DANIDA LOT CIV

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS - REGIONAL CSOs AND YOUTH NETWORKS SCOPING

SAVE THE CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL

REGIONAL AND MULTI-COUNTRY PROGRAMMING UNIT (RMCPU)

East and Southern Africa

  1. INTRODUCTION

In 2018, Save the Children International is embarking on a new programme supported by Save the Children Denmark. The DANIDA Civil Society LOT grant, is aimed at strengtheningyouth engagement with regional bodies and the empowerment of youth networks in the Horn of Africa (HoA). The programme is expected to contribute to ensuring that governments in the Horn of Africa create enabling conditions that make the region a better place for children and youth to learn, be protected from violence and engage in decisions that affect them and their region. Ultimately, the programme is expected to build children, youth and civil society organisation’s capacity to influence policy processes and outcomes and position them as critical actors in making the HoA a better place for children and youth. The programme is expected to contribute to ensuring that governments in HoA (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia/Somaliland, Kenya and South Sudan) create conditions that make the region a better place for children and youth to learn, be protected from violence, engage in decisions that affect them and their region, and thrive. Ultimately, the programme’s impact will be the realization of the rights of children and youth (boys and girls) through strengthened state accountability and civil society organization at the regional level.

  1. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

Despite the fact that children and youth constitute a huge proportion of the population in the Horn of Africa region (over 60% of the population is under 25 years of age). They are subject to critically negative social economic conditions exacerbated by limited spaces for meaningful participation in decision making processes and policy outcomes at the regional level. The space for influencing good and accountable governance for children and youth rights is shrinking across the region primarily for political reasons. National legislation in many parts of the East and Horn of Africa (HoA) region. have curtailed civil societies’ capacity to advocate for human rights. Instead, NGOs are directed to focus on service delivery to fill the gaps for government’s poor track record in investing on basic services delivery.

At the AU level,access for CSOs at the AU Summits need to be increasedin order to effectively influence final decisions. Concurrently, CSOs in the HoA are facing challenges with coherence, coordination and strategic leadership needed to generate collective and structured impact on children and young peoples’ lives. Across the HoA, civil society organisations and networks working on Child and Youth Rights require additional support toeffectively organise and share learning and experiences across the region in order to advocate vis-à-vis regional duty bearers like the African Union (AU) and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

It is of paramount importance for youth to come to the forefront of the African political landscape and to take advantage of the youth explosion to influence decision making and policy processes. In Somalia for example, youth constitute 70% of the population, which means that this presents an incredible opportunity for youth to be at the forefront of political processes. In many spheres, youth empowerment is not prioritized by governments, for example Kenya has an outdated Youth Action Plan, (2006), and a policy for youth empowerment is yet to be passed. Uganda is one of the only countries in the region to have a youth policy in place. There is a youth policy in place in Somaliland that is largely driven by development actors. Somalia does not have a youth policy.

Generally, Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest youth ranking on the Global Youth Index[1]. However, there are innumerable opportunities to support CSOs and youth networks to contribute to realizing children and youth’s rights to protection and participation.

At present, the 2016-2020 strategy of IGAD supports the economic empowerment of youth. There exists a vacuum in IGAD, where the regional youth strategy has not been prioritized, however this presents a chance for Save the Children and partners to collaborate with IGAD to operationalize the regional strategy on youth. Youths in the Horn of Africa are affected not only by the effects of climate change, but also the inability to access empowerment programmes due to their geographical locations in drylands and pastoral communities. Trends in migration leads the youth to move to urban areas, which create opportunities to capitalize on their presence in urban centres. This is also a chance for Save the Children to collaborate with IGAD to expedite progress on their climate change indicators as they relate to youth livelihoods and resilience.

This programme is premised on the need to strengthen youth and CSO participation in decision making and policy formulation processes at the regional level with IGAD and AU and other Regional Economic Communities (REC) and mechanisms like ECOSOCC, EAC among others.

The IGAD 2016-2020 strategic plan, under the pillar on “Economic Cooperation, Integration and Social Development, supports outcomes for youth economic empowerment. Under this pillar, IGAD will produce a youth action plan and operationalise the regional youth strategy. The overall aim of IGAD’s youth programme of action is premised on the following actions:

  • Contribution of youth in the labour market and economic growth enhanced.
  • Conflicts related to youth reduced.
  • Unemployment amongst youth reduced.
  • Contribution to labour market enhanced.
  • Establish a regional forum for youth.
  • Strengthening the platform for youth at regional level.

The AU Heads of State Summit being the highest decision-makingforum on the African continent, which brings together Heads of State and Government adopts decisions that are expected to be domesticated at national level. AU Summit present important opportunities for networking and policy-influencing including through high-level side-events hosted by INGOs and CSOs.

  1. THEORY OF CHANGE
  1. To invest in strengthening the advocacy and the organisational capacities of regional civil society organisations and youth networks to contribute to realising children (girls and boys) and youth’s rights to protection and participation.
  2. To provide organisational capacity strengthening interventions that are informed by tailored organisational capacity assessments.The programme, over the coming four years, will ensure that gender-sensitive evidence and research is generated to inform advocacy by CSOs and youth networks on the structural gaps and challenges that impede the protection and participation of children and youth in the HoA.
  3. Regional CSOs, children and youth priorities are captured into AU, IGAD and HoA governments’ decisions and policy outcomes.Building on evidence-based advocacy, the action seeks to influence duty-bearers within the AU and IGAD architecture to prioritise children and youth issues in relevant policy outcomes and decisions. This outcome will be achieved by identifying children and youth priorities, supporting the development of position papers based on their priorities and facilitating close engagement between children, youth and AU/IGAD representatives to enable children, youth and CSOs articulate their priorities with the eye on influencing policy outcomes.
  4. State accountability for children and youth protection and participation rights are strengthened at regional level.The programme will support the establishment and or strengthening of accountability mechanisms that will assess the successes made by HoA member states in addressing child and youth rights violations.
  1. PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES AND PROGRAMME GOAL

Programme objectives:

Regional civil society organisations and youth networks contribute to realising children (girls and boys) and youth’s rights to protection and participation.

Programme Outcomes:

i.Capacity of regional CSOs and youth networks strengthened.

ii.Regional CSOs’ and youth networks’ advocacy informed by gender-sensitive evidence at sub-regional level.

iii.CSO, children and youth priorities are captured into AU, IGAD and HoA Governments' decisions and policy outcomes.

iv.State accountability for children and youth protection and participation rights strengthened at regional level.

  1. CSO SCOPING AND MAPPING OBJECTIVE

The objective of this scoping and mapping exercise is to identify regional CSOs and youth networks, that will partner with Save the Children International East and Southern Africa Regional Office (SCI-ESARO) and work closely with the African Union and IGAD. The partnership will be focused on CSO capacity strengthening for improved advocacy for children and youth rights. The programme will focus on providing relevant capacity and technical support for the CSOs and youth networks identifiedto become independent, sustainable and democratic advocates for youth rights in the Horn of Africa.

  1. SELECTION CRITERIA

The partnership criteria are geared toward strengthening the SCI-ESARO’s partnership model and include:

Regional CSOs and YouthNetworks identification

  • When engaging a regional youth network in the horn of Africa, SCI-ESARO will ensure that the youth network profile is matched with SCI’s Vision, Mission and Goals as well as the objectives of this programme.
  • Has a geographical and operational presence in the Horn of Africa.
  • Has a Child Protection/ Child Safeguarding Policy in place.
  • Is legally registered/certified in the countries where they operate
  • Has a functional governance structure.
  • Show demonstrated evidence of advocacy on children and youth rights and issues at national and regional levels.
  • Should be non-partisan.
  • Be an ethical platform that conforms with the principles in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of Children.
  • Have functional administrative and financial procedures in place.
  • Demonstrated strategic cooperation with regional economic communities and mechanisms such as IGAD, AU, EAC, ECOSOCC and others.
  1. PARTNERSHIP FORMATION
  • All applicants will be informed of the outcome of their submissions by communication sent out to the email/ postal address that is indicated in the CSO submission.
  • Applicants whose profiles are assessed as having a specific comparative advantage to achieve results for children outlined in 4 above will be invited to jointly develop a partnership agreement based on the following:
  • Prioritisation of proposed interventions in line with the international practice and national priorities related to level of alignment of the proposed intervention with the national priorities and overall goals of the SCI project related to strengthening CSO to be able to advocate for child rights issues.
  • Complementarity or proposed action with ongoing interventions.
  • Upon finalisation at technical level, the proposal for partnership will be submitted to the final decision for review and approval.
  • Work towards children’s development and wellbeing, and the realisation of their rights and best interests

Child Safeguarding

SCI’s Child Safeguarding Policy must be incorporated into the partner’s existing and new systems and processes that have any bearing on the safeguarding of children so that an environment is established where the rights of children are respected and where child abuse and sexual exploitation of children is not tolerated. Failure to adhere to child safeguarding aspects of any such arrangements should be recognised as a serious breach of contract. Staff, representatives and staff of partner agencies will be supported to develop child safeguarding skills, knowledge and experience appropriate to their role in the organisation. Staff, including staff of partners who have a responsibility to respond to children disclosing sexual exploitation and abuse, must receive specific training in receiving and responding to disclosure. All Partner agencies of Save the Children, must adopt the applicable Child Safeguarding Policy or have developed their own policy of a similar standard and approach. Agreements with partners must clearly outline agreed procedures for reporting and investigating concerns involving breaches of the policy. Breaches within partner agencies must be reported to Save the Children.

Submission of Expression of Interest

Save the Children International, Regional and Multi-Country Programming Unit, is inviting youth organisations in the Horn of Africa region, with a regional focus on empowerment and youth participation to submit their Expression of Interest to partner with Save the Children International, on the above mentioned exciting programme. SCI seeks expression of interest from organisations who are able to implement programming activities within the Horn of Africa region to engage effectively with regional and sub-regional decision-making and accountability processes such as the AU and IGAD particularly in relation to topical youth human rights issues such as child marriage, protection of education from attacks and military use during armed conflicts, youth migration and youth civic empowerment.

Kindly please submit the following documentation:

  • Letter of expression of interest
  • A proposal (Max. 5 pages)

(i)Organisation profile (including the website and contact details of the secretariat)

(ii)Evidence of human rights / youth rights / children rights programming / advocacy / empowerment

(iii)Demonstrate gender mainstreaming / sensitivity in programming

(iv)Demonstrate regional focus

(v)List of projects for the past three years, amount and the donors

  • Registration certificate
  • 2016/17 audited financial statements

Interested Youth CSOs and Networks are invited to download the detailed TOR from:

Please forward all expression of interest with the subject line“Regional CSO and Youth Network” to 30thMay 2018 via the online portal.

[1]The Global Youth Wellbeing Index, 2017, International Youth Foundation, available at: