Resilience and Economic Growth in the Sahel - Enhanced Resilience

The project signed a new coaching contract in each commune with the three local institutions (ILs) targeted. Municipal Councils (CM) made significant progress in updating the Communal Development Plans (PDC - Niger) and Communal Development Plans (PCD - Burkina Faso) by integrating the Commune Resilience Plans (PCPRs) and Local Conventions for natural resource management. In Niger, Sakoira Commune is the first to have integrated its PCPR into its PDC. The communes that do not yet have a CL have also made significant progress in their development and signing. Citizen Working Groups (CWG) and their partners at the community level, Local Development Committees (Niger) and Village Development Councils (Burkina Faso) [CLD/CVDs], received an authorization to function that was issued by the municipal authorities. REGIS-ER continued to coach CWGs in order to enable them to implement a resource mobilization strategy and to become a truly sustainable entity. Through its Coaches of Local Resource Persons and CLD/CVDs (CPRL), the project also continued to coach CLD/CVDs, within the constraints of a deteriorating security situation, so as to enable them to pursue the consolidation and scaling of resilience activities. Service Provider Platforms created their platforms during this quarter. The Tagazar platform was able to land two group orders for a sum exceeding 2.3 million CFA (almost $4,000). To strengthen the capacity of Community-Based Solution Providers (CBSPs) to conduct their businesses in a sustainable fashion in Est Region (BF), over 10 CBSPs were supported in the submission of micro-project applications to government-managed programs. If these micro-projects are funded, the CBSPs will be able to build the working capital they need to grow their businesses. Service providers continued to provide goods and services individually to communities, particularly in the livestock and agriculture sectors. REGIS-ER also reviewed its monitoring and evaluation system to integrate indicators relating to positive youth development. Two studies were launched to study the Local Conventions (referred to as CLs [Conventions Locales]) and on the functionality and sustainability of CWGs. In terms of collaboration, REGIS-ER started to collaborate in the field with Water Security and Resilience Activity, WSRA (also known as TerresEauVie, or TEV) on local conventions in Tillabéri Region. The project faces a significant staff retention challenge as it enters its final year. Project management has prepared a Succession Plan to prepare for any potential staff departures and envisions pro-active measures to retain staff until the end. The project finalized preparations and began implementation of its grants program, which includes small and medium-sized grants for the benefit of communities and micro- and small for grants for youth (individuals and groups). REGIS-ER has put local institutions in the forefront of the grants process and the project will provide technical assistance to the ILs and ensure quality control and compliance on the financial and programming aspects of the program. The sub-award agreements continued with Mwangaza Action, EAA Niger and Sheladia. Project operations became increasingly difficult as the security situation continued to deteriorate during the quarter, especially for project staff while traveling, especially for Coaches of Local Resource Persons and CLD/CVDs (CPRLs) who travel to villages by motorcycle.