USAID Salam Year 1 Quarter 1 Quarterly Progress Report

The PMU onboarded a local consultant who began work on December 20, 2023, and identified a startup specialist from Chemonics headquarters who departed for Bamako on December 31, 2023. The local consultant prioritized the evaluation of potential activity office locations in Bamako, visiting a total of six viable spaces prior to the end of the month and selecting an office for PMU approval that met all of USAID Salam's criteria while coming in under budget and representing best value. The PMU finalized arrangements with each of the three key personnel, consisting of the chief of party, the deputy chief of party, and the cash transfer specialist, to give notice to their current employers and join the USAID Salam team on January 15, 2024. The PMU also posted all job vacancy announcements for non-key personnel positions by December 26, 2023. Recognizing the urgency to obtain a unique, activity numéro d'identité fiscale (NIF) to operate legally in Mali, the PMU obtained guidance from Chemonics' legal counsel in Mali on December 18, 2023, on registration methods and requirements for USAID Salam and requested a letter of introduction from USAID/Mali on December 20, 2023, to support the NIF request package. Technical mobilization efforts were also underway, with the PMU holding a kickoff call with USAID Salam consortium partner the Center for the Promotion of Human Rights and Development in Africa (CPHDA) on December 15, 2023. The PMU drafted the subcontract mechanism, approved by USAID via the prime contract award, prior to the end of the month of December. USAID organized a post-award debrief on December 20, 2023, allowing USAID and Chemonics to discuss operational and technical mobilization priorities and imminent deliverables, including the Year 1 work plan. The PMU director led Chemonics' efforts during this period to obtain feedback from USAID and technical inputs from key personnel and CPHDA for incorporation into the draft due at the start of FY24 Q2. On December 27, 2023, the PMU onboarded a local consultant to support technical design of USAID Salam's Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (AMELP) in collaboration with Chemonics' Evidence & Learning Department from the headquarters office. The local consultant began work immediately contributing to indicator development, data collection methodology, and MEL approaches reflected in the draft AMELP for finalization in FY24 Q2. In FY24 Q2, USAID Salam will adapt Chemonics' existing Do No Harm checklist and Rapid Gender, Equity, and Social Inclusion (GESI) Protection & Risk Assessment for interventions included in the draft Year 1 work plan. The activity team will identify risk prevention and mitigation strategies prior to implementing pilot interventions. Secondly, the team will develop incident response procedures in case of a security incident impacting USAID Salam beneficiaries, staff, or partners. The PMU will onboard the chief of party and IR 1 lead, the deputy chief of party, and the cash transfer specialist and IR 2 lead in Month 1 of FY24 Q2. The startup specialist from Chemonics headquarters will recruit non-key personnel pilot phase staff in FY24 Q2 Month 1 to be onboarded in FY24 Q2 Months 2 and 3. USAID/Mali will validate the list for pilot phase interventions in consultation with USAID Salam and the Impact Evaluation Team in FY24 Q2 Month 1. The PMU will execute the lease for the Bamako office in FY24 Q2 Month 1 and submit its dossier and obtain its NIF in FY24 Q2 Month 1 to the Direction Générale des Impots. The PMU will finalize the Branding & Marking Plan in consultation with USAID/Mali in FY24 Q2 Month 1 and submit the Year 1 Work Plan and corresponding Activity Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (AMELP) in FY24 Q2 Month 1. The PMU will finalize the Do No Harm checklist and Rapid GESI Protection & Risk Assessment in FY24 Q2 Month 1. The DCOP will conduct competitive procurements for IT equipment, office furniture, and office equipment, including a generator, in FY24 Q2 Month 1. The security manager will conduct village-level security assessments for selected pilot villages and a full Security Risk Assessment for Year 1 during FY24 Q2 Months 2 and 3. The MERL specialist will work with the Chemonics headquarters Evidence & Learning team and USAID Salam key personnel to develop indicator targets, establish baseline data from USAID's Citizen Baseline Survey as applicable, and finalize the AMELP in FY24 Q2 Month 2. The MERL specialist