USAID Integrated Health Program: Fiscal Year 2019 Quarterly Report 1

The program is implemented by Abt Associates, in partnership with several international organizations, including the International Rescue Committee, Pathfinder International, and Bluesquare. The program's geographic scope focuses on the Kasaï-Central Province, where the majority of the population lives in rural areas and faces significant health challenges. Program management is overseen by a Chief of Party, who is responsible for ensuring the program's objectives are met. The program has a strong focus on institutionalization and sustainability, with a goal of building the capacity of local health systems to deliver high-quality services. The program also places a strong emphasis on conflict sensitivity, recognizing the complex security context in the DRC. The program has several key objectives, including improving maternal, neonatal, and child health outcomes; reducing the burden of malaria and tuberculosis; and enhancing access to reproductive health and family planning services. To achieve these objectives, the program implements a range of activities, including training for health workers, provision of essential medicines and equipment, and support for community-based health initiatives. In the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2019, the program made significant progress in implementing its activities. Malaria activities included indoor residual spraying and distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets, while maternal, neonatal, and child health activities focused on strengthening health facilities and improving access to emergency obstetric care. Nutrition activities included training for health workers on nutrition counseling and support for community-based nutrition initiatives. The program also made progress in implementing its cross-cutting areas, including institutionalization and sustainability, conflict sensitivity, capacity building, and climate risk mitigation. The program's activity research, monitoring, and evaluation plan is designed to track progress against its objectives and identify areas for improvement. One of the program's key successes in the first quarter was the establishment of a new health zone in the Kasaï-Central Province, which will provide improved access to health services for thousands of people. The program also made significant progress in strengthening the capacity of local health systems, including the training of over 100 health workers in the first quarter. The program's challenges and lessons learned in the first quarter included difficulties in accessing remote areas and ensuring the security of program staff and assets. However, the program's strong partnerships and commitment to conflict sensitivity helped to mitigate these challenges and ensure the program's continued progress. Overall, the USAID Integrated Health Program in the DRC is making significant progress in improving health outcomes in the country. The program's strong focus on institutionalization and sustainability, combined with its commitment to conflict sensitivity and capacity building, positions it well to achieve its objectives and make a lasting impact in the DRC. The program's performance indicators, targets, and achievements are outlined in Annex A, while success stories are presented in Annex B. Deliverables submitted in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2019 are listed in Annex C, and the program's environmental mitigation and monitoring report is presented in Annex D.