Stability in Key Areas (SIKA) South / Monthly Report – JULY 2014

The program is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is being carried out by AECOM International Development. The program focuses on four key areas: Governance and Stability, Access to GIRoA Services, Communication and Outreach, and Government Services and Development Projects. The Governance and Stability component aims to improve the capacity of provincial and district entities to deliver stability-related services, while the Access to GIRoA Services component seeks to enhance the ability of these entities to collect, manage, and report information about projects and services. The Communication and Outreach component focuses on developing communication strategies to support program teams and conducting training activities for provincial and district entities. The Government Services and Development Projects component involves identifying and supporting development projects and providing technical assistance to help district entities prepare grant application packages. In Kandahar Province, the program has been working to improve the capacity of provincial and district entities to deliver stability-related services. In Hilmand Province, the program has been assisting provincial and district entities to establish productive relations and improve their capacity to collect, manage, and report information about projects and services. In Uruzgan Province, the program has been working to develop communication strategies to support program teams and conducting training activities for provincial and district entities. In Nimroz Province, the program has been assisting provincial and district entities to identify development projects and provide technical assistance to help them prepare grant application packages. The program has also been working to implement gender pilot activities in all provinces, with the aim of enhancing the participation of women in stability-related activities. The program has made significant progress in this area, with women-headed households showing higher adoption rates for stability-related practices. The program's quarterly review meetings have been held regularly, with the aim of evaluating progress and results and making adjustments as warranted. The program has also been working to institutionalize the projects and service reports with GIRoA counterparts, with the aim of improving the capacity of provincial and district entities to deliver stability-related services. The program's capacity building activities have been focused on assessing capacity, identifying gaps, and preparing capacity building plans. The program has also been developing capacity building materials and expertise, and delivering training and other capacity building support to provincial and district entities. The program's monitoring and evaluation activities have been focused on tracking progress and results, and making adjustments as warranted. The program has also been working to implement gender pilot activities, with the aim of enhancing the participation of women in stability-related activities. The program's grant pipeline summary indicates that several grants have been submitted for approval, with the aim of supporting development projects in key areas. The program's success story highlights the impact of the program in improving stability in key areas, and the program's activity summary provides an overview of the program's activities and achievements. The program's additional results section highlights the progress made in monitoring and evaluation, and the implementation of gender pilot activities. The program's annexes provide further information on program events, success stories, program activity summaries, and grant pipeline summaries.