USAID SOMALIA ELMI-TASK ORDER 1 FY 2023 Q1 PROGRESS REPORT

Key milestones include the recruitment and onboarding of full-time personnel, securing a permanent office space, and signing of the lease agreement. The ELMI team successfully completed the inception phase, submitting the inception report, Year 1 Work Plan, Draft Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (AMELP), and Monitoring, Verification, and Reporting (MV&R) tool kits. During the quarter, the ELMI team undertook various activities, including pilot testing the MV&R tools, processes, and approach. The team completed four routine verifications successfully and had 16 others ongoing at the end of the quarter. The verifications targeted the distribution of Non-Food Items (NFIs) by TIS 3 in Mahas and Matabaan districts in the Hirshabelle region. The ELMI team also conducted construction monitoring and environmental verification of eight schools along the Kismayo-Jamaame corridor supported through IOM under the STEP Activity. The ELMI's Engineering, Architectural, and Environmental (EA&E) team successfully developed and conducted a three-day workshop in Mogadishu targeting the engineers of Implementing Partners (IP). The workshop aimed to create awareness of the ELMI's technical approach to EA&E compliance services. The team also provided Technical Assistance (TA) on Development Evaluation (DE) to USAID/Somalia and USAID's Nabadoon activity. Additionally, ELMI submitted a draft scope of work (SOW) and indicative budget to design and implement the DO 1 portfolio monitoring system based on the concept note issued by USAID in Q4/FY22. The monitoring system will assist the Mission with testing and refining DO 1 Intermediate Results (IRs) and domains of change, collecting data on activity contributions to these intended results, and strengthening contextual data use in interpreting progress. The ELMI team also received a request from the USAID SSO team to support the finalization of the BAB DQA initiated in August 2022. The team completed a review of the work already completed by the USAID team and presented a summary report of the areas that require further attention to the SSO and the ELMI Activity Manager. The ELMI team's progress in the first quarter of FY 2023 demonstrates a strong commitment to delivering on the Activity's objectives. The team's technical expertise and capacity to provide support to Implementing Partners and USAID/Somalia will continue to be essential in achieving the Activity's goals.