SABAL Community Resilience Program FY15 Quarterly Report # 1

The program aims to strengthen the resilience of targeted vulnerable populations in Nepal. The geographic focus of the program is six districts in Central and Eastern Development Regions: Makawanpur, Ramechhap, Sindhuli, Udayapur, Khotang, and Okhaldhunga. The program has three main purposes: to strengthen livelihoods, improve health and nutritional status, and enhance the ability of households and communities to mitigate, adapt to, and recover from shocks and stresses. The program's specific objectives include increasing household income, improving household health and water, sanitation, and hygiene behaviors, and enhancing the use of quality health services by women and children. The program has a total of 1,087,975 beneficiaries for the five-year project period. The program is implemented by Save the Children, in partnership with several other organizations, including Helen Keller International, CARE, Action For Enterprise, and others. The program's staff is currently being recruited, with eight senior component lead staff already in place and working as of the report submission. The program has made significant progress in its start-up activities, including the recruitment of staff, office setup, and financial preparations. The program has also initiated several activities, including the preparation of an Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and the planning of a logframe preparation workshop. The program is also conducting district-level reconnaissance visits to engage with stakeholders and identify potential partner NGOs. The program faces some challenges, including the potential impact of ongoing political strikes on in-country travel and program implementation. However, the program is expected to continue making progress in the coming quarter, including the submission of waivers for restricted goods and the continuation of staff recruitment and training. The program's Monitoring and Evaluation framework and Indicator Performance Tracking Table (IPTT) will be updated during the logframe preparation workshop, and the program will also participate in a Theory of Change workshop in Bangladesh. The program's senior management team will also participate in a Technical and Operations Performance Support program (TOPS)-facilitated Knowledge Sharing Networking meeting in Bangladesh. Overall, the SABAL Community Resilience Program is making significant progress in its start-up activities and is expected to continue making progress in the coming quarter. The program's focus on strengthening livelihoods, improving health and nutritional status, and enhancing the ability of households and communities to mitigate, adapt to, and recover from shocks and stresses is critical to addressing the needs of vulnerable populations in Nepal.