Sierra Leone - AFRICA WEST- P155339- Strengthening Community Mobilization and Local Council Service Delivery in the Post-Ebola Context - Procurement Plan

The Bank estimates life expectancy at 50 years, the lowest in the world after Lesotho and Swaziland (8 years less than the average for Sub-Saharan Africa countries), and the adult literacy rate at 46 percent (compared to an adult literacy rate of 64 percent in the Sub-Saharan Africa region).3 The Bank estimates the maternal mortality ratio in Sierra Leone is by far the highest in the world, standi [...] The Project is closely aligned with the Bank’s EERP strategy and its overarching goals of poverty reduction and shared prosperity, with a focus on continuing to foster equity and access to the delivery of social services for the poor and vulnerable after the disease has been contained. [...] While the GoSL’s and the donor community intervention strategy was effective to curtail active transmission of the disease in the country, Sierra Leone is currently in need of additional support to ensure social reconciliation within communities that have been divided by the strains caused by EVD (information on the strains caused by the disease, both at the individual and collective level, can be [...] Component 3 will support the Project implementing agencies (DecSec and IPAU) to carry out the day- to-day activities of the Project, including the requisite procurement, financial management, auditing, monitoring and evaluation, and knowledge management activities, in line with the Project Operations Manual, which will be developed by the Bank in coordination with DecSec and IPAU. [...] Social stigma surrounding Given the strong reliance on local providers and the deployment of EVD may prevent community resources by LCs and WDCs, a high level of confidence and trust in buy-in and acceptance of the the activities supported under the Project is expected.