USAID Health Learning

Introduction

USAID/Nepal awarded the five-year (2024 – 2029) USAID Health Learning to HERD International in August 2024. HERD International is committed to successfully delivering USAID Health Learning to assist USAID/Nepal’s Health Office and its implementing partners to adopt uniform and systematic monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) activities to advance broader organizational learning and development efforts. HERD International will meet these goals by achieving three interlinked objectives: 

1. Program monitoring and assessments: Strengthen program management and decision-making processes of USAID/Nepal’s Health Office and its implementing partners by providing high-quality, disaggregated data collected from surveys, research, and assessments.
2. Knowledge management: Improve learning and knowledge management functions of USAID/Nepal’s Health Office, its implementing partners, and federal, provincial, and local governments by increasing the availability of timely, high-quality evidence.
3. Capacity building: Strengthen MERL capacity of USAID/Nepal Health Office implementing partners, and federal, provincial, and local governments.

Co-creation

Activity design for USAID Health Learning is based on a co-creation model. In consultation with USAID/Nepal Health Office, selected implementing partners, and other relevant stakeholders, HERD International participated in a series of co-creation meetings to develop appropriate activities and sub-activities too meet all the stated objectives of USAID Health Learning. Co-creation ensures that these objectives, or components, are aligned with the priorities of USAID/Nepal Health Office, and meet the needs of implementing partners and stakeholders at all three tiers of government.

Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) and Diversity Equity Inclusion and Access (DEIA)

USAID Health Learning aims to ensure that all planned activities seek to reduce gender and social inclusion gaps and assist marginalized and vulnerable groups to engage with and benefit from USAID/Nepal Health Office interventions. USAID Health Learning has developed a GESI/DEIA marker checklist to ensure that all of our assessments, research, surveys, studies, or training are conducted with principles of equity and inclusivity in mind. We will provide a platform for learning and development irrespective of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and will use any and all available platforms, meetings, workshops, training, and other events to highlight GESI/DEIA principles and concepts.

Component 1: Program monitoring and assessments

USAID Health Learning will support in enhancing program management and decision-making by providing high-quality, disaggregated data. Five key survey and assessment activities are planned under this component:

1. Health and Nutrition Annual Household Surveys
2. Health Facility Rapid Assessments
3. Health Facility Client Satisfaction Surveys
4. Health Systems Capacity Assessments of subnational governments
5. Special studies and assessments

In Year One (FY 2024/25), USAID Health Learning will complete the first round of the Health and Nutrition Annual Household Survey and the Health Facility Client Satisfaction Survey, which will be conducted annually. The Health Facility Rapid Assessments and Health Systems Capacity Assessments are scheduled FY 2025/26, as are the special studies and assessments in the technical areas of maternal and child health, family planning, nutrition, sanitation and hygiene, infectious disease, physical rehabilitation, and health system strengthening.  

Component 2: Knowledge management

This component aims to provide timely and high-quality evidence to support improvements in learning and knowledge management functions across USAID/Nepal’s health ecosystem. USAID Health Learning plans four key activities under this component:

1. Further and deep-dive analysis
2. Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA)
3. Planning and review of USAID Health Direct Financing Project
4. Secondary analysis of national level surveys

USAID Health Learning will conduct further and deep-dive analysis on three priority topics from the surveys and assessments conducted in Component 1. The learnings from these analyses will be shared and institutionalized through CLA exercises during review and co-creation meetings, as well as joint field visits with government stakeholders. USAID Health Learning will also support annual review and other events activities related to USAID Health Direct Financing Project in Karnali Province, and conduct secondary analysis of previously-conducted national level surveys to extract relevant information for USAID/Nepal Health Office and its implementing partners.

Component 3:  Capacity building

The primary objective of this component is to support strengthening MERL capacity of local health partners and governments. Key interventions include providing MERL exposure and training to youths from remote areas and marginalized population groups, and promoting health research ethics among health IPs. Capacity-building events will be implemented with tailored content and approaches suited to local contexts. Four different sub-activities are planned under this component:

1. MERL need assessment and capacity building
2. Health research ethics
3. Data analysis and use
4. Internship program

USAID Health Learning will support MERL capacity strengthening by incorporating expert-led training for implementing partners and government counterparts. These training programs will incorporate standardized training modules designed in co-creation, and USAID Health Learning will aso schedule follow-ups with participants to reinforce their new skills. This component also includes five annual workshops on health research ethics, as well as data analysis and utilization training to promote evidence-based planning, monitoring, and decision-making at the local level.  Finally, USAID Health Learning will recruit at least two interns from marginalized populations in in Karnali, Lumbini, Madhesh, and Sudhurpaschim Provinces to provide crucial working exposure and build their MERL capacities.