The Project Last Mile (PLM) partnership between The Coca-Cola system and its Foundations, USAID, The Global Fund and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation facilitates knowledge transfer from The Coca-Cola system to Ministries of Health and develops their capacity to create and sustain efficiencies to improve health outcomes in Africa.The Coca-Cola system brings over 85 years of global and local expertise operating across Africa to the partnership. PLM links these experts, skilled in distribution, logistics, marketing and HR, with Ministries of Health to improve access to medicines and health outcomes. PLM is committed to reaching 10 countries by 2020.

Project Last Mile has developed a phased approach to design and deliver its programmes. 1. Engage and Align: In this stage, PLM is focused on understanding the local context and need through engagement with key stakeholders and partners (i.e. donor partners and country governments), and seeks to align objectives, resources, initiatives and expectations for PLM’s role and impact with donor and country government partners.2. Picture of Success: In this stage, PLM is focused on defining where and how the role of PLM and Coca-Cola can assist in driving change and impact through benchmarking and defining interventions.3. Build and Deploy: In this stage, PLM is focused on initiating delivery by transferring knowledge from the Coca-Cola system to build the capabilities (tools, assets, methods, etc.) for lasting change. PLM utilizes subject matter experts and vendors from the broad Coca-Cola system across Africa to inject and leverage Coca-Cola expertise in its programmes. 4. Build Capacity and Change: In this stage and where necessary, PLM embeds resources within the department of the organisation being supported to provide longer-term capacity building and change, and help to further test, refine and build out key capabilities and solutions.5. Sustain: In this stage, PLM supports strengthening the linkages between local Coca-Cola and Ministry of Health partners so an on-going coaching relationship is established at the local level and commitment from both organizations is cemented for long-term, sustainable support.

Capacity building and knowledge transfer are at the core of all Project Last Mile programs. As explained in the implementation process above, Project Last Mile utilizes various channels to transfer the business and technical expertise from Coca-Cola to MOH partners, including coaching by subject matter experts, peer-to-peer mentoring between Coca-Cola staff and MOH counterparts and training using Coca-Cola materials, best practices and approaches. PLM supports long-term capacity building as the foundation of its approach to sustainability.

A multi-tiered governance model supports unique needs at all levels of the program. The structures and roles are outlined below. Structure: Steering CommitteeRole: Provide strategic guidance to partnership; act as senior champions of the partnership externally and in their respective organisations.Structure: Working CommitteeRole: Ensure ongoing momentum/ coordination of the programme and act as decision makers on execution of programme strategy. Supports issue resolution.Structure: Project Management Office/PLM Core TeamRole in Program Management: Oversee and govern the overall programme in terms of reporting, financial management, contract management. Monitors status and progress to PLM objectives. Role in Delivery: Mobilise teams, draft PLM country strategies, coordinate in-country stakeholders and implementation partners.Structure: Delivery TeamsRole: Manage and execute project plans and provide timely feedback to the programme management office/PLM Core team on progress, issues and risks.Note: Each country programme has a customized governance structure to ensure effective coordination and partner engagement at the programmatic and local level. These governance structures are designed to include local stakeholders.Structure: Monitoring and Evaluation Role: Manages the metrics framework and case study creation.

USAID, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Coca-Cola system and its Foundations; Ministries of Health and partners in PLM countries; Yale Global Health Leadership Institute; Global Environment and Technology Foundation