USAID-South Africa announces Program for a Solution to Good Health in Lesotho

Deadline: 18 April 2019

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking applications from qualified organizations for a Cooperative Agreement to fund a program titled “Karabo ea Bophelo (KB) Activity”.

Karabo ea Bophelo (KB) (which translates as ‘a solution to good health’) is a five-year Activity to prevent new HIV infections and reduce vulnerability among orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Lesotho.

The strategic objective supports GOL multi-sector strategies and priorities for HIV mitigation and prevention, with an emphasis on minimizing negative impacts of HIV on OVC and AGYW; addressing social, behavioral and structural drivers of HIV, and improving access to comprehensive SRH services to prevent new infections.

Target Populations

PEPFAR/Lesotho has identified a number of priority populations based on epidemiological and contextual considerations. Orphans and vulnerable children are among those most affected by the HIV epidemic. Their families and caregivers are a focus for building resilience and providing a safe and secure foundation for positive education and health outcomes. The relationship of parents to their children has been shown to be a critical factor in lowering risky sexual behavior. Young women aged 18-29 have very high incidence, and AGYW overall experience high rates of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV). The limited available data suggest that AGYW who have male sexual partners between five and ten years older than themselves are at much higher risk of HIV acquisition.

The Activity will prioritize the following target populations:

Orphans and vulnerable children aged 0-17
Children and adolescents who have lost one or both parents
Children living with HIV
Children whose caregivers are living with HIV
Adolescent girls age 10-17
Children of female sex workers (FSW)
Children who have been neglected or abused
HIV exposed infants
Caregivers and families
Male sexual partners of AGYW

Funding Information

USAID intends to provide $35,000,000 in total USAID funding over a five-year period.

Eligible Applicants

The eligibility requirements below apply to the principal Applicant:
- Any local (Lesotho) and South African non-governmental (including, but not limited to, Private Voluntary Organizations (PVOs), universities and for-profit entities) or public international organization is eligible to apply under this NFO.
USAID defines a local organization as one that:
- Is organized under the laws of the recipient country;
- Has its principal place of business in Lesotho or South Africa;
- Is majority-owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the recipient country or is managed by the governing body, the majority of whose members are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Lesotho or South Africa; and
- Is not controlled by a foreign entity or by an individual or individuals who are not citizens or permanent residents of Lesotho or South Africa
The term “control” or controlled by” in the above definition means having a majority ownership or beneficially interest, or the power, either directly or indirectly, whether exercised or exercisable, to control the election, appointment, or tenure of the organization’s managers or a majority of the organization’s governing body by any means, e.g., ownership, contract, or operation of law. The term “Foreign Entity” means an organization that fail to meet any part of the “local organization” definition.
USAID welcomes applications from organizations, which have not previously received financial assistance from USAID. Organizations not meeting the above definition of local organizations are not eligible to submit an application for an award under this NFO.