{"id":6421,"date":"2022-11-11T21:33:06","date_gmt":"2022-11-11T21:33:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kmtraining.org\/the-sustained-impact-of-east-africas-hope-lvb-project\/"},"modified":"2022-11-11T21:33:06","modified_gmt":"2022-11-11T21:33:06","slug":"the-sustained-impact-of-east-africas-hope-lvb-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kmtraining.org\/fr\/the-sustained-impact-of-east-africas-hope-lvb-project\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sustained Impact of East Africa’s HoPE-LVB Project"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A new Knowledge SUCCESS learning brief documents the sustained impact of activities started under the Health of People and Environment\u2013Lake Victoria Basin (HoPE-LVB)<\/strong> project, an eight-year integrated effort that ended in 2019. Featuring insights from HoPE-LVB stakeholders several years after the project\u2019s closure, this brief offers important lessons learned to help inform future design, implementation, and funding of cross-sectoral integrated programs.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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About HoPE-LVB<\/h3>\n

The Population, Health, and Environment (PHE) approach addresses interconnected challenges faced by communities in the most biodiverse and ecologically rich areas of the world. These challenges are particularly apparent among communities living in and around the Lake Victoria Basin\u2014who experience pervasive poverty, food insecurity, poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes, and often inaccessible health services. At the same time, the ecosystem itself faces degradation and diminishing natural resources, which are crucial for the survival of communities around the Basin.<\/p>\n

La Health of People and Environment\u2013Lake Victoria Basin (HoPE-LVB)<\/strong><\/a> project was implemented in response to these interconnected challenges. HoPE-LVB was a cross-sectoral, integrated PHE effort implemented by Pathfinder International and a range of partners in Kenya and Uganda during 2011\u20132019. Planned and implemented \u201cwith the end in mind,\u201d it had a sharp focus on sustainability and establishing multi-sectoral partnerships and practices from the outset.<\/p>\n

Overall, HoPE-LVB improved FP\/RH and environmental outcomes in the project area\u2014and led to institutionalization of PHE in the surrounding communities.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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About this Stock-Taking Activity<\/h3>\n

While an external evaluation in 2018 documented the results of the successful project, partners and donors were interested in learning about the ongoing sustainability of HoPE-LVB activities to draw lessons for designing future projects. In 2022, USAID, through the Knowledge SUCCESS project, collaborated with philanthropic partner Preston-Werner Ventures to conduct a rapid stock-taking exercise to:<\/p>\n

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  1. Document continued implementation of HoPE-LVB activities in project communities<\/li>\n
  2. Report the status of systems, networks, and policies set up during HoPE-LVB<\/li>\n
  3. Identify challenges and opportunities for continuing PHE activities<\/li>\n
  4. Outline recommendations to improve the scale-up and sustainability of current and future cross-sectoral programs<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    To gain this information, we conducted a desk review and interviewed HoPE-LVB project staff from global, national, and community levels; community members from HoPE-LVB sites; and government officials from Kenya and Uganda. This learning brief summarizes the results of this stock-taking exercise, and is anticipated to inform stakeholders\u2014including funders, policymakers, and advocates\u2014on the enhanced design, implementation, and funding of cross-sectoral integrated programs to ensure sustainable development planning and programming.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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    What the Stock-Taking Activity Found<\/h3>\n

    Continued sustainability of cross-sectoral activities in HoPE-LVB communities<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    A girl picks vegetables from the garden in Kenya. Photo Credit: C. Schubert<\/p><\/div>\n

    In this post-project stock-taking activity, we found that the impact of the HoPE-LVB project is still apparent, largely due to the extent to which HoPE-LVB focused on scale-up and institutionalizing PHE systems and processes from the start. Improving decision makers\u2019 knowledge of PHE\u2014and cultivating strong PHE champions and networks\u2014helped HoPE-LVB advocate for PHE mainstreaming. The resulting policies and operations plans are still active, albeit rebranded to suit local contexts.<\/p>\n

    The HoPE-LVB model transformed the way the global PHE community plans and implements multi-sectoral programs. Even several years after its closure, the framework, with model households as its center, is still being adopted and scaled up by new partners, funders, and organizations, using evidence from HoPE-LVB communities. Policies informed by HoPE-LVB continue to influence the development landscape, particularly in East Africa. And communities in rural Uganda and Kenya continue to apply the PHE model, using capacity built during the project and consulting HoPE-LVB legacy tools and guidance.<\/p>\n

    Challenges in sustaining PHE activities<\/strong><\/p>\n

    However, while PHE champions are still implementing many of these activities, a variety of challenges\u2014including the competing demands of the COVID-19 pandemic\u2014have slowed momentum in many settings. Therefore, to continue integrating PHE into development work in the HoPE-LVB communities and beyond, it is important to continue advocating for broad-scale commitment and funding. This will ensure that governments and partners can continue to achieve the holistic goals of multi-sectoral programs, from the national to the community level.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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    Recommendations<\/h3>\n

    Overall, participants pointed to the importance of initiating broad policy and funding advocacy at the start of a multi-sectoral project such as HoPE-LVB. They reiterated the importance of sustained partnerships with key stakeholders, including those in government, to ensure long-term commitment to PHE programs. Participants also pointed to the need for sub-national advocacy for PHE budgets, especially in countries like Kenya where financial decisions are often made at the district level. Finally, this stock-taking exercise demonstrates the importance of following multi-sectoral projects in the years following their closure\u2014to understand which elements are continuing, identify challenges that prevent successful integration, and document insights to inform the design of future programs. Examining HoPE-LVB\u2019s impact after the project staff, funds, and other input from outside donors ceased allowed us to examine elements of sustainability, institutionalization, and adaptation.<\/p>\n

    Conclusion: Beginning projects with the end in mind<\/h3>\n

    Designing and implementing projects with a deliberate focus on institutionalization and sustained development outcomes should be the norm, particularly for cross-sectoral programs. When these projects consider scale-up and sustainability from the outset, they are more likely to lead to commitments by local governments and continued refinement and implementation by communities, therefore yielding greater long-term contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals.<\/p>\n

    Finally, while donors often work in five-year project cycles, it is crucial to conduct post-project evaluations\u2014or rapid stock-taking activities like this one\u2014to fully recognize the project\u2019s impact, identify challenges, and share important insights and lessons learned to inform future cross-sectoral programming.<\/p>\n

    For more information<\/strong><\/p>\n