NOFO: PMI Case Management and Social Behavior Change Project (Malawi)

Deadline Date: September 17, 2024

 Donor Name: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

 Grant Size: More than $1 million

https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/356010

The United States Government, as represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)/Malawi, is announcing the PMI Case Management and Social Behavior Change Project Funding Opportunity.

The goal of the activity is to increase access to, demand for, utilization of, quality of and satisfaction with malaria services and preventive measures.

The purpose of this award is to provide implementation support and technical assistance to the districts, health facilities, community-based providers, and communities, in planning, delivery, and monitoring of facility and community-based malaria services, including malaria case management, prevention of malaria in pregnancy, and social and behavior change (SBC).

Objectives

Prioritization and implementation of malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment interventions as broadly laid out in the HSSP III Health Benefit Package is guided by the National Malaria Strategic Plan 2023-2030 (NMSP), the goal of which is to eliminate malaria as a public health concern in Malawi by 2030. The objectives of the NMSP include:

Integrated Vector Management: To increase the proportion of population protected by at least one malaria vector control intervention from 37 percent in 2022 to at least 90 percent by 2030.

Malaria Case Management: To increase and sustain the proportion of suspected cases of malaria that are tested from 98 percent in 2022 to 100 percent and treat all the confirmed cases by 2030.

Malaria in Pregnancy: To increase the uptake of at least 3 doses of intermittent preventive treatment for pregnant women (IPTp) from the 2022 baseline of 56 percent to 80 percent by 2030.

Procurement and Supply Management: To sustain an annual average stockout rate of less than 1 percent for all malaria first-line treatment throughout the NMSP.

Social Behavior Change (SBC) for Malaria:

To increase the proportion of caregivers of children under five years of age who take action to seek appropriate malaria treatment within 24 hours of the onset of fever from 46 percent to 90 percent by 2030.

To increase the proportion of the general population who use an insecticide treated net (ITN) consistently from 55 percent (Malaria Behavior Survey (MBS) 2021) to 80 percent by 2030.

To Increase the proportion of pregnant women who take IPTp 3+ during pregnancy from 56 percent (MBS 2021) to 80 percent by 2030.

Surveillance, Monitoring, Evaluation and Operations Research: To improve malaria data quality (the average of completeness, timeliness, and accuracy) from 94 percent in 2022 to 99 percent by 2030 to ensure evidence-based program implementation, policy direction and accountability at all levels of health service delivery.

Malaria Programme Management: To strengthen program management to support the effective implementation of planned NMSP activities from 56 percent to over 90 percent by 2030.

Focus Areas

Malawi was selected as a U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) country in 2007 and to date PMI has invested over $340 million to support malaria control efforts in Malawi. PMI, led by USAID and implemented together with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is the U.S Government’s primary vehicle for assisting malaria-affected countries to scale up proven malaria control and elimination interventions. PMI programing has five core focus areas:

Reach the unreached: Achieve, sustain, and tailor deployment and uptake of high-quality, proven interventions with a focus on hard-to-reach populations.

Strengthen community health systems: Transform and extend community and frontline health systems to end malaria.

Keep malaria services resilient: Adapt malaria services to increase resilience against shocks, including COVID-19 and emerging biological threats, conflict, and climate change.

Invest locally: Partner with countries and communities to lead, implement, and fund malaria programs.

Innovate and lead: Leverage new tools, optimize existing tools, and shape global priorities to end malaria faster

Funding Information

USAID/Malawi anticipates funding one award with a combined total estimated amount (TEA) of up to $8,000,000. However, USAID is not obligated to make any awards.

The anticipated period of performance is 5 Years. The start date will be dependent upon the timeline in which negotiations and necessary responsibility determinations will be completed.

Results Framework

Intermediate Result 1: Strengthened and institutionalized capacity of facility-based and community-based health providers to provide high quality, comprehensive, patient-centered, malaria services (including but not limited to integrated community case management, malaria parasitological diagnosis and treatment, intermittent preventive treatment, and routine distribution of insecticide treated nets)

Sub-IR 1.1: Improved quality of patient-centered malaria services at facility and community levels

Sub-IR 1.2: Strengthened connection and communication between community-based providers, their supervisors, and the associated/linked health facilities

Intermediate Result 2: Improved malaria prevention and health-seeking practices and behaviors at the individual, household, and community levels.

Sub- IR 2.1: Increased demand for and utilization of malaria health services

Sub-IR 2.2: Improved quality of patient-centered malaria services at facility and community levels

Sub-IR 2.3: High levels of ITN use maintained, increased proper ITN care, and misuse of nets for fishing and related processes reduced

Intermediate Result 3: Strengthened capacity of the districts, community-based and other local entities to lead, manage, supervise, monitor and evaluate malaria service delivery and social behavior change interventions.

Sub-IR 3.1: Strengthened and institutionalized capacity of the districts and other entities to plan, oversee, and adapt service delivery quality improvement activities

Sub-IR 3.2: Strengthened capacity of the districts to improve collaboration and integration across technical areas and partners (SBC and service delivery, supply chain, and vector control) to promote consistent activities and messages to increase correct and consistent use of ITNs, ANC attendance and IPTp uptake, malaria treatment-seeking and medication adherence strengthened

Sub-IR 3.3: Improved data use to inform quality improvement activities and community based interventions, such as to strengthen healthcare worker behaviors through the OTSS process

Geographic Focus

The activity will be implemented at the district, health facility, and community levels. The activity will strengthen the capacity of the districts, health facilities, and community-based providers to provide high quality, comprehensive, patient-centered malaria services in approximately two districts (to be determined in partnership with the NMCP). Additionally, it will strengthen the capacity of the districts to design and implement social behavior change interventions to increase demand for and utilization of malaria services in approximately five districts (the two case management districts and Balaka, Nkhatabay, and Nkhotakota).

Eligibility Criteria

USAID defines “Implementing Partners” as U.S. and non-U.S. non-governmental organizations that can design and implement assistance activities outside the United States. All Implementing Partners must be legally registered entities under applicable law and eligible under the relevant laws to receive funding from a foreign source. Individuals, unregistered, or informal organizations are not eligible to be Implementing Partners.

This Funding Opportunity is limited to local organizations as the primary Applicant (“Prime”). Applicants may consider partnering with other local organizations who might hold specific subject matter expertise (e.g. financial/project management, social behavior change, malaria case management, malaria in pregnancy (MIP), etc.) to present an application covering all objectives of the project as outlined in the program description. In this case, the applicant submitting this application will be considered the Prime and partner organizations would be sub-awardees.

Eligibility for this NOFO is restricted to local (Malawian) organizations only. There are no exceptions. Applications from organizations that have not previously received financial assistance from USAID are welcome if the Applicant determines that it has necessary capacity to implement activities of this magnitude.

USAID defines a “local entity” as an individual, a corporation, a nonprofit organization, or another body of persons that: (1) Is legally organized under the laws of; and (2) Has as its principal place of business or operations in; and (3) Is (A) majority owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of; and (B) managed by a governing body the majority of who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the country receiving assistance.

For purposes of this definition, ‘majority owned’ and ‘managed by’ include, without limitation, beneficiary interests and the power, either directly or indirectly, whether exercised or exercisable, to control the election, appointment, or tenure of the organization’s managers or a majority of the organization’s governing body by any means.

Faith-based organizations are eligible to apply for federal financial assistance on the same basis as any other organization and are subject to the protections and requirements of Federal law.

All eligible interested local organizations are restricted to submitting only one concept paper as the prime applicant. If more than one concept paper is received from the same prime applicant, USAID will choose only one concept paper for review consideration and the additional papers will be deemed ineligible.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.