Shejeh Salam FY 2021 Q1 Quarterly Report: October 1 – December 31, 2020

The project is implemented by DT Global under USAID Contract No. 72066820C00003. The technical approach is aligned with the USAID South Sudan country strategy, focusing on four objectives: assisting local actors to build crossline interdependence and intra-community cohesion to promote peace processes and peaceful coexistence, supporting the development of inclusive and representative governance, enhancing economic opportunities and resilience, and promoting social cohesion and community engagement. The project's geographic location is Kololo Road, Juba, next to the Immigration Office. The project's implementation environment is complex, with significant changes occurring in the quarter being reported. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a minor challenge to date but is anticipated to significantly impact grant design going forward. The project's performance monitoring and supervision are critical components of its implementation. The Activity Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (M&E Plan) has been updated, and actions for the coming quarter have been identified. Management and administrative issues, collaboration, learning, and adapting, conflict sensitivity, and resilience are also key areas of focus for the project. The project has made significant progress in the reporting period, including re-establishing its approach to fit in the USAID's newly defined 13 counties, identifying and moving into the Juba office, obtaining program registration, hiring and mobilizing key personnel, and identifying locations for its three field offices. The project has also submitted key deliverables to USAID, including the Year One Workplan, Activity Manual and annexes, Quality Assurance and Surveillance Plan (QASP), and the Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Plan (MELP). However, the project has not yet started programming, and therefore, no programmatic lessons were learned in this quarter. The emergence of other donors who are actively supporting peacebuilding programs in overlapping areas with USAID's priority counties offers significant opportunity for coordinated actions, and possible confusion if not managed in a coordinated manner. In the coming quarter, the project plans to hire all year 1 field staff, establish at least two field offices, and submit up to eight grants for approval to USAID. The project's qualitative and quantitative results are not applicable for the reporting period as no activities have been implemented.