COVID-19 EPIDEMIC RESPONSE

The collapsed economic system in Yemen - the role of Extrapharma in coordination with local partners from international non-governmental organizations and governmental authorities to mitigate the serious negative effects resulting from the outbreak of the emerging corona virus COVID-19

Prioritizing the health and well-being of our healthcare community Supporting our customers to support those on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic

We, at Extrapharma, have responded to the rapidly changing COVID-19 outbreak by providing supplies where they are needed the most. All over the country, we are working with healthcare professionals in governmental medical authorities and international non-governmental organizations to help them provide critical products for the people who are affected from the critical spreading pandemic.

We, at Extrapharma, have taken a response to all requests from the INGO’s as a part of our society commitment to confront Covid-19 epidemic.

Extrapharma is committed to supporting the public health and government response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we understand that the high demand for PPE and limitations of sources, therefore it is imperative that we have to provide the medical products to the medical authorities who are responsible for protection of the medical staff, “ the first line of defense to confront the virus”, by providing high-quality products to the health authorities in an organized manner and working with our representatives for raising awareness among our customers about how to use these products and avoiding its random use, which will lead to scarcity of resources and lack of benefit.

With our message:
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is a top priority.
Every day you put yourself at risk to care for your patients.

From the first day of the outbreak of the epidemic,
Extrapharma has endeavored with all its efforts to meet the demands of its customers and coordinate with the international manufacturers that are represented by Extrapharma in Yemen like 3M HealthCare company to provide protection products and medical supplies. Due to the resulting damage, we want to provide our customers with access to resources that can help solve some of these needs during this challenging times.

ECONOMIC IMPACT :

Yemen’s economic, social, and institutional fabric has been eroding since the conflict escalated in March 2015. In addition to physical destruction of infrastructure, the conflict and the associated deterioration in conditions have deepened the economic crisis and further worsened living conditions in the country. More than half of the Republic of Yemen’s population of about 28 million lives in areas directly affected by the conflict. About 80 percent of the population live in poverty and require humanitarian assistance and protection to save or sustain their livelihood. Children are among the most vulnerable groups and are disproportionately affected by the conflict, suffering from severe protection risks, a nutrition crisis, and interrupted schooling. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reports that at least two million children are out of school and 4.7 million children need assistance to ensure continuation of their education. In addition, children comprise about a third of 3.3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), who are also in acute need.

The Yemeni economy is facing an extraordinary fiscal challenge. Since the conflict erupted, the economy has contracted by approximately 50 percent. Around 25 percent of businesses in the country have closed, and over 51 percent have decreased in size and scaled down operations, reducing employment and income opportunities. Exchange rate volatility and an unprecedented depreciation of the Yemeni Rial (YER) has undermined households’ purchasing power. Average food prices in 2018 were 150 per cent higher than before the conflict. The fiscal deficit has led to major gaps in the operational budget of basic services, including civil servant salaries. About 1.25 million civil servants have gone unpaid or received only intermittent salary payments since 2015. Education is the most severely hit with teachers and education officials comprising the largest proportion of the estimated workforce. In 2019, the government prepared a new budget to improve fiscal management; however, the credibility of the approved budget is uncertain, as execution has been lagging and revenue projections were optimistic.

Public institutions have struggled to deliver essential services. Five years into the crisis, conflict and severe economic decline are driving the country to the brink of famine and exacerbating needs in all sectors. Two-thirds of all districts across the country are pre-famine and one-third faces a convergence of multiple acute vulnerabilities. Yemen is also grappling with outbreaks of cholera. With only 50 percent of health facilities fully functional, 16.4 million people in Yemen require assistance to ensure adequate access to healthcare.

The outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) poses unique risks in Yemen, given the high Vulnerability among the population. The first COVID-19 case in Yemen was confirmed on 10 April 2020. In mid-November 2020, 2072 COVID-19 cases were reported, and 604 deaths. The numbers of reported cases show a decline from August and July. Health partners remain concerned that under-reporting continues for various reasons and that the official epi-curve underestimates the extent of COVID-19 in Yemen. COVID-19, while being a health emergency, is also an education emergency with risks of long-lasting impacts on children’s safety and wellbeing.

Protecting and building human capital is arguably one of the most important sources of resilience, and the cost of inaction in supporting education in Yemen is immense. The fragile country context presents immense challenges to the continuity and quality of education service delivery and jeopardizes the future trajectories of an entire generation. Given the critical importance of human capital for development and economic growth as well as for the sustainability of any current and future reconstruction and peace-building efforts, World Bank re-engagement in the education sector is vital. By providing much-needed financial and technical support to Yemeni students, teachers, and schools, the Project is expected to have a positive and lasting impact on learning. Addressing the delivery of basic education services now is critical to arrest the depletion of human capital.

The value-added of World Bank support in the education sector is multidimensional. In addition to much-needed financial resources, which represent the largest single project in the sector, the World Bank has convened several major development partners around this anchor project that fits squarely within the humanitarian-development nexus. With the Global Partnership for Education, the project will finance a package of evidence-based interventions coordinated at the school level and will periodically track the acquisition of foundational skills, which is a key outcome for future learning and skills development. The World Bank brings deep technical and operational expertise to the sector, drawing on unique analytical work and operations from across the institution including Poverty, Fragility, Conflict & Violence, Governance, and Sustainable Development.

Sectoral and Institutional Context

Pre-conflict education indicators pointed to an improving but still fragile sector in terms of access, quality, and equity. Yemen had made progress in expanding access to basic education but had not met the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling by 2015. The net enrollment ratio (NER) in primary education for girls increased from 58.8 percent in 2003 to approximately 78.7 percent in 2013. The NER in primary education in the same time period increased from 83.5 to 92.3 for boys. Completion rates, however, remained low, with only 70 percent of those entering grade 1 completing primary education (71.8 for boys and 66.7 for girls). The 2013 NER in lower-secondary school was 47.6 percent for boys and 40.9 percent for girls, indicating a low transition rate from primary to secondary education. In 2011, the adult literacy rate was 80 percent for males and 45 percent for females, but among youth aged 15-24, these rates were 96 and 72 respectively.

Girls are more likely to miss out on education, with 36 percent out of school compared to 24 per cent of boys. Families prioritizing boys’ education over girls, insecurity, lack of female teachers and long distances of schools from home are factors that prevent girls going to school (HNO/YHRP, 2019). The lack of female teachers in rural areas negatively impacts girls’ education and presents a barrier to girls’ enrollment in schools. Women account for 8 percent of teachers in rural areas compared to 46 percent in urban areas. In addition, the lack of separated toilet and WASH facilities are reported to be a major cause of gender-based violence and of girls dropping out of school. Girls who are out of school face higher risks of child marriage and domestic violence. 32 percent of women (20-24 years) in Yemen were married by age 18 and this has likely increased since the onset of the conflict. There is strong evidence demonstrating that schooling is a critical deterrent to child marriage.

Pre-crisis learning outcomes were extremely low and are likely to have worsened. An Early Grade Reading Assessment conducted in 2011 showed that students had not acquired the basic building blocks for reading, and few students could read with sufficient fluency to enable them to comprehend text. In international learning assessments, Yemeni Grade 4 students ranked the lowest among MENA countries participating in the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007. Over 90 percent of Yemeni students did not reach the low benchmark for mathematics and science. Based on pre-conflict data, the World Bank Human Capital Index 2020 shows that a child born in Yemen today will be 37 percent as productive when s/he grows up as s/he could be if s/he completed her education and achieved full health. The Yemeni child who starts school at age 4 can expect to complete 8.1 years of school by her 18th birthday (8.8 for boys vs. 7.4 for girls). In addition, learning poverty is very high: 95 percent of Yemeni children at age 10 were not able to read and understand a short, age-appropriate text.

The crisis has had a negative impact on education service delivery at all levels. It is estimated that of the at least 2 million out of school children, 400,000-500,000 is due to the conflict. In conflict affected areas, girls are at higher risk of losing access to basic or transitioning to secondary education. Education outcomes are likely to worsen due to severe malnutrition. In addition, 870,000 IDP children face particular challenges in accessing education.

A third of all education facilities have been partially damaged or destroyed. The Dynamic Needs Assessment Phase 3 (2020) revealed that 26 percent of all assessed education facilities (over 1300) in 16 cities have been partially damaged while less than 4 percent were fully destroyed. For example, in the city of Taiz, about 73 percent of the education infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, while it is 8 percent in Dhamar and Rada’a (see figure 2a in Annex 1). In addition to damage and destruction, school buildings are being used by armed groups (24 schools) and for hosting IDPs (143 schools), rendering them inoperative (see figure 2b in Annex 1). Unsafe educational facilities and routes to schools are a major concern for families resulting in considerable dropout of both girls and boys.

In areas where schools are operational, there is a severe lack of necessary inputs such as textbooks, desks and chairs, and sanitation facilities. Even when students can attend school, textbooks, teaching/learning materials, and classroom furniture such as desks and chairs are not available. Operational schools are overcrowded with class sizes reaching more than 100 in some cases, indicating a high demand for education. A survey conducted by the MOE in 2014 revealed that 47 percent of schools in Yemen did not have adequate WASH facilities. There was an average of 299 students/toilet, which is 11 times higher than the norm. The situation has likely deteriorated since the onset of the conflict. WASH facilities are often insufficient for the large school populations and do not accommodate girls’ WASH needs.

The suspension of teacher salaries poses the biggest challenge to continuity in education service delivery. The discontinuation of teachers’ salaries in 13 out of 22 governorates since October 2016, representing 73 percent of the teachers in the country, has severely disrupted education service delivery in subsequent school years. School disruption affected an estimated 3.7 million students. Payment of teacher salaries has to some extent resumed and since 2019, a subset of teachers and school-based staff receives a monthly cash-based incentive of 50 USD (financed by UNICEF) in 11 governorates. In addition, UNICEF has supported incentives for temporary teachers in parts of the country and is providing a monthly salary and training allowance to 2300 rural female teachers (145 USD/month).

Textbooks are in scarce supply. The fiscal crisis has prevented the government from printing textbooks since 2015. The government has prioritized the printing of textbooks for the first four years of primary school only.

According to a forthcoming World Bank study, between 20 – 50 percent of households with school-aged children (ages 5-15) did not have all children regularly attending school (Figure 1), and this varies widely by governorate. On average, school attendance is lower in the north of the country. Non-attendance is found to be associated with deprivations in all other welfare dimensions, and especially food deprivation. Qualitative phone interviews were conducted with local district officials , who reported challenges with non-functional school buildings, unqualified teachers, teacher absence, lack of salaries, the lack of learning materials, and the lack of equipment. Of these problems, the lack of teacher payments and the lack of learning materials were identified as large problems in approximately half of districts interviewed.

Figure 1.  Share of Households with not All Children Regularly Attending School

In addition to damage to the physical infrastructure, teachers and students are experiencing psychosocial distress due to trauma, a lack of stability, and increased vulnerability to a range of hazards including those induced by climate change. Exposure of children to violence and trauma as well as food insecurity and natural disaster, disrupts their growth, their ability to learn, and their ability to develop critical socio-emotional skills. Prolonged and severe stress and absence of stable, nurturing care can flood the brain with dangerously high levels of stress hormones, resulting in “toxic stress”. This can permanently damage the biological and neurological systems, causing poor physical and mental health, as well as lasting cognitive deficits. Evidence shows that, by promoting students’ emotional health and well-being, social and emotional learning programs have a positive impact on child development and learning in emergency settings. Indeed, receiving an education in a supportive environment builds children’s intellectual and emotional competencies, provides social support through interactions with peers and educators, and strengthens children’s sense of control and self-worth.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that some communities have been able to respond to ensure continuity. In some cases, Father’s and Mother’s Councils and other community groups have pooled resources to pay teachers. Others have been able to fundraise from the private sector to keep the school operational. In general, a community-based approach and engagement of non-state actors in service delivery (e.g. non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community based organizations (CBOs) and private sector) promotes resilience due to perceived political neutrality, objective decision-making processes, accountability to local community, credibility of the administrative systems and donor funding.

The completion and endorsement of the Transitional Education Plan 2019/2020-2021/2022 (TEP) in August 2019 represents a significant achievement in the education sector. Prepared collaboratively and owned by the Yemeni authorities, the TEP was appraised and officially endorsed by the Local Education Group (LEG). Government commitment to the process was strong, even during periods of turbulence and uncertainty. The plan aims to: (i) improve safe equitable access to education, (ii) improve teaching and learning, (iii) rehabilitate educational infrastructure and provide of equipment and (iv) strengthen institutional capacities. The proposed project is aligned with the TEP, focusing on identified priority programs.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, all schools in Yemen were closed on 19 March 2020. COVID-19 while being a health emergency, is also an education and overall learning emergency with risks of long-lasting impact on children’s safety and wellbeing. The school year for basic education was launched on 4 October in southern Yemen. Schools are reopening with strict prevention measures, including social or physical distancing, disinfection, regular sanitizing and handwashing. The Ministry of Education in Aden started its school year on October 4th, while the Ministry of Education in Sana’a started its school year on October 17th.

A COVID-19 Response Plan was developed to respond to newly arising challenges in the education sector. More specifically, the Response Plan includes (i) a minimum immediate response package targeting female and male students and teachers at the outset of the emergency; (ii) preparation and the start of the new school year 2020-2021 including catch-up classes, and (iii) further expansion of learning at scale in the mid- and long-term for COVID-19 affected children. The Response Plan is articulated around four key modalities: self-education (home-based learning), e-learning, micro education group, and re-opening of schools with high prevention measures. The GPE has awarded US$11 million to the Islamic Development Bank to support the implementation of the COVID-19 response plan

Bank's previous investments in the education sector. Previous World Bank support to education includes a series of projects for basic and secondary education since the early 2000s, the most recent of which was closed in 2015. IDA investments were used to construct hundreds of schools and rehabilitate classrooms, increase girls’ enrollment through conditional cash transfer and the recruitment and training of rural female teachers, train teachers and schools staff,  provide conditional cash transfers for girls’ education, provide school material kits, supported reading skills through the development of a framework for Arabic, supported Fathers' and Mothers' Councils, and built capacity within implementing entities, including the Public Works Project (PWP) and several departments in the Ministry of Education. Within the Ministry of Education, projects were mainly implemented through the Project Administration Unit, which exercised fiduciary and administrative control over the project. Since 2004, the unstable security situation has challenged project implementation. Despite these challenges, government ownership of the past IDA project interventions has been strong, and some activities, such as the rural female teacher program, have been sustained through other donor support in the absence of World Bank support.  Other successful activities, such as the curricular framework for Arabic language, printing of textbooks for grade 1, and the provision of training for the early reading program, have been interrupted, although the government has on numerous occasions requested their resumption.

Proposed Development Objective(s)

Development Objective(s) (From PAD)
The project development objective is to maintain access to basic education, improve conditions for learning and strengthen education sector capacity in selected districts.

Key Results

• The proposed PDO-level results indicators are:
• Number of students enrolled in grades 1, 2 and 3 (combined), by gender.
• Transition rate from grade 3 to 4, by gender
• Number of students benefitting from direct project interventions to enhance learning, by gender
• Number of schools that administer at least one grade-level learning assessment during a school year
• Number of schools reporting aggregate school-level indicators to district level

Project Description

Given the volatility of the security situation, the heterogeneity of education challenges, and the weakened capacity of the Government, the project design is based on the principles of flexibility, innovation, and strengthening local capacities to ensure that education services reach school-aged children in target areas. In addition to sustaining access to education, children’s learning is at the heart of the proposed operation. The proposed interventions will be implemented over three school years.

Component 1: Priority interventions to sustain access and ensure learning (US$122.7 million, including US$ 35.1 million from GPE funding) 

Under this component, the project will finance a school package, i.e. activities that will ensure a minimum functioning of a target school by ensuring that four key elements available: (i) Support to teachers; (ii) School feeding; (iii) Learning materials, and (iv) Rehabilitation of school infrastructure in target schools. The objective of this component is to provide children in the target schools access to adequate and safe learning spaces and thus to sustain access and support learning at basic education level.

Sub-component 1.1. Support to teachers (US$38.2 million, including US$ 21.7 million from GPE funding): The proposed project will finance support to teachers to ensure quality teaching and learning in the classroom. Teachers will be trained in (i) early grade instruction of numeracy and literacy as well as and pedagogical skills, (ii) psycho-social support, and (iii) learning assessment. The proposed project will further support teachers with performance-based cash transfers (monthly 50 USD equivalent). Cash transfers will be provided conditional to regular teacher attendance (at least 75 percent). The proposed project will particularly target rural female teachers with incentive payments (monthly 145 USD) and support the hiring of contractual teachers in schools with a demonstrated teacher shortage. A simple learning assessment will be conducted in target schools as part of this activity. This assessment will serve multiple purposes, including providing teachers with independent evaluation of student progress in learning. It will also serve to inform project monitoring purposes.
This sub-component is in line with TEP priorities 1.3 Improving school safety and security (providing psycho-social support); 1.7 Contracting rural female teachers; and 2.1 Providing teacher training (grades 1-3) on literacy and numeracy skills.

Sub-component 1.2. School feeding (US$42.7 million): The second activity aims to provide school feeding in targeted areas with the objective to mitigate against food insecurity and malnutrition among children and thus increase their learning capacities. School feeding would also provide direct incentives for children to enroll and remain in formal schooling. School feeding includes school snacks (date bars, high-energy biscuits) as well as locally-produced warm meals through the provision of healthy school kitchens in a subset of target schools. The school kitchens program has several positive externalities with 75 percent of recruited staff being women who receive salaries, regular medical check-ups and training sessions on e.g. hygiene practices.This sub-component is in line with TEP priority 1.6 Learners at KG, basic and secondary education levels receive healthy feeding and/or take-home rations.

Sub-component 1.3. Distribution of learning materials and school supplies (US$23.3 million, including US$ 10.5 million from GPE funding): This activity includes the distribution of high-quality instructional materials. Literacy and numeracy skills textbooks and teacher guides for grade 1 are available and need to be printed. For grades 2-3, the materials will be developed under the proposed project. The use of educational technology to promote literacy will be piloted in select schools where possible. In addition, schools will be equipped with the necessary basic school supplies for both teachers and students, such as notebooks, pencils, erasers and scissors, etc.
This sub-component is in line with TEP priorities 2.5 Printing and distributing school textbooks; 2.7 Completing the reading book approach for basic second grade; and 2.8 Writing the reading book approach for basic third grade.

Sub-component 1.4. School infrastructure improvements (US$18.5 million, including US$ 2.9 million from GPE funding): This activity aims at improving school infrastructure needed for an inclusive and accessible school environment. Prior to implementing this activity, a school-specific needs assessment will be conducted. As determined by school-specific needs eligible school infrastructure improvements can include rehabilitating WASH facilities (water points, sewage system and gender-segregated latrines to encourage girls’ enrollment and attendance ), minor classroom repairs, boundary walls, procurement of school furniture such as chairs and tables, procurement of materials to adapt to climate change impacts or natural disaster (such as flooding or drought), setting up temporary learning spaces and similar interventions. To ensure sustainability of previous investments, this subcomponent will also finance the maintenance of solar panels in 232 schools.
This sub-component is in line with TEP priorities 1.4 Promoting health and hygiene; and 3.1 Rehabilitating partially damaged schools and educational institutions, conducting minor school maintenance and setting up temporary classrooms.

Component 2: Strengthening local capacity and system resilience (US$11.4 million, financed fully by GPE funding)

Sub-component 2.1: National alternative learning (US$2.6 million): This sub-component aims to deliver remote alternative learning to basic education school-age children in the targeted governorates, when their schools close or are interrupted either due to COVID-19 or other reasons such as ongoing conflict, insecurity, or extreme weather events/natural disasters. A task force within the Ministry of Education to oversee the delivery of national alternative learning programs has already been established and will be reinforced to include female representation in order to ensure gender diversity in decision-making. The project will finance the setup of a foundation for a multi-modal alternative learning program for grades 1-9, based on the findings from the Joint Education Needs Assessment (JENA) , currently being undertaken. The main activities under this component would include the development and/or rollout of alternative learning programs, ensuring an equal distribution among female and male students, with the teachers playing a vital role with the identification and refinement of content for remote education delivery; and the provision of remote pedagogical assistance. These programs could be in the form of e-learning programs, and/or self-education home based material. This sub-component could also scale up the use of local education technologies to complement learning of schools in target districts.
This sub-component is in line with TEP priorities 1.8 Supporting alternative learning and COVID-19 Ministry of Education National Response Plan.

Sub-component 2.2: Strengthening local capacity for managing education (US$8.8 million, financed fully by GPE funding): The objective of this sub-component is to strengthen: (i) education management capacity, including strengthening of EMIS, at the MOE (including the PIU) and target governorates and districts to effectively address key education challenges; and (ii) basic schools’ capacity to implement and coordinate education activities in a more effective and efficient manner. This seeks to build resilience and capacity to be ready for recovery. Building on the high degree of resilience of local communities in the country, this subcomponent includes reinforcing the involvement of the communities and parents in engaging in education, with the objective to feed into a more robust development program, potentially in a second phase of the proposed project. This is expected to strengthen the provision of education services that respond to needs of each school and social accountability. This subcomponent will finance: (a) training for education officers at the MOE and education offices in target governorates and districts, school principals and administrators, as well as educational and pedagogic supervisors; (b) a comprehensive education management capacity assessment at the MOE and target governorates and districts; and (c) basic equipment, where needed.
This sub-component is in line with TEP priorities 1.1. Promoting community participation; 1.2 Forming and training school development teams, 2.4 Ensuring educational supervision visits in remote areas; and 4.2 Providing training and building education management capacities, with a focus on management of education in emergencies.

Component 3: Project Support, Management, Evaluation and Administration (US$18.6 million, including US$ 6.2 from GPE funding)

Component 3 will cover the cost of the implementing agencies associated with project management, such as implementation support, financial management, environmental and social aspects, and overall monitoring and evaluation (M&E) to ensure a smooth and satisfactory project implementation. The component will also finance Third-Party Monitoring (TPM), with terms of reference satisfactory to IDA, and the establishment and maintenance of grievance mechanisms (GRM) as needed.

Component 4: Contingent Emergency Response (US$0)

The objective of this component is to improve the country’s response capacity in the event of an emergency, following the procedures governed by paragraph 12, Section III of the Bank Policy, Investment Project Financing. There is a possibility that, during project implementation, a natural disaster, epidemic or another emergency may occur, which would cause a major adverse economic and/or social impact. In anticipation of such an event, the Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC) allows the implementing agency to receive support by reallocating funds from other project components or serving as a conduit to process additional financing from other funding sources for eligible emergencies to mitigate, respond to and recover from the potential harmful consequences arising from the emergency. Disbursements under this subcomponent will be subject to the declaration of emergency by Yemen, the international community, or the UN.

The environmental risks and impacts of this project are rated ‘Moderate’ given the nature and small scale of the proposed rehabilitating works consisting in the upgrading of existing WASH facilities in schools under component 1. Environmental risks and impacts expected under this project may include: noise, dust, solid waste generation, as well as workers safety including occupational health and safety. The environmental risks and impacts are expected to be site-specific, reversible, and of low magnitude that can be mitigated following appropriate measures. To mitigate potential environmental risks and impacts, site-specific Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMPs) will be prepared and will include E&S mitigation measures for contractors.

The project will have significant positive social impacts in the education sector in Yemen. It will help address the immediate gaps and needs of the education service, restore and help sustain children’s access to education in the targeted areas, and strengthen education management capacity in Yemen. Project interventions will contribute to the recovery, reconstruction and long-term peace building efforts in the country.

Project interventions, however, may carry substantial social risks related to exclusion of eligible population from project benefits, risks of SEA/SH, labor issues – including risks of child and forced labor, possible tension and conflicts among beneficiary communities and districts, and possible corruption and elite capture of the cash payment incentives. Possible factors of exclusion and vulnerability could be due to gender, social and economic status. Non-transparency of cash payment process, inadequate disclosure of project information related to assistance schemes and their implementation arrangement could lead to tensions and even conflict among the beneficiaries, local communities and even districts or potential supplier contractors. Students, female teachers, and project female staff could also face SEA/SH issues, including vulnerability of students to sexual abuse/harassment in return for school feeding and supply of materials. There are also potential safety risks for students and teachers if the route to school is unsafe. Based on the above, the social risk rating of the project is recommended as substantial. COVID-19 and other communicable diseases are other potential risks associated with community health and safety.

The project is expected to have only minor impacts due to rehabilitation works for WASH facilities in schools. No land acquisition or resettlement is planned.

Implementation

The project will be implemented by several implementing agencies based on demonstrated capacities from ongoing activities in Yemen and global expertise. The proposed direct implementing partners of the project are UNICEF, WFP and Save the Children. The WFP will be implementing the school feeding activities. Save the Children will be implementing the activities related to teacher training, development of learning materials and learning assessments, while UNICEF will be responsible for the school rehabilitations as well as performance-based teacher incentives. Partnering with these agencies allows the Bank to leverage in-country capacity, technical expertise, and relationships with various stakeholders. The partnership also allows the Bank to seek synergies with other education projects and build on ongoing education activity and make a greater impact.

PWP is a key institution for poverty reduction and social and economic development in Yemen, with extensive experience in multiple sectors. School rehabilitation is a significant part of PWP’s activities. The PWP will be a key local partner in implementing the school rehabilitation activity. UNICEF will provide technical guidance as required and monitor and supervise its implementation.

UNICEF, WFP and Save the Children have well-established institutional and implementation mechanisms for delivering project activities in Yemen. Implementing partners will also closely work with the GPE-financed project implementation units (PIU) in both Sana’a and Aden, who play a key role in coordinating and liaising between education authorities and implementing partners.

UNICEF, WFP and Save the Children will each have a team in place that will oversee the day-to-day management of the project, including fiduciary, environmental and social aspects, as well as monitoring and reporting. UNICEF estimates 12 staff will work directly on the project, in addition to 20-25 UNICEF staff indirectly supporting the project (communications, partnerships, monitoring, construction, supply, operations). WFP estimates to involve 14 WFP staff directly and between 70-100 supply workers (cooks, kitchen cleaners, school level cleaners, maintenance, sensitization staff, logistics support staff etc. etc.). Save the Children estimate to involve 10 direct staff on the project, in addition to 55 indirect staff.

Implementing Partners Coordination. The three selected implementing partners are currently working in Yemen and exchanging information as part of their participation in partner meetings. In the context of the project, partners have agreed to set up a more formal coordination committee for increased efficiency and ensure efficacy. This committee will hold meetings on a regular basis to secure maximum synchronization of their activities, evaluate progress, address bottlenecks and consolidate annual work plans. Frequency of meetings, attendance, communication tools, etc. will be developed in the Project Operational Manual (POM) under preparation. Particularly, the collection of and reporting on indicators (including methodology, tools, devices, etc.) to inform the result framework and progress on implementation will be discussed and agreed among implementing partners with the support of the Bank. It is anticipated that UNICEF will take a leading role in coordination of the implementing partners.

Third Party Monitoring (TPM). As indicated above, a TPM firm with proven international experience in similar countries will be recruited based on TORs acceptable to the Bank. TORs will be part of the POM. The TPM will evaluate, inter alia, activities on the ground, progress, technical quality and existence of outputs and achievement of impact. The TPM will produce periodic reports to be sent simultaneously to the implementing partners and the Bank.

Project Operational Manual (POM). A detailed POM will be prepared for all project components within two (2) months of effectiveness. The POM will be subject to the World Bank’s no objection. The POM will detail the role and responsibilities of implementing partners (organization chart and matrix of responsibilities), implementing processes, roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders and coordination mechanisms. The POM will be regularly updated in order to reflect changes in the operating environment that have an impact on project implementation. Given the fluid situation in Yemen, flexibility in project implementation is key.

Implementation supervision with (virtual) missions and regular communication is key. Issues related to technical aspects, implementation, fiduciary, M&E and safeguards, etc. will be an essential part of missions. Missions should also review the progress and challenges faced on the procurement plan, the latest TPM report findings, etc. Missions will focus on both project results and the manner in which the project is implemented. Mission frequency will be as appropriate with likely more missions taking place at the beginning of the project. Additional follow-up meetings on more specific project issues will be held as needed.

Implementing partners will prepare budgeted Annual Work Plans (AWP) at the beginning of each year of implementation (with quarterly updates) and a detailed procurement plan (in agreement with the World Bank). This budgeted AWP will highlight the activities to be implemented during the year by component and sub-component with intended results, timeline, budgets and procurement methods. It will also identify issues / implementation bottlenecks and relevant remedial actions and outline key responsibilities. In the context of COVID 19 and virtual missions (video/audio), the budgeted Annual Work Plan will be the common interface of communication between Implementing partners and the Bank to monitor, on a regular basis,