Deadline: 03-Jul-2026
The United Nations Development Programme is seeking a qualified CSO, NGO or CBO to implement livelihood, vocational skills and climate-smart agriculture interventions for community policing actors in Central Equatoria State, South Sudan. The project will support women, youth and Police Community Relations Committee members through training, enterprise development, start-up support, savings groups, mentorship and market linkages.
The total proposed budget must not exceed USD 65,000, with administrative costs capped at 10%. Eligible organizations must be legally registered with the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, have at least three years of local presence, maintain an office in Juba and assign qualified staff to implement the project.
Programme Overview
The United Nations Development Programme is inviting proposals from qualified civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations and community-based organizations to support livelihood and peacebuilding interventions in Central Equatoria State.
The project focuses on market-linked and climate-smart agriculture value chains, vocational skills training, entrepreneurship support and livelihood strengthening for community policing actors.
The intervention will target Police Community Relations Committee members, women, youth and peace ambassadors in Juba and surrounding areas.
Main Objective
The main objective of the project is to strengthen livelihoods, economic resilience and community security among women, youth and community policing actors in Central Equatoria State.
The project aims to:
- Improve livelihood capacities of PCRC members
- Empower women and youth as peace ambassadors
- Support vocational and business skills development
- Promote market-linked agriculture value chains
- Encourage climate-smart agriculture activities
- Strengthen savings groups, cooperatives and VSLA structures
- Provide business start-up kits or seed grants
- Support peaceful coexistence and community security
- Promote respect for human rights
- Strengthen enterprise sustainability through mentorship
Geographic Focus
The project will be implemented in Central Equatoria State, South Sudan.
Target locations include Juba and surrounding areas, including:
- Jebel Dinka
- Joppa
- Lologo
- Other relevant communities in and around Juba
The selected partner must have an operational presence in Central Equatoria State and maintain an office in Juba.
Background and Context
Central Equatoria State continues to face humanitarian and development challenges linked to population movements, localized tensions and livelihood pressures.
In this context, Police Community Relations Committees play an important role in building trust between communities and the South Sudan National Police Service.
PCRCs help promote:
- Community security
- Mediation
- Crime prevention
- Peaceful coexistence
- Local trust-building
- Community-police cooperation
UNDP seeks to strengthen the livelihood capacities of PCRC members and other peace ambassadors so they can better contribute to community stability and resilience.
Key Focus Areas
The project focuses on peacebuilding, livelihoods, skills development and climate-smart economic opportunities.
Key focus areas include:
- Women and youth empowerment
- Community policing
- Peace ambassadors
- Paralegal and justice actors
- Vocational skills training
- Entrepreneurship training
- Business management skills
- Climate-smart agriculture
- Market-linked value chains
- Livelihood capacity strengthening
- Business start-up kits
- Seed grants
- Mentorship and coaching
- Enterprise development
- Community security
- Peaceful coexistence
- Human rights
- Savings groups and cooperatives
- VSLA structures
Target Beneficiaries
The selected organization will support 200 direct participants.
Target beneficiaries include:
- 100 women
- 100 youth
- PCRC members
- Peace ambassadors
- Community-level justice actors
- Women and youth engaged in livelihood initiatives
At least 50% of beneficiaries must be women.
At least 25% of beneficiaries should be engaged in climate adaptation or climate-smart activities.
What the Project Will Support
The project will support practical livelihood and skills-building interventions.
Supported activities include:
- Livelihood assessments
- Market assessments
- Vocational training
- Entrepreneurial skills training
- Business management training
- Financial literacy support
- Strengthening of savings groups
- Support for cooperatives
- VSLA development
- Business start-up kits
- Seed grants
- Mentorship and coaching
- Market linkage facilitation
- Documentation of impact stories
Climate-Smart Agriculture and Market Linkages
The project will promote market-linked and climate-smart agriculture value chain development.
Climate-smart agriculture refers to agricultural practices that improve productivity while helping communities adapt to climate risks and reduce environmental harm.
Supported activities may include:
- Climate-resilient production approaches
- Market-oriented agricultural value chains
- Skills for improved productivity
- Support for viable income-generating activities
- Linkages between producers and buyers
- Climate adaptation activities for women and youth
The project should ensure that livelihood support is practical, market-relevant and environmentally sustainable.
Vocational, Entrepreneurial and Business Skills Training
The selected partner will train women and youth in practical skills that support employment and enterprise development.
Training areas may include:
- Vocational skills
- Entrepreneurship
- Business planning
- Business management
- Financial literacy
- Savings and group-based finance
- Market analysis
- Income-generating activity management
The training should help participants develop viable livelihood options and improve economic self-reliance.
Start-Up Kits and Seed Grants
The project will provide business start-up kits or seed grants for viable income-generating activities.
Support will be based on organized beneficiary groups.
Activities will include:
- Beneficiary selection
- Business planning
- Selection of viable enterprises
- Distribution of start-up inputs
- Orientation on proper use of support
- Monitoring of business performance
Start-up support should be linked to realistic business opportunities and local market demand.
Mentorship and Coaching
Women and youth beneficiaries will receive mentorship and coaching to support enterprise growth and sustainability.
Mentorship support may include:
- Business guidance
- Technical advice
- Peer learning
- Market linkage support
- Performance reviews
- Problem-solving support
- Follow-up coaching
This support is intended to help beneficiaries sustain their businesses beyond the initial training and start-up phase.
Human-Interest and Impact Documentation
The selected partner will document human-interest and impact stories showing the achievements of women, youth and PCRC members.
Documentation may include:
- Case studies
- Testimonials
- Interviews
- Photographic evidence
- Success stories
- Lessons learned
At least 10 human impact stories should be documented.
All documentation must follow ethical standards, including informed consent, dignity, privacy and protection of participants.
Cross-Cutting Issues
The project must address key cross-cutting priorities.
These include:
- Gender inclusion
- Conflict sensitivity
- Environmental sustainability
- Climate-smart activities
- Public health measures
- Human rights
- Youth inclusion
- Peaceful coexistence
The project design should ensure that activities do not create harm, exclusion or conflict within communities.
Expected Outputs
The selected organization is expected to deliver clear and measurable outputs.
Expected outputs include:
- Training of 100 women
- Training of 100 youth
- Completion of livelihood assessments
- Completion of market assessments
- Delivery of vocational training
- Delivery of entrepreneurship training
- Provision of business start-up kits or seed grants
- Establishment or strengthening of savings groups
- Establishment or strengthening of cooperatives or VSLA structures
- Mentorship and coaching support
- Market linkage facilitation
- Documentation of at least 10 human impact stories
Funding Available
The total proposed budget must not exceed USD 65,000.
Administrative costs must not exceed 10% of the total proposed amount.
Applicants should prepare a realistic budget that directly supports implementation, training, start-up support, monitoring and documentation.
Who is Eligible?
Eligible applicants include:
- Civil society organizations
- Non-governmental organizations
- Community-based organizations
Organizations must be qualified to implement livelihood, vocational training, agriculture value chain and peacebuilding-related interventions in Central Equatoria State.
Organizational Eligibility Requirements
Eligible organizations must:
- Be legally registered with the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission
- Have at least three years of local presence
- Maintain an office in Juba
- Have qualified staff assigned to project implementation
- Demonstrate operational presence in Central Equatoria State
- Show capacity to work with women, youth and community policing actors
- Demonstrate ability to manage funds and report results
Selection Criteria
Proposals will be assessed based on several criteria.
Key assessment areas include:
- Alignment with project objectives
- Sustainability of proposed activities
- Organizational capacity
- Quality of project design
- Staff competency
- Experience in livelihood programming
- Experience working with women and youth
- Capacity to support women and youth-led organizations
- Ability to deliver results within budget
- Conflict-sensitive and gender-inclusive approach
Why This Project Matters
Livelihood pressure, unemployment and localized tensions can weaken community stability and increase vulnerability among women and youth.
By strengthening the economic capacities of PCRC members and peace ambassadors, the project supports both livelihoods and peacebuilding.
This intervention matters because it connects economic empowerment with community security, peaceful coexistence and human rights.
It also helps women and youth become active contributors to peace, justice and resilience in their communities.
How to Apply or Prepare a Strong Proposal
Applicants should prepare a clear proposal that demonstrates local experience, technical capacity, realistic implementation and alignment with UNDP priorities.
Step 1: Confirm Organizational Eligibility
Organizations should confirm that they are legally registered with the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission and have at least three years of local presence.
They should also confirm that they maintain an office in Juba and have qualified staff available for implementation.
Step 2: Demonstrate Local Knowledge
The proposal should show strong understanding of Central Equatoria State, especially Juba and target areas such as Jebel Dinka, Joppa and Lologo.
Applicants should explain local livelihood challenges, market opportunities and community security dynamics.
Step 3: Design the Livelihood and Market Assessment
Applicants should explain how they will conduct livelihood and market assessments.
The assessment should identify viable vocational skills, agricultural value chains and income-generating activities for women and youth.
Step 4: Plan Skills Training
The proposal should describe the vocational, entrepreneurship and business management training approach.
Applicants should explain training content, duration, trainers, participant selection and expected learning outcomes.
Step 5: Include Climate-Smart Agriculture Activities
Applicants should include practical climate-smart or climate adaptation activities.
At least 25% of beneficiaries should be engaged in climate adaptation or climate-smart activities.
Step 6: Plan Start-Up Support
The proposal should explain how business start-up kits or seed grants will be provided.
It should include beneficiary selection, business planning, procurement, distribution, orientation and monitoring.
Step 7: Strengthen Group Structures
Applicants should describe how they will establish or strengthen savings groups, cooperatives or VSLA structures.
This helps improve financial inclusion, peer support and sustainability.
Step 8: Include Mentorship and Coaching
The proposal should include follow-up mentorship and coaching after training and start-up support.
This should help beneficiaries manage enterprises, solve challenges and build market relationships.
Step 9: Address Cross-Cutting Issues
The proposal should clearly address gender inclusion, conflict sensitivity, environmental sustainability, public health and human rights.
Applicants should explain how they will ensure at least 50% women participation.
Step 10: Prepare Monitoring and Documentation Plans
Applicants should include a monitoring plan for training, business performance, market linkages and impact.
They should also plan to document at least 10 human-interest or impact stories using ethical documentation standards.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should avoid the following mistakes:
- Submitting a budget above USD 65,000
- Allocating more than 10% to administrative costs
- Applying without RRC registration
- Failing to show at least three years of local presence
- Not having an office in Juba
- Providing weak evidence of staff capacity
- Ignoring PCRC members and peace ambassadors
- Failing to target 100 women and 100 youth
- Not including livelihood and market assessments
- Providing start-up kits without business planning
- Ignoring mentorship and follow-up support
- Failing to address climate-smart activities
- Not meeting the 50% women participation requirement
- Overlooking ethical standards for impact story documentation
Tips for a Strong Proposal
A strong proposal should:
- Demonstrate operational experience in Central Equatoria State
- Show clear understanding of Juba target communities
- Include a realistic beneficiary selection process
- Combine vocational training with market demand
- Link start-up support to viable business plans
- Strengthen savings groups or cooperatives
- Include strong mentorship and coaching
- Address gender inclusion and youth empowerment
- Integrate climate-smart agriculture activities
- Use conflict-sensitive methods
- Include measurable outputs and indicators
- Present a realistic budget within the USD 65,000 ceiling
- Demonstrate capacity to document results and impact stories
FAQ
1. What is this UNDP opportunity about?
This opportunity seeks a qualified CSO, NGO or CBO to deliver livelihood, vocational skills, climate-smart agriculture and enterprise development support for community policing actors in Central Equatoria State, South Sudan.
2. Who are the target beneficiaries?
The project will train 100 women and 100 youth, including PCRC members, peace ambassadors and other community-level actors.
3. What is the maximum budget?
The total proposed budget must not exceed USD 65,000.
4. What is the administrative cost limit?
Administrative costs must not exceed 10% of the total proposed amount.
5. Who can apply?
Eligible applicants include legally registered CSOs, NGOs and CBOs with RRC registration, at least three years of local presence, an office in Juba and qualified implementation staff.
6. What activities are expected?
Expected activities include livelihood and market assessments, vocational and entrepreneurship training, business start-up kits or seed grants, savings group or cooperative strengthening, mentorship, market linkage support and impact documentation.
7. What cross-cutting requirements apply?
The project must address gender inclusion, conflict sensitivity, environmental sustainability, climate-smart activities and public health measures. At least 50% of beneficiaries should be women, and 25% should be engaged in climate adaptation or climate-smart activities.
Conclusion
The UNDP livelihood and climate-smart agriculture intervention in Central Equatoria State supports women, youth and community policing actors through practical skills, enterprise development and peacebuilding-linked livelihood support.
With a maximum budget of USD 65,000, the project will train 200 participants, provide start-up support, strengthen savings structures, facilitate market linkages and document human impact stories.
Eligible CSOs, NGOs and CBOs should submit strong proposals that demonstrate local presence, technical capacity, gender inclusion, climate-smart planning, conflict sensitivity and a clear pathway to sustainable livelihoods and peaceful coexistence.
For more information, visit UNDP.
