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Defeat Malaria (USAID-GHA) Grant Opportunity FAQs

1) What is the name of this USAID grant opportunity?

The opportunity is titled Defeat Malaria and is issued by USAID-GHA.

2) What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?

The Funding Opportunity Number provided is RFI 482 16 000001.

3) What type of award is this?

This is a discretionary, health-focused cooperative agreement.

4) What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?

A cooperative agreement typically involves substantial involvement by the funding agency during implementation. Based on the information provided, this can include collaboration on technical direction, monitoring, and adaptive management while the activity is being carried out.

5) What country or setting does the activity focus on?

The activity is designed to support malaria control and elimination efforts in Burma (Myanmar).

6) What is the primary purpose of the Defeat Malaria activity?

The primary purpose is to help Burma (Myanmar) control artemisinin-resistant malaria and move closer to full malaria elimination.

7) How much funding is available?

USAID plans a single award with a total funding ceiling of up to USD 32,000,000 over the full period described.

8) How long is the project period?

The opportunity describes a five-year activity period.

9) How many awards does USAID anticipate making?

USAID anticipates making one award.

10) When was the opportunity posted?

The opportunity was posted on December 10, 2015.

11) What is the application closing date?

The application closing date listed is January 4, 2016.

12) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is open to any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may be included in the full opportunity text.

13) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA 98.001.

14) What is at the center of the activity design?

The activity centers on a significant scale-up of community-based malaria services.

15) How much service coverage expansion is expected?

The program aims to expand coverage of prevention and case management interventions from roughly one million people to about three million people.

16) Will the scale-up be evenly distributed across the country?

No. The description specifies that the expansion is not intended to be evenly spread across Burma (Myanmar). It prioritizes people and areas where malaria risk is highest and where access to routine health services is limited.

17) Which populations and geographies are prioritized?

The opportunity highlights prioritization of highly endemic and hard-to-reach areas, mobile and migrant communities, and regions described as Non-State Actor areas, reflecting an intent to reach groups often missed by facility-based systems and traditional public-sector delivery models.

18) What kinds of interventions are emphasized?

Based on the description, the scale-up focuses on malaria prevention and case management interventions delivered through community-based services.

19) Does the opportunity include capacity building for local stakeholders?

Yes. A major emphasis is on strengthening the capacity of local stakeholders at every level of the health system, from national institutions down to peripheral and community levels, so local actors can lead, manage, and implement effective malaria interventions over time.

20) Why is capacity building highlighted as important in this activity?

The activity frames capacity building as a way to reduce malaria burden sustainably while increasing national and subnational readiness for the final stages of elimination, where coordination and consistent quality are especially important.

21) What is the role of malaria surveillance in this opportunity?

Improving malaria surveillance is described as a major technical priority. The opportunity calls for strengthening the surveillance system so decision-makers can better track cases, detect trends, and tailor response strategies using timely evidence.

22) How is surveillance described in an elimination and drug-resistance context?

The description notes that in elimination settings and in areas facing drug resistance, surveillance functions as a core intervention that helps identify hotspots, respond quickly to outbreaks, and monitor whether strategies are working.

23) How will improved surveillance be used programmatically?

The activity description suggests that improved surveillance will directly inform operational choices and resource targeting, which is particularly important when focusing on high-risk and hard-to-reach populations.

24) Does the opportunity encourage community involvement?

Yes. The opportunity explicitly promotes broader participation in malaria control efforts by encouraging the involvement of communities.

25) Does the opportunity encourage private-sector involvement?

Yes. The opportunity also encourages involvement of the private sector as part of broader participation in malaria control efforts.

26) Why does the opportunity emphasize community and private-sector participation?

The description indicates recognition that prevention and treatment often occur outside government facilities, especially in remote areas and among mobile populations that may rely on informal providers or private outlets. Community engagement can increase uptake of preventive behaviors and early care-seeking, while private-sector involvement can extend reach and support reporting into surveillance systems when appropriately coordinated.

27) Is this opportunity specifically connected to artemisinin resistance?

Yes. A central goal stated is to help control artemisinin-resistant malaria.

28) Does the opportunity mention how USAID will work with implementers during implementation?

Yes. Because the mechanism is a cooperative agreement, the description notes substantial involvement by USAID, including collaboration on technical direction, monitoring, and adaptive management.

29) Is the opportunity framed more as direct service delivery, systems strengthening, or both?

Both. The description emphasizes a large-scale expansion of community-based services while also stressing local capacity strengthening, systems development, operational support, and improved surveillance to sustain gains and support elimination.

30) What is the overall intended outcome of the program approach described?

The overall intent is to reduce malaria burden in Burma (Myanmar) in a sustainable way, strengthen readiness for elimination, and improve the ability to target and adapt interventions through stronger surveillance, particularly for high-risk and hard-to-reach groups.