USAID READ Community Outreach (READ CO) Quarterly Report (Q2 Y1)

The project's need to redesign its implementation plan to better align with the priorities of the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) became increasingly apparent. Shortly after submitting the draft implementation plan in March, USAID formally requested that Save the Children redesign the project. The USAID Education Team and the READ CO Chief of Party met in late March to discuss realignment parameters within the scope of the original Request for Application (RFA). It was agreed that the SC project team would revise the project description, implementation plan, Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP), and budget during the second quarter. The project is enlisting the help of SCUS program support staff from its Washington, DC office to coordinate the redesign effort and ensure proper alignment of the required documents with the existing RFA. The program specialist is due to arrive in mid-April. During the current quarter, the READ CO Project management team actively recruited new staff. The new staff members will start work in the coming quarter. However, the project plans to modify some staff positions and add short-term technical assistance to better meet the long-term needs of the proposed redesign, which will be broader in scope than the previous design. The original project design was primarily regional in focus, but the redesign will require more significant capacity building support on a national level. The project's management and operations needs were well supported during the quarter. The hiring of the Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) prior to the Chief of Party's (COP) arrival helped to ensure that recruitment, office setup, and other startup tasks could begin soon after the signing of the award. Save the Children/Ethiopia has dedicated support staff in education, finance, and awards management who have provided programmatic and systems support to the project. The project faced challenges in managing its startup tasks, including the centralization of awards management, finance, procurement, and other support functions for all projects and programs implemented by the Ethiopia Country Office. However, these systems have been helpful during startup to ensure adequate support for the project. The project is working to modify some staff positions and add short-term technical assistance to better meet the long-term needs of the proposed redesign. The READ CO Project is committed to meeting the challenges of the redesign and ensuring that the project's objectives are met. The project's management team is working closely with the USAID Education Team and other stakeholders to ensure that the project's implementation plan is revised to meet the priorities of the MoE and USAID. The project's redesign will require more significant capacity building support on a national level, and the project is working to modify its staff positions and add short-term technical assistance to meet this need. The project's operations and management needs were well supported during the quarter, and the project is working to ensure that its startup tasks are completed efficiently. The project's management team is committed to meeting the challenges of the redesign and ensuring that the project's objectives are met. The project's revised implementation plan will be submitted to USAID in the coming quarter, and the project is working closely with the USAID Education Team and other stakeholders to ensure that the project's objectives are met.