The World Bank Piloting social protection and WASH interventions to keep adolescent girls in school in Zimbabwe (P177168) REPORT NO.: RES52129 RESTRUCTURING PAPER ON A PROPOSED PROJECT RESTRUCTURING OF PILOTING SOCIAL PROTECTION AND WASH INTERVENTIONS TO KEEP ADOLESCENT GIRLS IN SCHOOL IN ZIMBABWE APPROVED ON OCTOBER 11, 2021 TO REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE SOCIAL PROTECTION & JOBS EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA Regional Vice President: Hafez M. H. Ghanem Country Director: Mara K. Warwick Global Director: Michal J. Rutkowski Practice Manager/Manager: Robert S. Chase Task Team Leader(s): Emma Sameh Wadie Hobson, Harriet Nattabi The World Bank Piloting social protection and WASH interventions to keep adolescent girls in school in Zimbabwe (P177168) ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS BE Bank-Executed BEAM Basic Education Assistance Module PDO Project Development Objective POC Project Oversight Committee RBZ Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe RE Recipient Executed ZIMREF Zimbabwe Reconstruction Fund The World Bank Piloting social protection and WASH interventions to keep adolescent girls in school in Zimbabwe (P177168) BASIC DATA Product Information Project ID Financing Instrument P177168 Investment Project Financing Environmental and Social Risk Classification (ESRC) Moderate Approval Date Current Closing Date 11-Oct-2021 30-Jun-2022 Organizations Borrower Responsible Agency Republic of Zimbabwe CARE International Financing (in USD Million) FIN_SUMM_PUB_TBL SUMMARY Total Project Cost 0 Total Financing 0 Financing Gap 0 DETAILS -NewFin3 Project Development Objective (PDO) Original PDO Reducing school dropout for adolescent girls resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, through complementary social protection and WASH interventions in target districts OPS_TABLE_PDO_CURRENTPDO The World Bank Piloting social protection and WASH interventions to keep adolescent girls in school in Zimbabwe (P177168) Summary Status of Financing (US$, Millions) Net TF Approval Signing Effectiveness Closing Commitment Disbursed Undisbursed TF-B7039 18-Nov-2021 18-Nov-2021 22-Dec-2021 30-Jun-2022 .90 .21 .69 Policy Waiver(s) Does this restructuring trigger the need for any policy waiver(s)? No The World Bank Piloting social protection and WASH interventions to keep adolescent girls in school in Zimbabwe (P177168) I. PROJECT STATUS AND RATIONALE FOR RESTRUCTURING A. Introduction 1. This restructuring aims to extend the closing date for the Piloting Social Protection and WASH Interventions to Keep Adolescent Girls in School in Zimbabwe project (P177167) from June 30, 2022 to August 31, 2022. To be in line with the revised closing date, changes to disbursement estimates, the implementation schedule and results indicator achievement dates are also being proposed. The project is financed by the Zimbabwe Reconstruction Fund (ZIMREF). 2. The project’s objective is to reduce school dropout for adolescent girls resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, through complementary social protection and WASH interventions in target districts. Specifically, it is supporting the piloting of social protection and WASH interventions layered onto the government-funded BEAM program in Buhera district. The project is implemented by CARE International Zimbabwe (CIZ) through third-party implementation arrangements in close collaboration with the Ministry of Public Service, Labor and Social Welfare (MPSLSW), Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MOPSE) and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate. B. Current Status of the Project 3. The Piloting Social Protection and WASH Interventions to Keep Adolescent Girls in School in Zimbabwe project has been effective since December 22, 2021. Overall progress towards achievement of the Project Development Objective (PDO) and Implementation Progress (IP) is currently rated Moderately Satisfactory. The project has already surpassed some results framework indicators, including the number of beneficiaries. Since project effectiveness, a first tranche of cash transfers to 850 beneficiaries has been completed in addition to the formation of village savings and loan associations (VSLA) groups. This has resulted in a disbursement of USD 210,000 representing a 23 percent disbursement rate. If the proposed extension is approved, 2 more rounds of cash transfers and an income generating activity (IGA) grant will be paid in full to the same 850 beneficiaries The following activities have been completed: (i) hiring of project staff; (ii) procurement of payment service provider for cash transfer and IGA grants; (iii) targeting and registration of 1,000 adolescent girls and their households; (iv) procurement of PPE and non-food items; (v) formation of village savings and loan association (VSLA) groups; (vi) delivery of menstrual hygiene kits and chlorine tablets; (vii) development of training materials; and (viii) first round of cash transfer payments to beneficiaries. Ongoing activities include: (i) delivery of school-based training and capacity building session; (ii) payment of 2 more cash transfer tranches; and (iii) payment of 2 tranches of IGA grant. 4. The project has no overdue IFRs or outstanding audits, and no changes to implementation arrangements or indicator targets are being proposed. 5. The social and environmental safeguards compliance has been assessed as moderately satisfactory. The project Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) was disclosed and the project is implementing the agreed control measures. There were delays in the establishment of all Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) channels and sensitization on the available GRM channels in Buhera district. However, these delays have since been addressed fully. B. Rationale for Restructuring The World Bank Piloting social protection and WASH interventions to keep adolescent girls in school in Zimbabwe (P177168) 6. The proposed extension allows the project to get back on track from the initial delay in signing and the obtaining of relevant waivers for bulk cash transfers. The declaration of effectiveness was delayed due to the signing of legal agreements (grant agreement and subsidiary agreement) taking over two months. As a result, the project was declared effective on December 22, 2021 rather than in October as expected. Further, the selected payment service provider (Econet) required a special waiver from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) to carry out mobile money cash transfer and IGA payments for the pilot. Delays in the processing of the waiver, which was received in April 2022, led to delays in payments and capacity building activities that were designed to be paired with payments. 7. The extension will go some way in putting the project back on track to achieving its development objective. Government requested an extension to December 31 to allow project activities to be carried out as planned and completed within a reasonable timeframe. If the extension is provided, payments will be disbursed according to the project design which is important to delivering the desired impact but also to prevent distortions of local market prices that would be caused by condensed payments. Further, it will allow the project to add 157 beneficiaries who will receive the same benefits. This will lead to an acceleration in disbursement as payments are made to households on a regular basis. Crucially, the extension will allow for payments to be timed as per the project design, rather than lumped into larger payments which will inevitably distort local market prices. The extension will also allow for the full delivery of capacity building and sensitization activities covering all key topics including positive parenting, gender and GBV issues, how to invest in adolescent girls, and WASH. Without an extension, some of these sessions would have to be eliminated. Therefore, failure to extend the project would undermine the effectiveness of the planned interventions which were designed based on evidence from the region. 8. While a six-month extension is not possible until the Zimbabwe Reconstruction Fund (ZIMREF) time extension has been processed, the two month extension will allow activities to continue in the meantime. The extension would allow the implementing partner to carry out activities in a more paced manner and complete them to ensure maximum impact in Buhera district. It would also allow more time for government stakeholders to be involved in the supervision of project activities, which is crucial to maintaining their current level of ownership over the project. Thus, the extension will facilitate further coordination and government engagement. II. DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED CHANGES 1. Closing Date. The proposed two month extension is being processed as a waiver to the standard RETF grace period. 2. Disbursement Estimates. The revised Disbursement Estimates account for delays in payment as well as for the additional time extension. 3. Implementation Schedule. The implementation schedule has been adjusted to accommodate the closing date extension. The team has also developed a new implementation workplan for the additional time to ensure the project development objectives are met and that payments and training sessions are timed appropriately. The World Bank Piloting social protection and WASH interventions to keep adolescent girls in school in Zimbabwe (P177168) III. SUMMARY OF CHANGES Changed Not Changed Loan Closing Date(s) ✔ Disbursement Estimates ✔ Implementation Schedule ✔ Implementing Agency ✔ Project's Development Objectives ✔ Results Framework ✔ Components and Cost ✔ Cancellations Proposed ✔ Additional Financing Proposed ✔ Reallocation between Disbursement Categories ✔ Disbursements Arrangements ✔ Change in Overall Risk Rating ✔ Legal Covenants ✔ Institutional Arrangements ✔ Financial Management ✔ Procurement ✔ Other Change(s) ✔ Economic and Financial Analysis ✔ Technical Analysis ✔ Social Analysis ✔ Environmental Analysis ✔ IV. DETAILED CHANGE(S) OPS_DETAILEDCHANGES_LOANCLOSING_TABLE The World Bank Piloting social protection and WASH interventions to keep adolescent girls in school in Zimbabwe (P177168) LOAN CLOSING DATE(S) Original Revised Proposed Proposed Deadline TF Status Closing Closing(s) Closing for Withdrawal Applications TF-B7039 Effective 30-Jun-2022 31-Aug-2022 31-Oct-2022 OPS_DETAILEDCHANGES_DISBURSEMENT_TABLE DISBURSEMENT ESTIMATES Change in Disbursement Estimates Yes Expected Disbursements (In US$) Fiscal Year Annual Cumulative 2022 205,344.22 205,344.22 2023 694,655.78 900,000.00