Technical Brief – Supply Chain Capacity Strengthening Program for Faith-based Drug Supply Organizations

The program worked with eight DSOs in Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda to improve the availability of high-quality and affordable family planning and maternal, newborn, and child health commodities. The DSOs faced significant challenges in their supply chains, including performance gaps, distribution and quality issues, and process maturity gaps. The program used a self-assessment tool, adapted from the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) National Supply Chain Assessment (NSCA) tool, to identify major strengths and opportunities to reinforce the resilience of FB DSO supply chains. The assessment highlighted five overarching challenges faced by the FB DSOs: performance gaps, especially within forecasting; distribution and quality issues; process maturity gaps in central warehouses of smaller DSOs; cross-cutting data and financing issues throughout the supply chain; and functional processes and staff capabilities gaps at hospitals and service delivery points. Following the NSCA, participants from six DSOs in three countries participated in the Supply Chain Leaders Development Program (SCLDP), a self-guided e-learning series that covered all major supply chain management topics. The SCLDP was adapted for the FB DSOs and focused on the gaps identified in the self-assessment as the greatest needs for capacity building. The program included an in-field exercise that helped the DSOs apply the learnings from the 10 modules. The DSOs reported a range of successes following the e-course and in-field session, including better forecasting and demand planning, improved supply chain visibility, and enhanced warehousing and storage capabilities. However, financial challenges constrained the DSOs from addressing all gaps. The program's results and findings highlighted the importance of capacity strengthening and adaptive learning in improving the resilience of FB DSOs and enhancing the availability of essential commodities. The program's approach included leveraging Christian Connections for International Health's expertise in engaging the FBO community and other MOMENTUM partners' expertise in supply chain systems. The program's results demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach in strengthening the capacity of FB DSOs and improving the availability of essential commodities. The program's findings also highlighted the need for continued support and investment in the capacity strengthening of FB DSOs to ensure the long-term sustainability of their supply chains. The program's outcomes and learning highlighted the importance of adaptive learning and capacity strengthening in improving the resilience of FB DSOs. The program's results demonstrated the effectiveness of the SCLDP in improving the capacity of FB DSOs and enhancing the availability of essential commodities. The program's findings also highlighted the need for continued support and investment in the capacity strengthening of FB DSOs to ensure the long-term sustainability of their supply chains.