Tenth Quarter Report: Nexos Locales Project (Contract No. AID-520-C-14-00002)

AID-520-C-14-00002, began its tenth quarter on October 1, 2016, and concluded on December 31, 2016. This period marked the start of the project's Year 3 work plan, which was approved by the Contracting Officer's Representative on December 21, 2016. The Year 3 work plan outlined program activities beyond the base period of June 2017. Key achievements during the tenth quarter included the delivery of technical assistance sessions to Municipal Development Councils (COMUDES) on strategic planning for municipal governance. Breakthrough developments were also achieved in the first draft development of the Citizen Charter document for San Miguel Ixtahuacán and Sacapulas. Groundwork was laid for the implementation of the watershed management plan between the municipalities of San Juan Ostuncalco and Concepción Chiqurichapa. A Grant award was made to the Nature Conservancy for the development of climate change adaptation plans in nine municipalities not covered in Year 2. Additionally, a water workshop was successfully facilitated in Guatemala City, funded by the rapid response fund mechanism, which brought together USAID WHIP partners and Mission staff to define an agency-wide strategy in water and identify available resources to augment the positive impact in water coordination throughout the WHIP region. During the reporting period, Nexos Locales experienced staff departures in key positions that went to new USAID awards. The project addressed this issue with project directors during the Petite Comite meetings and worked closely with its home office to identify effective measures for staff retention. Swift measures were enacted to promote from within and contract an M&E Specialist from Quetzaltenango, who was supported by a M&E assistant, a new position needed to support the extensive work in monitoring and evaluation. Nexos Locales received USAID approval for its Environmental Monitoring and Mitigation Plan and its Second Year Annual Report during the tenth quarter. The project also continued to submit Weekly Highlights to USAID, which provided key audiences and stakeholders with information on project activities. A robust social media and communications infrastructure was maintained, updating key audiences and stakeholders on the progress of project results on an almost daily basis through the project's website, Facebook, and Twitter platforms. The tenth quarter concluded with the annual staff convivio, or Holiday Party, held in IRTRA in Retalhuleu. The event was a combination of holiday festivities and team building exercises that strengthened the cohesion of operating units within the project. This event was led by in-house staff and closed the calendar on a highly positive note.