TO: ALL PARTNERS OF STAR GHANA FOUNDATION
Dear Partner,
STAR Ghana Foundation Updates to Partners on COVID-19
As you may be aware, the Government of Ghana has put in place progressively restrictive measures in the light of the COVID 19 pandemic. These restrictions are to limit the spread of the disease in Ghana and provide more time for a collaborative response. Whilst these restrictions are timely and welcome, they invariably have had far-reaching consequences on programme and project implementation timelines and expected outcomes. The Governing Council and Management of the STAR Ghana Foundation wish to update you on processes that have been put in place to respond to the government’s directives within the context of our partnership and work.
Staff Health and safety:
With effect from Monday 16th March, all staff of both the STAR Ghana foundation and STAR-Ghana programme have been working from home. Restrictions were relaxed for staff to work from the office on a shift basis. Key staff members are still available during normal working hours for support and information. They can be reached via their emails and their phone numbers. For further corporate information, kindly contact the following emergency numbers - 0209418556 and 0263010964 during working hours.
Call and Partner Project Management
All partner projects that have closed as at 28th February 2020 will remain closed. Ongoing project closeout processes will continue virtually. The M&E team and Finance teams have contacted individual partners to share online processes and timelines for project closeouts and follow up. We note the challenges partners have with sending files via dispatch riders. WE will continue to find innovative means to support the virtual process adopted.
All partner projects that have received project extensions up to 31st March will be re-evaluated with the possibility of a further one-month no-cost extension, i.e., up to 30th April 2020. Projects with further end dates, i.e., May 2020, must re-evaluate their activities in the light of the COVID pandemic and be realistic as to what is possible to be done within this period. We request that partners be innovative in planning activities that can still take place during these times. This may include holding online meetings and implementing all the safety protocols around face-to-face meetings. All activities should be reviewed with a focus on identifying those that are absolutely necessary for a good closure of the projects.
All other projects e.g. Elections Call partners, who have projects extending beyond May 2020 and under the STAR Ghana Foundation, will have their outward-facing activities and events put on hold for the month of April. We encourage partners to only focus on internal and planning activities such as website development, research, write-ups and publications, which do not involve public engagements. All Election 2020 projects to be re-evaluated by end of April to include a focus on COVID-19 response.
We are aware that the current policy environment is not conducive to election-related work, as political parties and the EC have put a hold on campaigns and ongoing elections processes. The general priority now is on fighting the COVID -19 Pandemic. We, as civil society, must be conscious of the current situation in implementing our project so that we are not seen as callous and uncaring of current trends. Our Grants Team will get in touch with further directives.
STAR Ghana Programme closeout
As per the contractual agreement between DFID and Christian Aid, the STAR Ghana programme’s closeout timeline of September 2020 remains unchanged. All agreed closeout activities have been re-evaluated in light of the ongoing restrictions. Call evaluation consultants have been recruited and will begin work on final Call level evaluations for the Anti-Corruption, Local Governance and GESI Calls. This work will be mostly online and based on reports partners have shared during project implementation timelines. Evaluators may get in contact with partners for further information via email or phone. We will update you on the final evaluators. Other key closeout activities such as thematic learning events have been suspended and will be re-evaluated on a regular basis.
COVID-19 Response
The STAR Ghana Foundation, in discussions with DFID, have agreed to reallocate a significant portion of grant budget underspends to a COVID Response Programme. The programme will focus on coordinating civil society responses to the pandemic with a focus on ensuring the most vulnerable citizens are supported in an empowered manner. Whilst this will be a closely managed Call, the programme will continue to share information with all partners on a regular basis. All our existing projects will also be re-evaluated to determine the extent to which COVID-19 responses can be mainstreamed.
Further, STAR Ghana is collaborating with the CSO Platform on the SDGs as part of a wider level of response to the COVID 19 Pandemic in Ghana. We encourage all our partners who are also part of the CSO Platform on the SDGs to join this civil society led response.
In these trying times, the Governing Council and Management of STAR Ghana Foundation will like to reiterate the foundation’s willingness and availability to work with partners to develop and implement strategies for the safety of their staff and the communities they support.
Best wishes,
Esther Offei-Aboagye
Chair, Governing Council