Quarterly Report: Citizens' Voice Project for the Quarter of July – September, 2013

The project's primary objective is to promote transparency and accountability in governance through citizen engagement and participation. A total of 1476 applications were received during the quarter, with 275 recommended for award by the Project Steering Committee. Of these, 146 were approved for award by USAID, while 51 were in the process of approval. The project has signed 3 grant agreements, bringing the total number of partner organizations under the project to 128. The total committed amount has increased to US $8,540,469, with US $278,545 committed during the reporting period. The project has also made significant progress in capacity building, with a total of 56 trainees from grantee organizations participating in various training programs. The number of participants in Quick Impact Trainings (Programmatic) has increased to 14, with 15 male and 3 female participants. Long-term Institutional Trainings have also seen an increase, with 11 trainees participating in the program. Monitoring and evaluation activities have been ongoing, with 473 pre-award assessments conducted during the quarter. Post-award M&E visits have also been conducted, with 9 visits made to grantee organizations. The project has also made progress in implementing its Management Information System (MIS), with the Grants Management Information System (GMIS) being fully operational. The project has also made significant progress in its communications and external relations efforts, with the website being fully functional and the Communications and External Relations team actively engaging with stakeholders. The project has also made progress in its Election Information Monitoring System (EIMS), with the team conducting regular monitoring and evaluation activities. Overall, the Citizens' Voice Project has made significant progress in the quarter of July – September 2013, with a focus on promoting transparency and accountability in governance through citizen engagement and participation. The project's efforts in capacity building, monitoring and evaluation, and communications and external relations have been particularly noteworthy. The project's financial performance has also been strong, with a total of US $1,706,989 disbursed to grantees during the quarter. The project has also made significant progress in its compliance efforts, with the Grants Management Committee conducting regular reviews and assessments. In terms of challenges, the project has faced some difficulties in implementing its Quick Impact Trainings, particularly in terms of equipment costs. However, the project has made significant progress in addressing these challenges and has implemented various measures to improve the effectiveness of its training programs.