Provide implementation support to Malaria endemic countries.

Background - RBM Partnership to End Malaria (RBM)

The RBM Partnership to End Malaria is the global platform for coordinated action against malaria. It mobilizes for action and resources and forges consensus among partners. The Partnership comprises more than 500 partners, including malaria endemic countries, their bilateral and multilateral development partners, the private sector, nongovernmental and community-based organizations, foundations, and research and academic institutions. For more information, please check the RBM website: www.endmalaria.org

The RBM structure consists of its Secretariat and Partner Committees focused on the three priorities of the Partnership: Advocacy & Resource Mobilization (ARMPC), Strategic Communications (SCPC) and Country/Regional Support (CRSPC). Most notably, the purpose of the CRSPC is to provide a platform to engage the RBM Partnership community in coordinating support to countries and regions as they execute their malaria control and elimination implementation programs.

RBM/CRSPC is seeking a grantee to support its in-country support to malaria endemic countries as part of its technical assistance plan in 2021, on a number of its major activities such as support to the Zero Malaria Starts with Me campaigns and rollout, ensure access to malaria interventions through identifying barriers related to community, rights and gender, develop national malaria strategic plans and Global Fund funding applications.  

Zero Malaria Starts with Me (ZMSWM) campaign

Zero Malaria Starts with Me is a continent-wide campaign to eliminate malaria. The campaign will spark grassroots movements in which all stakeholders – political leaders, the private sector, communities, and other members of society commit to the fight against malaria and provides a platform for countries to take locally-appropriate action in support of the African Union’s and global goals for eliminating malaria by 2030. The campaign is based on three pillars:

• Political engagement: Engaging political leaders to ensure that malaria elimination efforts remain high on the political agenda and attracts funding and policy priority.

• Private sector engagement: Diversifying funding sources and establishing innovative public-private partnerships to increase financial resources to accelerate malaria elimination.

• Community engagement: Creating a community-based movement to increase awareness and ownership of malaria interventions and protect the most vulnerable families and communities from malaria.

RBM/CRSPC provides in-country support Ministries of Health in launching and rolling out of the ZMSWM campaigns. In this grant the plan is to provide this in-country support in-Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. 

Roll out Malaria Matchbox

The Malaria Matchbox is a toolkit developed by RBM and Global Fund which aims to provide malaria endemic countries with guidance on how to identify risk factors and barriers impeding equitable and integrated people-centred malaria programs, and recommendations on how to address them.

RBM/CRSPC provides in-country support Ministries of Health in rolling out of the identification and reduction of barriers to universal access to malaria intervention using Malaria Matchbox toolkit. In this grant the plan is to provide this in-country support to Rwanda and Zimbabwe to roll out Malaria Matchbox. 

National Malaria Strategic Plan and Global Fund (GF) funding applications 

The GF funding cycle runs in three-year periods that directly correspond with their donor replenishment periods. The current funding period runs from 2020 through 2022. In each funding period, the GF allocates donor funds to eligible countries. In 2020 most of the eligible countries already applied for the grant through the support of CRSPC and other partners during windows 1-3.  Few countries are expected to submit their funding applications in subsequent windows in 2021. 

RBM/CRSPC supports countries in their application process by providing technical assistance (international or local consultants), organizing mock Technical Review Panels, and providing support to the in-country consultation and grant making processes. CRSPC also provides support to develop national malaria strategic plans which are also an input to the GF application. In this grant the plan is to provide support to in-country consultation meetings to Mauritania Ministry of Health in the process of developing their national malaria strategic plans and to develop Global Fund funding application. The deadline for the submission of the Global fund funding application is 31 April 2021. 

Domestic Resource Mobilisation 

In order to fill the critical gaps, they have in funding the essential malaria interventions, the Ministries of Health develop national level resource mobilisation plans. Domestic resource mobilisation is also part of the GF’s matching fund requirement. 

RBM/CRSPC provides technical supports to countries in conducting gap analysis and also in developing the resource mobilisation plans including in-country dialogues.  In this grant the plan is to provide in-country support to Burundi in the process of developing the resource mobilisation plan. 

Objectives of the Grant:

The purpose of this grant is to:

1. Provide support to Zimbabwe, Burundi and DRC Ministries of Health in-country activities in the process of launching and rolling out of their ZMSWM campaigns.

2. Provide in-country support to Rwanda and Zimbabwe Ministries of Health in rolling out of the use of Malaria Matchbox in order to identify barriers to access to malaria interventions. 

3. Provide support to in-country consultation meetings to Mauritania in the process of development of malaria NSP and high-quality malaria GF funding applications to the GF for the 2020-2022 funding cycle.  

4. Provide in-country support to Burundi to develop domestic resource mobilization plan.

Specific activities to be funded includes:

The successful grantee will be involved in supporting in-country consultations and/or activities for the RBM Partnership, working closely with the CRSPC and other RBM Partner Committees. The specific activities to be supported includes the following:   

1. Zero Malaria Starts with Me (ZMSWM) campaign launching and roll out (Zimbabwe, DRC, Burundi)

• Recruit national consultant (DRC)

• Stakeholder consultative meeting to set objectives, targets, strategies and key messages for the launch

• Development and printing of campaign materials 

• High level engagement with government leadership

• Launching the Campaign 

• Working with the media and public relations to create a social media platform to promote the campaign

• Develop roll out plans

2. Roll out Malaria Matchbox (Rwanda and Zimbabwe):

• In-country consultation meetings (Rwanda)

• Printing of tools and documents (Rwanda)

• Recruit national consultant who support the coordination activities

3. Support the process to develop the NSP and GF applications (Mauritania)

• In-country stakeholder consultation meetings

• Workshop to develop the GF funding application 

4. Develop plan for domestic resource mobilization (Burundi)

• Recruit national consultant who will coordinate the development of the plan

• In-country stakeholder consultation to develop the plan 

For all these activities, the successful grantee will be requested to procure, contract and administer internal transportation and travel per-diems, and workshop and mission arrangements. This must be done in close collaboration with the national stakeholders (relevant NMCP and others) as well as the RBM Partnership Secretariat, in order to meet country expectations. The grantee will be expected to attend the events and provide on-site support. 

Deliverables:

The applicant is expected to provide the following final deliverables:  

• Regular coordination with RBM Secretariat in planning of the support.

• Report of each of the activities indicated above

• Final narrative and financial report upon completion of the activities.