Semi Annual Report: Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases in Africa (END in Africa)

The project began on September 30, 2010, and is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through Cooperative Agreement No. AID-OAA-A-10-00050. The project focuses on six initial countries: Burkina Faso, Niger, Togo, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. FHI, the lead organization, provided comprehensive project support from its offices in Washington, D.C., and Accra, Ghana. The project management structure was established with senior leadership residing in FHI's Washington, D.C., office and an Africa Operational-Hub in Accra, Ghana. FHI collaborated with three key partners: John Snow International (JSI), Liverpool Associates in Tropical Health (LATH), and Deloitte. All Scopes of Work have been defined, and Subagreements have been signed with JSI and LATH, with the Subagreement with Deloitte expected to be executed by mid-April 2011. During the reporting period, RFAs were issued for Burkina Faso and Niger after approved Program Descriptions were developed. FHI collaborated with USAID to form two Technical Evaluation Committees (TECs) for scoring proposals received. Helen Keller International (HKI) was chosen as the successful applicant for both countries. To accelerate project startup, Letters of Authorization were issued to HKI for facilitating a smooth transition to the new grantee. A standard Workplan template has been developed by FHI to ensure uniform plans and implementation across countries and grantees. A Sharepoint intranet site has been established for efficient and cost-effective communication and coordination among FHI staff, sub-grantees, and partners. The project has made significant progress in the first six months, with the issuance of RFAs, sub-grantee identification, and subagreement finalization. FHI will release RFAs for the remaining four countries, identify sub-grantees, and finalize subagreements. The project will also support sub-grantees and Ministry of Health officials on the implementation of the M&E framework, procurement and supply chain management tools, and project execution. The project management structure has been established, with FHI's senior leadership residing in Washington, D.C., and the Africa Operational-Hub in Accra, Ghana. The project is operational and staffed in both locations, with project staff incorporated according to the terms of the original technical proposal approved by USAID. The project has also made progress in procurement, with USAID issuing a restricted commodity waiver for the procurement of Praziquantel (PQZ) and Albendazole (ALB) in February 2011. JSI has taken the lead on procurement tasks and is compiling information for an outline highlighting the necessary components for successful procurement and MDA execution. In the next six months, FHI will continue to support the project's implementation, including the release of RFAs for the remaining four countries, sub-grantee identification, and subagreement finalization. The project will also focus on the implementation of the M&E framework, procurement and supply chain management tools, and project execution.