What the USAID-funded Tahfeez Project Achieved in Fiscal Year 2023

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The USAID-funded DCEO/Tahfeez project implemented by Chemonics International, works together with vulnerable communities, victims of conflict, private enterprises, and business associations to cultivate community cohesion and enhance private sector competitiveness. The purpose of DCEO/Tahfeez is to support Iraqis in building resilient, adaptive communities and to advance economic well-being in Iraq by addressing underlying drivers of conflict, increasing community leadership of inclusive local development, improving private sector networks, and enhancing micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) competitiveness.

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The project delivers assistance through two complementary workstreams: Durable Communities and Economic Opportunities. Activities under the Marla Ruzicka Iraqi War Victims Fund are woven into both workstreams, tailoring assistance to innocent Iraqis who have suffered harm as a result of coalition, Iraqi Security Forces, or terrorist violence.

What we achieved in FY'23

As in previous years, DCEO/Tahfeez operates with a flexible core management team both programmatically and operationally. Evidenced by recent Middle East regional heightened security concerns and a re-emergence of political instability, DCEO/Tahfeez is conscious that Iraq’s operating environment possesses changes that are swift, multiple, and dramatic. Thus, through FY’23, DCEO/Tahfeez maintained a nimble, responsive operating posture with staff embedded in communities.

To achieve its outcomes, DCEO/Tahfeez uses a blend of assistance and acquisition mechanisms. In FY’22, it identified and addressed bottlenecks to allow streamlined, effective, and timely delivery in order to achieve ambitious FY’23 performance targets. In FY’23, DCEO/Tahfeez addressed a force majeure caused by the U.S. Congressional debt ceiling crisis, which hit DECO/Tahfeez economically hard. Yet, while staying vigilant about security, safety, and an intensive political landscape both in Iraq and the USA, this particular debt ceiling crisis forced the project into unexpected administrative, management, and staffing decisions and a pause on activities for several months. Despite the pivots, DCEO/Tahfeez progressed towards its performance targets.

The management model is based on performance, accountability, action, and results, which are oriented toward sustainability. The pivots in strategy yielded robust achievements in FY’23. The team stayed on track to achieve key implementation goals, as illustrated by the graphs at right. Perhaps most illustrative is the number of jobs created, which stood at 5 in FY’21, reached 1,694 in FY’22, and totaled 6,529 in FY’23, exceeding the life of the project (LOP) target. In a similar vein, the number of groups/initiatives created dedicated to resolving the conflict stood at two in FY’21, increased to 15 in FY’22, and reached 60 in FY’23, bringing the project on pace with the five-year LOP target.

Building on FY’22 success in tackling community and business issues from both the demand and supply ends and adding scaled impact with a sectoral locus moved DCEO/Tahfeez forward in spite of outside political pressures. Consistent momentum, assimilating adaptations, multiplying results, and an integrated approach between task orders allowed DCEO/Tahfeez to perform at flagship status.??

In FY’23, DECO/Tahfeez deepened its knowledge of working in a heightened, integrated manner. This increased our success and ability to tackle community and private sector issues from both demand and supply ends. Whether a community solution or client growth plan, integrated interventions increased project performance toward specified targets. DCEO/Tahfeez will continue to deliver results into FY’24 within the framework of our internal mission: Performance through accountability, Sustainable solutions, and Results-driven action toward community sustainability.

Economic Opportunities

The Economic Opportunities workstream will continue to engage with the private sector through its firm-level assistance approach but will focus on improving business performance rather than job creation. Under its entrepreneurship support, it will focus more on developing micro-enterprises through enterprise development training and relevant support. A new addition will be support to microfinance institutes so that they can improve their outreach and provide loans to traditionally un-bankable individuals or micro-enterprises. Support for Business Associations and Chambers will continue. Under investment facilitation, we will focus on a diversified portfolio of clients ranging from the financial sector to early tech start-ups ranging from $1-$40 million.

Durable Communities

In FY’24, Durable Communities will complete all ongoing assistance to the twelve communities it has supported since FY’21 when the task order began. The workstream expects to complete approximately twenty-five activities that target conflict drivers identified by communities, which include intra-community divisions as a legacy of recent conflict and urban migration, increasing competition over public services and job opportunities. In addition, Durable Communities will continue to provide training and mentorship to emerging leaders to cultivate sustainable community ownership and promote diverse stakeholders to advocate on behalf of their communities in FY’24 and beyond.

Author's bio:

Susanne E. Jalbert, Ph.D., is the Chief of Party of a project funded by the United States Agency of International Development (USAID) in Iraq titled: Durable Communities and Economic Opportunities (aka DCEO/Tahfeez).?DCEO/Tahfeez is implemented by?Chemonics International .?She is a gender equity advocate, economic development activist, and a women’s rights political strategist with over 25 years of experience on 90+ assignments with 35+ USAID implementers in more than 50 countries on 4 continents.?

In Afghanistan 2018-2020, she served as the Chief of Party for USAID-Afghanistan Promote Women in Government program. She also served as Chief of Party for the USAID-Moldova Anti-Trafficking Initiative and conducted ground-breaking research to counter human trafficking.?Additionally, in Iraq, she served in 2004 as Chief of Party for USAID Private Sector Development Initiative and as Business Services Development Director for both USAID-funded Izdihar and Tijara projects from 2006 to 2010.?Dr. Jalbert holds a master’s and Ph.D. in education and human resources from Colorado State University and a B.A. in management from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California.