We are alive and kicking! Our physical office at the OpenGov Hub in Washington, DC is closed (pending further notice) but we are working from home, continuing to respond to proposals, staying in touch with our CSO partners and shifting budgets and timelines as necessary.
Missions to Malawi to help start up the recently approved EU construction monitoring project and a trip to the Gambia to advise the Anti-corruption coalition are on hold. The World Bank-IMF 2020 Spring Meetings will now be virtual and other conferences have been cancelled or postponed.
As with us, a large number of our local partners are working from home. Some slowdown in implementation is inevitable. That said, we are in constant contact with our key counterparts and Advisers continue to provide value added through virtual channels, exploring ways to adapt our programs as needed in the current situation.
Work on proposal preparation continues apace – actually even more intense – it’s good occupational therapy for cabin fever! In just the last two weeks, proposals were submitted for a civil society strengthening program in Myanmar and an e-procurement training program in Moldova. PTF Asia is currently finalizing a concept note to strengthen civil society capacity in the Philippines; and we are aggressively pursuing a project to promote the use of digital technologies for civic and youth engagement in Kyrgyzstan. Work on designing a citizens engagement component for a World Bank education project in Zambia is also well advanced.
We’re motivated to stay active during this crisis and emerge stronger. Now is an important time to stay in touch. We will be making a greater effort to do so. We are are a special community that needs to stay connected.
Stay healthy,
Richard Stern
PTF President
