DAI

In our #PostOfTheWeek, we interview Public Finance Expert Nádia Hassamo about how the Supporting the Enabling Environment for Development (SPEED) project, funded by USAID is collaborating with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and various civil society groups to enhance public financial management practices and systems to aid in reform efforts. #governance #EconomicGrowth #decentralization

The rapid spread of false or misleading information on social media platforms undermines the progress of digital development. Disinformation is designed to manipulate facts, is often spread by undemocratic actors to advance their agendas, mislead the public, and can sow confusion around major events such as elections, conflicts, and epidemics. Digital development projects can mitigate the effects of disinformation by designing programs with these risks in mind. Below, we explore three steps organizations can take to mitigate the negative effects of disinformation and build information resilience.

Climate and environmental threats, like pollution, water scarcity, and extreme weather events, are worsening worldwide, posing threats to human health, wildlife, and global economic growth. USAID’s latest climate action review for 2023 [https://buff.ly/4f933R5] highlights its global partnerships to build climate resilience and tackle these challenges. In FY 2023 alone, USAID invested $579 million towards climate action, engaging partners and communities in 60+ countries, which prevented 295 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, conserved 82 million hectares of tropical rainforests, and mobilized more than $16 billion in external funds towards climate action. The report highlights two DAI projects that contributed to these impressive results. In Honduras, the USAID Building Climate Resilience Activity is working with the Government of Honduras to restore watersheds, create sustainable jobs, and activate early warning systems to protect communities. In FY 2023, the activity provided 300,000 people access to flood warning systems and boosted the incomes of 30,000 coffee farmers through climate-smart approaches. https://buff.ly/4f52dF3 In Vietnam, the USAID Sustainable Forest Management Activity works with the government and private businesses operating around forests to pay local communities for keeping forests intact through better management, patrols, and forest protection. As of FY 2023, this work generated more than $1 billion since 2011 to finance the community-led conservation of around 40 percent of Vietnam's forest area. https://buff.ly/4fmTm1V #DAIClimateFutures Jette Findsen Christy Owen Clarence Cabañero Zach Thompson Kimberly Keeton Daniela Jallath Molinar Walter Weaver

A warm welcome to Nest, the newest Strive USA grantee. The Sustainable Business Group, DAI’s private sector consulting arm, has a long track record of designing and implementing programs that promote sustainability and impact, which is helping corporate philanthropic organizations enhance gender equity and economic equity. In its first year, DAI supported Strive USA to build a partner network of 16 community finance institutions that together support 68,000 small businesses. #DAISustainableBusinessGroup #StriveUSA #LocalContent #Sustainability #SmallBusiness

We are pleased to announce that our #EU-funded education project in Kosovo, #KosED, has successfully contributed to the official approval of a new regulation on recruitment procedures in educational institutions. The regulation enhances recruitment in public educational institutions, including pre-university education, by providing clear guidelines for selecting and appointing #directors, deputy #principals, #teachers, professional associates, #assistants, #instructors, and secretaries. Overall, this regulation benefits the education system by ensuring a #transparent and #standardized recruitment process, improving the quality of educational staff, and addressing school needs. It promotes consistency nationwide, facilitates teacher transfers between #municipalities, and ensures prompt replacement of absent teachers. Additionally, it supports recruiting instructors and tutors for non-majority communities and disadvantaged groups, fostering a more inclusive and equitable education system. #EuropeanUnion I #Kosovo I #QualityEducation I #Schools I #Recruitment

"Thanks to the tools developed by PERL (Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn), my job has become easier, ensuring a steady flow of funds so that Mama Nura and others like her have uninterrupted access to healthcare," remarked Hassan, an official from the Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KSCHMA). Like Mama Nura, thousands of residents in Kano state with the support of the FCDO-funded https://buff.ly/3xCzHK3 project through the Open Data Kit now have access to affordable healthcare through the data collected. Using the data, the National Healthcare Insurance Agency (NHIA) has increased the number of enrollees in basic health care. Read more on how the Open Data Kit has helped many access affordable healthcare in PERL-supported states here: https://buff.ly/3xryaGV

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, has more than 213 million people, with 42 percent under 18. Many adolescents, aged 10-19, lack access to sexual and reproductive health information. Estimates suggest some 30 percent of out-of-school adolescent girls and 17 percent of out-of-school adolescent boys have begun childbearing, mainly in rural areas with limited access to health services. The USAID Youth-Powered Ecosystem to Advance Urban Adolescent Health (YPE4AH) project works to improve the health and well-being of urban, low-income adolescents (aged 15-19) in Lagos and Kano state by teaching youth life skills for healthy living, family planning, and workforce readiness. The project also helps youth access job opportunities and entrepreneurship mentoring to address socioeconomic determinants of adolescent health. On World Youth Skills Day, we are excited to share how the YPE4AH team through the hubs empowers adolescents with life, leadership, and livelihood skills, they need to succeed. #WYSD #WorldYouthSkillsDay #Whatsyourskill

DAI is delighted that Tim Samaranayake has joined our UK management team as Director of Operations. Tim brings more than 20 years of experience as a consultant, team leader, and director in international development and private sectors. He is responsible for overseeing project delivery alongside our technical teams and managing the commercial requirements for new opportunities. Prior to joining us, Tim held senior roles at Plan International UK, Crown Agents, and Wellspring Development Capital. https://buff.ly/4eSqcY4

Congratulations to our USAID #Honduras Justicia Efectiva team for being one of three winners of USAID's Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG)'s first Thinking & Working Politically (TWP) Case Competition! Winners highlighted the various ways TWP approaches can support Activity goals: #governance #justice

We are proud to present the impact of our USAID-funded water security, sanitation, and hygiene (WSSH) and water resource management (WRM) activities over the last 8-9 years. These complex challenges require comprehensive solutions. For this reason, we use a systems-based approach, focusing on enabling conditions for change, building the capacity of local stakeholders, and amplifying the voices of end-users (especially marginalized groups). For more on our WSSH and WRM activities and projects, please see our 2023 Sustainability Report: https://rb.gy/hmxwlc. USAID Global Waters #WSSH #WRM #Water Walter Weaver Shannon Vasamsetti Darren Saywell Jeanne Ellis Heather Skilling Jette Findsen