Call for EOIs: Adolescent Empowerment and Gender Inclusion in Chhattisgarh (India)

Deadline: 18-Jun-2026

UNICEF has launched a Call for Expression of Interest to support an integrated adolescent empowerment, gender equality, harmful practices prevention, and disability inclusion initiative in Chhattisgarh. The project will be implemented in Janjgir-Champa, Bilaspur, Jashpur, and Kabirdham over an 18-month period from July 2026 to December 2027. The indicative budget for the initiative is USD 900,000.

Overview

The United Nations Children’s Fund, also known as UNICEF, has launched a Call for Expression of Interest to support an integrated initiative for adolescents in Chhattisgarh.

The programme aims to empower adolescents, promote gender equality, prevent harmful practices, and strengthen disability inclusion across four districts.

The initiative will focus especially on adolescent girls, adolescents with disabilities, and young people from marginalized communities who face barriers to education, services, protection, and development opportunities.

Key Focus Areas

The initiative focuses on adolescent empowerment, gender equality, disability inclusion, and child protection.

Key focus areas include:

• Communication for development
• Disability and inclusion
• Engagement of men and boys
• Gender equality
• Women’s empowerment
• Resource mobilization
• Service provision
• Platform activities
• Training and capacity development
• Youth leadership and participation
• Child protection
• Family reunification
• Gender-based violence prevention
• Prevention of and response to violence
• Protection support
• Protection advisory services
• Prevention of child marriage
• Gender-transformative community change
• Inclusion of adolescents with disabilities

Purpose of the Initiative

The purpose of the initiative is to create an enabling environment where adolescents can exercise their rights, make informed decisions, and live free from harmful practices.

The programme seeks to strengthen adolescent agency, leadership, confidence, and participation.

It also aims to address harmful social norms that contribute to child marriage, gender-based violence, discrimination, and exclusion of children and adolescents with disabilities.

Project Objectives

The main objectives of the initiative are to:

• Enhance adolescent empowerment through life skills and leadership.
• Prevent harmful practices, including child marriage and gender-based violence.
• Promote gender-transformative attitudes among adolescents, families, and communities.
• Strengthen disability inclusion in adolescent-focused interventions.
• Build the capacities of duty-bearers and frontline workers.
• Improve community awareness and participation in adolescent protection.
• Strengthen systems that support adolescent development, safety, and inclusion.

Project Location

The intervention will be implemented in four districts of Chhattisgarh.

The selected districts are:

• Janjgir-Champa
• Bilaspur
• Jashpur
• Kabirdham

The programme will focus on communities where adolescents face higher risks related to gender inequality, harmful practices, exclusion, and limited access to services.

Target Groups

The initiative will support adolescents and the systems around them.

Primary target groups include:

• Adolescents
• Adolescent girls
• Adolescents with disabilities
• Adolescents from marginalized communities
• Young people vulnerable to harmful practices
• Adolescents at risk of child marriage or gender-based violence

The initiative will also engage:

• Boys and young men
• Parents and caregivers
• Frontline workers
• Duty-bearers
• Community leaders
• Government departments
• NGOs and community-based organizations
• Youth networks

Context and Need

Chhattisgarh continues to face challenges related to adolescent development, gender inequality, harmful social practices, and exclusion of children with disabilities.

Adolescents, especially girls and those from marginalized communities, may face barriers in accessing education, protection services, life skills opportunities, and safe spaces for participation.

Children and adolescents with disabilities may experience additional exclusion due to stigma, lack of accessible services, and limited community awareness.

The initiative responds to these challenges by combining adolescent empowerment, community engagement, gender-transformative programming, disability inclusion, and child protection systems strengthening.

Key Activities

The programme will include a range of community-based, adolescent-focused, and systems-strengthening activities.

Key activities include:

• Formation of adolescent groups
• Life skills sessions for adolescents
• Leadership-building activities
• Awareness campaigns on child marriage
• Awareness campaigns on gender-based violence
• Gender sensitization programmes for boys and men
• Inclusion measures for adolescents with disabilities
• Capacity building for frontline workers
• Community mobilization activities
• Youth participation platforms
• Protection support services
• Prevention and response activities related to violence
• Strengthening linkages with government departments and local service providers

Adolescent Empowerment Activities

The programme will help adolescents build confidence, leadership, and decision-making skills.

Adolescent empowerment activities may include:

• Life skills education
• Peer group discussions
• Leadership development
• Participation in community platforms
• Awareness of rights and protection services
• Support for informed decision-making
• Activities that encourage girls’ leadership and agency

These activities aim to help adolescents participate actively in their own development and protection.

Gender Equality and Harmful Practices Prevention

A major focus of the programme is preventing harmful practices and promoting gender equality.

The initiative will address:

• Child marriage
• Gender-based violence
• Discriminatory gender norms
• Unequal treatment of girls
• Limited participation of girls in decision-making
• Barriers to education and services

The programme will also engage boys and men to promote positive gender attitudes and shared responsibility for equality and protection.

Disability Inclusion

The initiative will strengthen inclusion of adolescents with disabilities in community and adolescent development activities.

Disability inclusion measures may include:

• Identifying barriers faced by adolescents with disabilities
• Supporting inclusive adolescent groups
• Promoting accessible participation
• Building awareness among families and communities
• Strengthening referral and support systems
• Training frontline workers on disability-sensitive approaches

This approach aims to ensure that adolescents with disabilities are not excluded from empowerment, protection, and participation opportunities.

Capacity Building of Duty-Bearers

The programme will build the capacities of duty-bearers and frontline workers who support adolescents.

Capacity-building activities may include training on:

• Adolescent development
• Gender equality
• Child protection
• Disability inclusion
• Prevention of child marriage
• Prevention of gender-based violence
• Response to violence
• Community engagement
• Protection support and referral mechanisms

This will help strengthen local systems and improve the quality of support available to adolescents.

Implementation Approach

The project will be implemented through partnerships and coordination with local systems.

Implementation partners may include:

• Government departments
• Non-governmental organizations
• Community-based organizations
• Youth networks
• Frontline service providers
• Local protection systems
• Community platforms

The programme will use an integrated approach that combines community awareness, adolescent participation, service linkages, capacity building, and protection support.

Project Duration

The project will be implemented over an 18-month period.

The implementation period is from July 2026 to December 2027.

Indicative Budget

The indicative budget for the initiative is USD 900,000.

The budget is intended to support integrated programming across adolescent empowerment, gender equality, harmful practices prevention, disability inclusion, capacity building, and community-based protection activities.

Expected Outcomes

The initiative is expected to strengthen adolescent wellbeing, protection, and participation.

Expected outcomes include:

• Improved agency among adolescents
• Stronger adolescent leadership
• Reduction in harmful practices
• Increased awareness of child marriage and gender-based violence
• More positive gender attitudes within communities
• Increased engagement of boys and men in gender equality
• Greater inclusion of adolescents with disabilities
• Strengthened capacity of frontline workers and duty-bearers
• Improved community support for adolescent development
• Stronger systems for protection and response to violence

Why It Matters

This initiative matters because adolescent development is closely connected to education, protection, gender equality, health, and long-term social progress.

When adolescents have life skills, leadership opportunities, safe spaces, and access to support systems, they are better able to make informed decisions and participate in community life.

By addressing child marriage, gender-based violence, disability exclusion, and harmful gender norms, the programme can help create safer and more inclusive communities for young people in Chhattisgarh.

How the Programme Works

The programme will work through an integrated and community-based model.

The key steps may include:

1. Identify adolescent groups and vulnerable communities in the four target districts.
2. Establish adolescent groups and youth participation platforms.
3. Conduct life skills and leadership-building activities.
4. Implement campaigns on child marriage and gender-based violence prevention.
5. Engage boys and men through gender sensitization programmes.
6. Promote inclusion of adolescents with disabilities in all relevant activities.
7. Train frontline workers, duty-bearers, and local partners.
8. Strengthen community-based protection and referral support.
9. Work with government departments, NGOs, CBOs, and youth networks.
10. Monitor progress and document learning for future scale-up.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in EOI Proposals

Organizations responding to the Call for Expression of Interest should avoid unclear or incomplete proposals.

Common mistakes include:

• Not clearly explaining the adolescent empowerment approach
• Ignoring gender-transformative programming
• Treating disability inclusion as a separate or minor activity
• Not showing how boys and men will be engaged
• Failing to address child marriage and gender-based violence
• Not explaining community mobilization strategies
• Providing weak capacity-building plans for frontline workers
• Not showing experience in child protection or adolescent programming
• Not including marginalized communities in the approach
• Not explaining how outcomes will be measured
• Providing an unclear sustainability or partnership strategy

Tips for a Strong Expression of Interest

A strong EOI should be practical, inclusive, and systems-focused.

Useful tips include:

• Clearly describe experience in adolescent empowerment, child protection, gender equality, or disability inclusion.
• Show understanding of the local context in Janjgir-Champa, Bilaspur, Jashpur, and Kabirdham.
• Include a strong plan for adolescent group formation and leadership development.
• Explain how girls and adolescents with disabilities will be reached.
• Include a clear strategy to prevent child marriage and gender-based violence.
• Show how boys, men, families, and communities will be engaged.
• Describe capacity-building plans for frontline workers and duty-bearers.
• Include partnerships with government departments, NGOs, CBOs, and youth networks.
• Explain how the programme will promote community ownership.
• Include measurable outcomes and a realistic implementation plan.

FAQ

1. What is the UNICEF Call for Expression of Interest in Chhattisgarh?

It is a UNICEF-supported initiative to empower adolescents, promote gender equality, prevent harmful practices, and strengthen disability inclusion across four districts of Chhattisgarh.

2. Which districts are covered under the initiative?

The project will be implemented in Janjgir-Champa, Bilaspur, Jashpur, and Kabirdham.

3. What is the duration of the project?

The project will run for 18 months, from July 2026 to December 2027.

4. What is the indicative budget?

The indicative budget for the initiative is USD 900,000.

5. Who are the main beneficiaries?

The main beneficiaries are adolescents, especially girls, adolescents with disabilities, and young people from marginalized communities.

6. What harmful practices will the programme address?

The programme will address harmful practices including child marriage and gender-based violence.

7. Who will implement the programme?

The programme will be implemented through partnerships with government departments, non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, and youth networks.

Conclusion

UNICEF’s Call for Expression of Interest in Chhattisgarh aims to strengthen adolescent empowerment, gender equality, harmful practices prevention, and disability inclusion through an integrated community-based approach.

The 18-month initiative will work across Janjgir-Champa, Bilaspur, Jashpur, and Kabirdham with an indicative budget of USD 900,000. Strong proposals should demonstrate experience in adolescent programming, child protection, gender equality, disability inclusion, community engagement, capacity building, and partnerships with local systems.

For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.