Quarterly Report: Chad Civil Society Strengthening Activity (CCSSA) FY 2020 Quarter 2

The program is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under Cooperative Agreement No. AID-72068519-LA-00006. CCSSA is being implemented in two phases, with the first phase consisting of an assessment of the civil society and media landscape in Chad, which was completed in December 2019. The second phase involves co-designing program outcomes, a results framework, and activities to strengthen civil society organizations (CSOs) and media networks in Chad. The program team has made significant progress in advancing start-up activities, including the hiring of a Civil Society Consultant, the posting of key positions locally, and the meeting with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to discuss the 1% budget requirement for NGOs. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted program implementation, with the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring the outbreak a global pandemic in March 2020. To adapt to the pandemic, the program team has redesigned the co-creation process, which was delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions and challenges with registration. The new approach will allow the project to proceed in a more efficient manner and accelerate CCSSA's ability to implement activities in country. The recruitment process was launched for five key positions, and the program team has engaged a local Civil Society Consultant to provide necessary on-the-ground support. The program team has also made progress in obtaining necessary authorizations, including the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Chad (GoC) on March 10, which allows the project to advance with recruitment of staff, identification of an office space, and the opening of a bank account. Additionally, the program team has obtained an authorization for domestic travel from the Permanent Secretariat for Non-Governmental Organizations and Humanitarian Aid (SPONGAH) on March 4, allowing the Chief of Party (COP) to travel outside of N'Djamena. The program team has also submitted several plans and documents to USAID, including the revised co-creation plan, the COVID-19 contingency plan, and the concept note on regional consultations. The program team has also conducted key informant interviews (KIIs) via phone for regional stakeholders and has begun virtual co-creation of CCSSA. Overall, the CCSSA program has made significant progress in advancing start-up activities and adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program team is working to finalize program objectives and develop a results framework, which will guide the implementation of activities in the coming quarters.