Deadline: 2-May-23
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking applications for a cooperative agreement from qualified entities to implement the Integrated Service Delivery Activity (ISDA).
Purpose
The overarching goal of the ISDA is to contribute to USAID/Rwanda’s CDCS Development
- Objective 1: improved health outcomes to enable women, newborns and children to survive and thrive.
- The purpose of the ISDA is to accelerate reductions in maternal, newborn, and child morbidity and mortality by partnering with the GOR to strengthen the capacity of host-country institutions and local organizations to improve equitable access and utilization of high-quality, evidence-based, and respectful public health services.
Funding Information
USAID intends to award one cooperative agreement pursuant to this notice of funding opportunity. Subject to funding availability and at the discretion of the Agency, USAID intends to provide $60,000,000 in total USAID funding over a five-year period.
Activities
In order to maximize the impact of USAID/Rwanda’s health activities, close coordination between ISDA and other relevant USAID activities is expected. Specifically, the ISDA will work closely with the Activities listed below.
- THRIVE Activities
- HSS Next: The prospective HSS NEXT has a focus on strengthening healthcare quality and district level governance, working in all 30 districts of the country.
- Global Health Supply Chain and Program Procurement Management (GHSC-PSM) and subsequent Next Gen activities: The GHSC-PSM activity provides technical assistance to the government of Rwanda in different aspects of the healthcare system, including in the quantification, forecasting and procurement of medical commodities and equipment.
- The Medicines, Technologies and Pharmaceutical Services (MTaPS) Program: MTaPS supports strengthening regulatory standards, practices of medicines and pharmaceutical products, and their use to ensure access to, and appropriate use of, quality and affordable essential medicines, including medicines for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, Family Planning and malaria, and to track their adverse effects.
- The Promoting the Quality of Medicines Plus (PQM+) Activity: the PQM+ Activity focuses on improving access to quality assured priority medicines and addressing the challenge of poor-quality and counterfeit medical products.
- The Inclusive Nutrition and Early Childhood Development (INECD) Activity, Gikuriro Kuri Bose: The INECD activity supports the implementation of integrated maternal and child nutrition, Early Childhood Development (ECD), disability inclusion and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions.
- The PEPFAR-funded Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-Free, Mentored, and Safe (DREAMS) and Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) (ODA) activities: The ISDA will collaborate with ODA Partners to ensure that education messages to address GBV and promotion of reproductive health services are shared and harmonized. DREAMS beneficiaries should also be linked to MCH and FP/RH services under ISDA.
- LEARN Activities:
- The prospective Strengthening Pathways to Language, Literacy, and Learning for Learners who are Deaf (SPLD) activity. SPLD seeks to increase opportunities for children with disabilities to read and learn at home and at school, measurably improving learning outcomes for Rwandan deaf children.
Proposed Outcomes and Results
The purpose of the ISDA is to accelerate reductions in maternal, newborn and child morbidity and mortality by partnering with the Government of Rwanda and strengthening the capacity of host-country institutions and local organizations to improve equitable access and utilization of quality, evidence-based, respectful, maternal, newborn, child, adolescent health, family planning and reproductive health and malaria services (MNCAH/FP/RH/Malaria).
- Expected Result 1: Increased access to, availability and utilization of evidence -based, quality, respectful MNCAH/FP /RH and malaria services:
- Expected Result one of the ISDA aligns with Rwanda’s HSSP 4, of ensuring full implementation of the main health programs, looking at improving demand, access, and quality of healthcare services. Interventions will address social and behavior change of the Rwandan population, and any gender power dynamics that may influence health care seeking behaviors; health provider challenges and facility readiness.
- Expected Result 2: Capacity of host country institutions, local organizations, and providers to sustainably deliver evidence-based, quality MNCAH/FP RH/Malaria services is strengthened in alignment with national priories and global standards, and to respond to emerging global health threats:
- The National Strategy for Transformation (NST) and the HSSP IV lay down broad development as well as health sector priories for Rwanda, furthermore national strategies like the Malaria Strategic Plan 2020-2024; RMNCAH Policy, MNCH Strategic Plan; and FP/ASRH Strategic Plan provide guidance for Development Partners on areas that need support. These strategies are not exhaustive, and often need to be reviewed to align with new global evidence and global targets for maternal and child health.
- Expected Result 3: Increased use of adaptive learning and evidence in MNCAH/FP/ RH/Malaria programming:
- The ISDA will implement evidence based interventions as well as local promising innovative solutions. Through systematic collection and timely analysis of routine program data as well as targeted research projects in RMNCAH/ FP/RH and Malaria, the ISDA will promote learning and sharing of best practices, as well as promote adaptive management. The ISDA will invest in ensuring quality of routine data, their timely collection and analysis to inform decision making. The ISDA will collaborate closely with the RBC to make data available in real me so that it is analyzed.
Target Beneficiaries
The target direct beneficiaries of the ISDA include women, newborns, children under-five, and adolescents. Indirect beneficiaries include the general population of Rwandans, who will likely benefit from the improved capacity of health facilities to deliver quality services. For example, the ISDA will be flexible and responsive to emerging health needs, such as COVID-19, which may directly benefit other groups including men, older adults, etc. The MOH and local government will also benefit from ISDA’s capacity-building activities, ultimately contributing to the overall sustainability of current and former USAID/Rwanda, MOH and GOR investments. Upon co-creation, the ISDA may identify other priority populations, including hard-to-reach communities, as target beneficiaries of ISDA. However, it is expected that ISDA will ultimately result in improved health services for the general Rwandan population.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligibility for this NOFO is not restricted.
- Qualified applicants may be U.S. private voluntary organizations (U.S. PVOs) and/or U.S., Rwandan or other non-U.S. non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or private, non-profit organizations (or for-profit companies willing to forego profits), including universities, research organizations, professional associations, and relevant special interest associations. Public International Organizations (PIOs) and faith-based and community organizations are also eligible for the award. In support of the Agency’s interest in fostering a larger assistance base and expanding the number and sustainability of development partners, USAID welcomes applications from organizations that have not previously received financial assistance from USAID.
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