, and Purpose 3. Purpose 1 focuses on sustained improvement in health and nutritional status of Women of Reproductive Age (WRA), adolescent girls, and Children Under Five (CU5s). This purpose is further divided into three sub-purposes: 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3. Sub-purpose 1.1 aims to sustain consumption of optimal diets by WRA, adolescent girls, and CU5s. This is achieved through activities such as training farmers on sustainable agriculture techniques, promoting the use of locally available and nutritious food sources, and supporting the establishment of community gardens. Sub-purpose 1.2 focuses on providing WRA, adolescent girls, and CU5s with timely, high-quality preventive and curative healthcare. This is achieved through activities such as training community health volunteers, establishing health facilities, and providing access to healthcare services. Sub-purpose 1.3 aims to reduce exposure to pathogens in households and community environments. This is achieved through activities such as promoting handwashing practices, improving sanitation facilities, and providing access to clean water. Purpose 2 focuses on increasing household incomes and production to access food and non-food essentials and build savings. This purpose is further divided into two sub-purposes: 2.1 and 2.2. Sub-purpose 2.1 aims to increase agricultural production by women, youth, and men. This is achieved through activities such as training farmers on sustainable agriculture techniques, providing access to inputs and services, and supporting the establishment of farmer field schools. Sub-purpose 2.2 focuses on promoting income-generating activities (IGAs) among women, youth, and men. This is achieved through activities such as training on IGAs, providing access to markets, and supporting the establishment of savings and loan associations. Purpose 3 focuses on enhancing social and ecological risk management. This purpose is further divided into three sub-purposes: 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3. Sub-purpose 3.1 aims to enhance cooperation and governance of organizations and institutions. This is achieved through activities such as training on governance and management, supporting the establishment of local committees, and promoting collaboration among stakeholders. Sub-purpose 3.2 focuses on improving management of shocks and risk by households and communities. This is achieved through activities such as training on disaster risk reduction, supporting the establishment of disaster risk management committees, and promoting the use of early warning systems. Sub-purpose 3.3 aims to restore and protect ecosystems. This is achieved through activities such as promoting sustainable land use practices, supporting the establishment of locally managed marine areas, and promoting the use of natural resources management practices. The program's implementation is supported by a range of activities, including food commodity management, gender, youth, and social dynamics, implementation quality, monitoring and evaluation, research and learning, and setting up of the project database. The program also faces challenges, including limited access to markets, lack of infrastructure, and limited capacity of local stakeholders. To address these challenges, the program has developed plans for the next reporting quarter, including strengthening partnerships with local stakeholders, improving access to markets, and enhancing capacity building activities.