1 USAID Zambia Close Out Report for the 1998-2003 Strategic Plan and Objectives Introduction The 1998-2003 Country Strategic Plan (CSP) was premised on the social and economic development environment that prevailed in Zambia in 1997. The USAID strategy was aimed at fulfilling the promise of the major reforms put in place by the Zambian government in the first part of the 1990’s. USAID determined its programmatic choices on the following sectors: economic growth, basic education, health, population, HIV/AIDS and democracy and governance, with cross cutting themes of gender equity, urbanization and decentralization interwoven into the sectoral approaches. SO1 - Increased Rural Incomes of Selected Groups Background This objective addressed the need to stimulate growth in the rural sector through a three-pronged approach focusing on production, marketing and policy adjustment, so as to address the decade long trend of rising rural poverty. This was to be achieved by enhancing trade and investment policies and focusing assistance on increasing the availability, affordability and quality of technologies, inputs, and services needed to make farmers and rural enterprises more efficient and productive. Activities under SO1 were in the following areas: · Increasing rural family incomes · Adoption of improved cultivation technologies, crop varieties, conservation farming and agro-forestry · Improved linkages to input markets and group output marketing, training, extension and credit services · Increased access to finance for rural non-farm enterprises · Increased value, volume and variety of non-traditional exports The overall targeted results and actual achievements over the entire life of the strategic objective were as follows: Indicators Target Result Incomes of selected rural groups $44,722,977 $45,370,000 Outreach to Farmers 283,000 360,837 Access to Finance $13,064,792 $16,019,879 Agricultural & Natural Resource exports $2,425,000,000 $2,427,000,000* *This figure is based on national data Lessons Learned and Sustainability · Policy rationalization is critical to growth at multiple levels: fiscal policy; trade facilitation; labor laws; investment code; tax administration; customs administration; telecommunications; financial services systems; agricultural input and output marketing, business registration and administrative corruption. Without meaningful changes in policies (followed by implementation), competitive access to lucrative export markets, and the incentives to produce for those markets, will be constrained. 2 · Focus was too heavily on tracking process indicators, with inadequate attention given to measuring our impact on true economic growth – i.e., job creation, capital accumulation, increased productivity, export growth and increased investments. In a quest to achieve results related to reportable indicators, focus was heavily on client numbers and not sufficiently on volume and value indicators of success in the achievement of economic expansion, especially indicators that related to the quality of those services in terms of long-term competitiveness, and how we contributed to the larger economy. Regarding sustainability, cultivating the capacities of Zambian organizations was more management intensive for the Mission than working with proven partners that understood USAID’s procurement systems, reporting requirements and programming. However, the increased investment in time and effort paid dividends in terms of true sustainable capacities and long-term economic growth. SO1’s great success and lasting legacy is grounded in local organizations that have been cultivated and nurtured, and which are poised to play an expanding role in the new Economic Growth Strategic Objective (SO5). These include organizations such as the Zambia Business Forum (ZBF), the Zambia Agri-business Technical Assistance Center Ltd. (ZATAC) - a local lead provider of Business Development Services in Zambia, Zambia Agricultural Commodity Agency (ZACA) and the Agricultural Consultative Forum (ACF). SO2 – Improved Quality of Basic Education for More School-Aged Children Background The basic education strategy was designed to increase the quality of basic education in Zambia through a combination of interventions that included: (1) establishment of cost-effective basic education delivery systems; (2) formation of a decentralized structure that allowed decisions to be made at the school and the community levels; (3) Improved policy, planning, implementation and performance monitoring systems at the central ministry, by strengthening policy analysis capabilities at the ministry and establishing education management information systems able to provide feedback and support to the local planning function. Activities conducted under SO2 were in the following areas · School Health and Nutrition (SHN) · School and community sensitization and mobilization · Gender and Equality (support for vulnerable children). · Education Management Information System (EMIS) development · Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) for out of school children · Institutional Development Through these interventions the majority of indicators showed that SO2 interventions helped to increase enrollments in targeted schools and enhanced the quality of education. Indicators Targets Results Number of children enrolled in primary schools in USAID supported schools 244,700 461,609 Number of Interactive Radio Learning Centres 171 647 Number of EMIS units producing periodical reports at provincial level 6 4 Number of EMIS units producing periodical reports at district level 47 19 Number of schools delivering micronutrients 140 555 Number of pupils receiving micronutrients and nutrition interventions 56,000 306,815 Lessons Learned and Sustainability · The Sector Wide Approach (SWAp), as developed in Zambia, has been positive to 3 USAID, providing the parameters and framework that USAID has used to define its support. The SWAp also ensured MOE’s ownership of the strategic plan in addition to promoting greater collaboration and communication among other donors. · Performance indicators should be tracked over a number of years in order to capture incremental changes, as well as allow the data collection and reporting systems to develop. · The Zambia Demographic Education Survey is a critical tool that provided a view of education and schooling from the household perspective, focusing on educational demand, rather than educational supply (as done by the EMIS and annual school census). It also pioneered the development of survey instruments to collect data on basic literacy and numeracy and anthropometry of school-aged children, which are now being used in other countries. For the first time in Zambia, data was obtained about the nutritional status of school-aged children, in terms of stunting wasting and underweight measures. In terms of sustainability, all the SO2 education programs were designed to fit within the Ministry of Education (MOE) strategic framework. Each program was implemented in collaboration with specific Government counterparts at MOE Headquarters, provincial or school level. However, despite these efforts to ingrain the USAID programs within the MOE systems there remained a tendency for the Government to continue their dependence on the USAID supported programs, as frequently the government was not capable of absorbing new responsibilities quickly. This issue therefore still requires to be worked on. SO3 - Increased use of integrated child and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS Interventions Background SO3 was developed with an emphasis on taking an integrated approach to health interventions and supporting the decentralization of the health sector. Rather than continuing USAID’s previous “vertical” approach, where separate projects (family planning, child survival and HIV/AIDS) addressed different parts of the health sector, USAID, with its Zambian partners, decided to pursue a broad integration of services while decentralizing to the maximum extent possible. USAID focused its health sector activities on 30 districts, covering approximately 60% of the total Zambian population and also provided assistance to national level interventions. The SO directly addressed Zambia’s needs in family planning, child survival, infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS. Activities conducted under SO3 include the following: · An integrated adolescent package; · An integrated promotive/preventive package for woman caring for children; · An antenatal care package; · A safe pregnancy package; · An integrated promotive/preventive package with special emphasis on reproductive health as it related to men; and · Integrated curative/care packages. 4 SO3 achieved significant impact, exceeding the majority of performance targets in most areas of the program. Indicator Year Target Result Modern contraceptive method use 2002 22% 23% Condom use during last act with non-regular partner 2003 M - 46% F – 42% M- 40% F – 35% Vitamin A supplementation coverage 2003 80% 92% Standard prevention of mother to child HIV transmission (PMTCT) package 2001 35% 37% Maximum brand male condoms sold 2004 12 million 13 million Number of clorin bottles sold 2004 1.66 m 1.78m Number of Safe-plan oral contraceptives sold 2004 750,000 712,500 Lessons Learned and Sustainability · The Sector Program Assistance Agreement, which provides resources designated for the health sector based on GRZ performance on health reforms, has been a successful effort in strengthening health services at the district and lower levels and is a critical complement to project based assistance. · A focus on health systems strengthening supports long term sustainability of critical population, health and nutrition interventions. · Long-term commitment and ongoing support of critical child health interventions such as vitamin A supplementation resulted in institutionalization of the intervention, consistently high coverage levels, increased program sustainability, and a reduction in vitamin A deficiency. · Involvement of the private sector is a powerful tool to increase access to PHN services. Keys to this success have been expansion of commercial sector outlets through social marketing, involvement of Employer Based Agents (EBA) and traditional healers. · NGOs, CBOs and FBOs can play an important role in service delivery for hard to reach populations and linking communities to the District Health Management Teams (DHMT). · A demonstration district approach, while initially attractive because of the opportunity to test the integrated approach to interventions in a limited number of districts (12), ultimately created equity issues with the Ministry of Health, who wanted more districts to benefit. In many cases, our partner, (ZIHP) was able to scale-up successful programs to other districts. However, in others, project budgets did not support scale-up. · Greater focus on reaching rural populations was needed for all interventions. · An unplanned influx of increased resources in one area, HIV/AIDS, required adding more partners mid-Strategy and made it difficult to maintain the integrated approach. SO3 ended up with a vertical HIV/AIDS program implemented by multiple partners outside of ZIHP. The design of SO7 specifically sought to consolidate the program. USAID’s commitment to health systems strengthening and health worker capacity building helped to greatly improve the chances for long-term sustainability. With USAID’s assistance, there is now an annual planning process at all levels of the health system, a functioning Health Management Information System, critical policies in place, strengthened knowledge and skills among health workers delivering services, increased knowledge among the public, wider availability of insecticide-treated bednets and other products that protect health. All of these gains are imbedded in the tools provided to the Ministry of Health and the increased capacity of management and technical staff. The specific SO3 intervention designed to promote sustainability, the Sector Program Assistance (SPA) agreement, did provide $8 million in critical funding for the operating expenses of health services at the district level and below. However, it did not reach it’s ceiling of $20 million, which was dependent on USAID receiving $10 million in additional funds. Without support for the day- 5 to-day running of health services, USAID’s investments made through more traditional projects would be compromised. For example, USAID may be able to upgrade the knowledge and skills of a physician so that they can provide improved emergency obstetric care. However, if none of the necessary drugs and equipment are available, or if there is no electricity in the facility, their ability to apply their new skills is challenged. In recognition of this, USAID extended the SPA through 2010 in order to continue to invest in health sector basic costs. SO4 - Expanded Opportunity for Effective Participation in Democratic Governance. Background This Strategic Objective was designed to achieve the creation of a supportive environment through pursuant policies and practices which would increase the efficiency of the administration of justice. The objective was to also enhance public debate and foster the development of effective and inclusive local government through appropriate legislation that provided for clearly defined delegated authorities with enhanced fiscal capacity. Following redesign of the SO in February 2001, its components were re-focused on increased public policy debate as the cornerstone of the SO, which now accented “demand,” i.e., civil society organizations and media as partners and direct beneficiaries rather than government institutions. Activities under SO4 were in the following areas: · Rule of law, · Civil society strengthening, and · Decentralization. The SO targeted results versus actual achievements were as follows: INDICATOR TARGET RESULTS Debate on target development issues 144 323 Number of cases submitted for (ADR) Mediation 136 2699 Number of targeted public issues or policies influenced by MO’s 4 7 Number of targeted issues debated by legislative assembly 4 2 Lessons Learned and Sustainability · Effectiveness of the activities were greatly impacted by limited DG funding resources, limiting the extent of the focus of activities. Regarding sustainability, The Zambia Center for Dispute Resolution (ZCDR), which is responsible for arbitration, developed a plan for alternative funding that may lead to sustainability. The ZCDR publicizes its operations and participates at various business fora and trade shows. The last training program for arbitrators was over subscribed as a result of their successful promotion efforts. The center has continued to develop its library with the intention of making it the foremost resource for both legal and Alternative Dispute Resolution material. The fees collected for the use of the library and other ZCDR services will contribute toward meeting the Center’s administrative expenses. 6