Guidance for Blueprint and Pilots

Aligning Programmes with the Access Fund Strategy

September 2019

This Blueprint guidance aims to help IPs and the FMO identify ways in which ACCESS-supported
programmes in 2021-2023 can:
- Increase their geographical focus on conflict-affected areas;
- Increase focus on vulnerable populations by increasing the way in which IPs identify
vulnerable people, reach them with services, and track evidence-based results among
these target-populations;
- Enhance their programming approaches to produce results.

Information collected through this exercise will be presented to the Access Board to support
fund allocation decisions for 2021-2023.

1. Objectives of the Blueprint and Pilots templates

In close collaboration between IPs and the Access FMO:

1. Analyze townships’ situation and prioritize them for 2021-2023 programming
2. Devise approaches to 2021-2023 programming in line with the Fund’s Strategy
3. Estimate 2021-2023 budgets
4. Describe pilots to be carried out in 2020 in selected townships, when relevant

2. Township prioritization (Section 2 of the Blueprint)

2.1. Township prioritization

Using the attached Excel sheet1, please prioritize townships (Categories A to C) taking into
account:

a. Information made available by the FMO:

● Conflict ranking as per 2014-2018 data (source: ACLED Database)
● Conflict in 2018 (source: Myanmar Institute for Peace and Security)
● EAO presence 2017-2018 (source: Myanmar Peace Monitor)
● Vulnerability Band (source: NIMU and Harp)
● World Bank Wealth Ranking

1 “Township_Ranking_Table”. Please note that the Excel File is provided to support IPs’ analysis and
prioritization process. IPs are welcome to justify their prioritization in any way that makes sense.
b. Township-level information to be prepared by IPs:
● Estimated number of population covered by EHOs
● Estimated number of population in hard-to-reach villages
● Estimated number of population in IDP camps
● Presence of CBHWs (AMW/CHW) in hard-to-reach villages
● Health indicators for MNCH, SRHR, Harm Reduction and TB

c. Other information considered important for this analysis:

● Please refer to the findings of MNCH partners’ “Township Situation Assessment” exercises
if helpful
● IPs are welcome to expand the analysis and prioritization to other Townships2 not currently
covered by the 2019-2020 programme

Based on the information and analysis described above, please classify townships into three
categories. Please note that due to the importance of contextual factors, the FMO has chosen not
to provide cut-off points between categories; we leave this initial categorization to IPs based on
their understanding of local situations and needs.

Category Definition

Category A: Prioritized IPs believe these townships should be included in the next
townships for 2021-2023 phase, and should receive relatively high funding
programming allocations compared to Category B townships

Category B: Lower-priority IPs believe that these townships should be included in

townships 2021-2023 programmes, but with significantly lower levels
of investment than Category A townships

Category C: Non-prioritized IPs believe these townships do not need to be included for
townships support in 2021-2023

2.1. Estimated Budget

Please provide your best estimate of the 2021-2023 budget for each proposed township in
Categories A and B. This can be a rough estimate, and no details are required at this point.
However, the budget for each township should also include a percentage allocation of the central
level budget (e.g. Yangon headquarters).

At this stage, the available budget for 2021-2023 equals the 2019-2020 budget, pointing to a
smaller annual allocation in the last three years of the Fund. Final allocation decisions for 2021-
2023 will be made by the Fund Board based on the information the FMO is currently putting
together, including through the Blueprint and pilots exercises.

2Namely, townships with a high number of vulnerable populations within the same State in which the
ACCESS supported programme is currently inactive

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3. Proposed approaches (section 3 of the Blueprint)

The Access to Health strategy calls for a radical departure from past programming and an explicit
focus on results for vulnerable populations. This shift requires IPs to adapt their approaches:
improve the way in which they (i) identify vulnerable people, (ii) reach them with services, and (iii)
track evidence-based results among these target-populations.

In section 3 of the Blueprint template, IPs are invited to describe how 2021-2023 approaches will
achieve the above; this is required for townships proposed in both Category A and B.

Please note that the Fund is not providing guidance on (or a list of) recommended approaches; we
assume that IPs are in a much stronger position than us to devise, based on their field-experience
and understanding of local contexts, ways to enhance focus on vulnerable populations. But as an
illustration, approaches could include:
- Enhanced work with EHOs or other actors with access to vulnerable populations;
- Innovative approaches to reach (and provide services to) remote and vulnerable people;
- Use of data and evidence to track and monitor results for target populations;
- Community-based work aimed to increase demand and access
- Promoted coordination between MoHS and EHOs

4. Piloting the new strategy in 2020

In order to help IPs prepare for 2021-2023 implementation, the Access to Health Fund is keen to
support pilot-programs aimed at testing approaches to identifying/targeting vulnerable
populations, working in conflict-affected areas, or experimenting with new implementation
modalities.

Partners3 who wish to pilot their proposed approach (to 2021-2023 programming) in 2020, are
invited to propose their pilot project townships to the FMO to get agreement on selected
townships by COB 9 September 2019. After agreement, IPs would submit, together with the
Blueprint template, a narrative proposal (see attached: “NarrativeProposal_PilotTownships”) and
detailed budget which would come to expand on section 3 of the Blueprint template by 30
September 2019:

Narrative proposal
1. Description of the situation and proposed approach
2. Explanation on how the approach is aligned with the Access Strategy, how to monitor and
evaluate and what are the risks

Detailed budget
1. Please use the current ACCESS budget template (which is attached)
2. Budget for each pilot should include a percentage allocation of the central level budget
(e.g. Yangon headquarters).

3We expect these pilots to be most relevant for IPs working on MNCH integrated grants and on
SRHR. However if other IPs are interested in these pilots, they are welcome to contact the FMO.

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Duration of the pilot: 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020, with lessons drawn from the pilot
after Q3 2020.

Timeline: First submission of the narrative proposal and budget template by 30 September 2019
(together with the Blueprint) to respective grant focal staff of FMO

Next steps: The FMO will review the narrative and budget. The approved budget will be reflected
in upcoming budget revision (which is to be done in the last quarter of 2019).

5. Overall timeline

We would be grateful for a first draft of the Blueprint (together with the description of Pilots when
relevant) by 30 September 2019. Please share the documents with your respective grant focal
staff at the FMO. We will aim to finalize this exercise by 15 October 2019 in close consultation
with IPs. A tentative list of townships for 2021-2023 programming will be submitted to the Board
at its last meeting in 2019, and the FMO will strive to communicate a final list of townships to IPs
as early as possible in 2020 - to provide sufficient time for preparations and transition.

Thank you for your collaboration. Please do not hesitate to get back to us with any question.

Best,

FMO Team