Myanmar, National Community Driven Development Project II

Due to the coup in Myanmar (01-02-2021) the project ended prematurely. Therefore, we have not been able to reach all objectives.

Objective

The objective of the project was to enable poor rural communities to benefit from improved access to and use of basic infrastructure and services through a people-centered approach and to enhance the government’s capacity to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible crisis or emergency. This approach empowered villagers to manage and participate in their own development.

The objective was to be achieved through:

1. Financing community-identified rural infrastructure investments.
2. Strengthening the capacity of communities in partnership with local authorities to effectively identify, plan and implement their development priorities.
3. Facilitating the participation of the poor and vulnerable, both women and men, throughout the project cycle at the community level.

VNG International was to provide institutional support and technical assistance to the township office of the Department of Rural Development in Kyaikmaraw of the Mon State.

Specific tasks would include:

1. Assisting township DRD offices in planning, implementing and monitoring project activities in the townships in line with the implementation guidelines in the project Operations Manual and directions received from the union office.
2. Providing institutional support, capacity development and technical assistance to the township DRD offices in the implementation of the project, including providing data for the project’s Management Information System (MIS) and tracking and reporting on performance indicators and project progress.
3. Recruiting and training community facilitators to assist villages and village tracts in the preparation and annual revision of development plans, the approval and implementation of sub-projects, and the organization of annual social audits;
4. Recruiting and training technical facilitators to assist village level committees in sub-project technical design, cost estimation, environmental and social safeguards implementation, and construction management/supervision;
5. Supporting the empowerment and leadership of village communities in social assessment participatory planning, implementation and supervision of their village plan;
6. Assisting village tract project support committees to manage project funds in a transparent and accountable manner;
7. Supporting DRD engineers and village level committees for the preparation and technical design of sub-projects, including procurement and the identification and adequate mitigation of potential negative environmental and social impacts;
8. Supporting the township DRD office in adapting project information materials to local context and ensuring wide outreach to and communication and consultation with local stakeholders;
9. Supporting the grievance handling system in line with the provisions of the operations manual.
10. Undertaking other activities related to the project as assigned by DRD.
11. Supporting the township DRD in creating awareness of social participation, social accountability and gender amongst the township populations and other stakeholders;
12. Assist the township DRD in the creation of solutions with regard to conflict resolution(s), if any.
13. Assist and facilitate the township DRD in all types of audits, assessment and supervision missions by either the Bank, DRD or any third party commissioned to execute such mission e.g. financial and technical audits.
14. Assist and support the township DRD in case of disaster relief operations, or any other crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020.
15. Assist and support the DRD in the implementation of pilot projects such as for testing the Community Disaster Response Mechanism (CDRM) or Local Economic Development Projects

VNG International would collaborate closely with the DRD Union Management, the Union NCDDP Secretariat, the Project Regional Offices and the consultants providing technical assistance and institutional support.

Expected Deliverables:

It was expected to deliver:

1. CF, TF Recruitment Report including the final list of candidates and their CV’s
2. Detailed Inception Report including the Updated work plan , the township-specific information dissemination and outreach strategy and the time input plan of ICDDE and NPA. A capacity building plan, if needed, can be included in the Inception Report or introduced whenever the need has been assessed.
3. Training of community and technical facilitators and DRD counterpart staff on the community project cycle, gender, social accountability and grievance handling, financial management, procurement, and M&E (in cycle 1, a Training of Facilitators program will be provided by the Union Secretariat in cooperation with the township NCDD team)
4. Training of village tract , village committees and village volunteers on the community project cycle, gender, social accountability and grievance handling, financial management, procurement, M&E, sub-project technical design, cost estimation, social safeguards implementation, and construction management and supervision
5. The Village Development Plans (VDPs) completed as stipulated in the Operations Manual of satisfactory quality completed in all townships covered by the contract in accordance with the provisions of the Operations Manual and submitted to DRD township.
   Preparation of the Village Development Plan Booklet and submitted to the Union DRD.
6. Readiness for Social audits of satisfactory quality in all village tracts in all townships covered by contract in accordance with the provisions of the Operations Manual
7. Monthly financial reports
8. Quarterly township implementation progress reports including the performance evaluation of individual consultants and facilitators and assets list
9. Annual township implementation progress report
10. ICDDE and NPA mission and monitoring reports