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Launch of COVID-19 Adaptation Fund

COVID-19 has increased the need for support from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to aid at-risk populations against the extreme social and economic impact of the pandemic. In response to this situation, GDI, Instiglio, and a donor have launched the COVID-19 Adaptation Fund in Rwanda and Kenya.

From approximately October 2020 to April 2021, this initiative will support nine high-performing NGOs in Rwanda and Kenya to innovate and adapt their programs and operations, evolving from “business as usual” to effectively support their beneficiaries. The innovations will be implemented across a range of sectors (e.g. agriculture, social protection, enterprise development), populations (e.g. women, youth, refugees), and geographies in Rwanda and Kenya. At the end of the implementation period, awardees will have rolled out and tested their innovations, and built capacity to learn how best to effectively adapt and continue service during times of a public health shock to reach vulnerable populations.

An extensive learning agenda will be conducted during the implementation, and a final report will be released and shared with stakeholders. The report will present the lessons learned, with the objective of identifying scalable and replicable innovations, enabling factors, and challenges. This will aim to inform government, donor, and NGO decisions on the design of programs and services, both for the current COVID-19 environment and future applications beyond this context.