CFAs: Strengthening Social Protection for Women and Children in Rajasthan (India)

Deadline: 30-May-2026

The UNICEF grant initiative aims to strengthen social protection systems for women and children in Rajasthan by improving welfare scheme coverage, institutional coordination, and service delivery for vulnerable populations. The programme focuses on multidimensional poverty reduction, gender equality, child welfare, maternal health, nutrition, capacity building, digital entitlement systems, and improved implementation of government welfare schemes.

The initiative supports evidence generation, training, monitoring, and scalable demonstration models that improve inclusion, increase awareness of entitlements, and strengthen access to social protection services across urban and rural communities in Rajasthan.

About the UNICEF Rajasthan Social Protection Initiative

The programme is being implemented by UNICEF in India to strengthen Rajasthan’s social protection ecosystem for women and children.

The initiative focuses on:

• Improving welfare scheme delivery
• Expanding coverage for vulnerable groups
• Strengthening institutional capacity
• Enhancing coordination among government systems
• Reducing barriers to social protection access

The indicative budget for the initiative is:

• 50,000

The project addresses persistent challenges in accessing government welfare schemes despite the existence of multiple social protection programmes and digital service platforms.

Programme Focus Areas

The initiative supports activities related to:

• Social protection systems
• Multidimensional poverty reduction
• Gender equality
• Women’s empowerment
• Child welfare
• Maternal health
• Nutrition
• Institutional capacity building
• Training and skill development
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Data analysis
• Policy advocacy
• Digital entitlement systems
• Government scheme convergence
• Last-mile service delivery

The programme prioritizes vulnerable populations facing social and economic inequalities.

Social and Development Context in Rajasthan

Rajasthan has:

• A large and geographically diverse population
• Significant rural populations
• Persistent inequalities affecting marginalized communities

Communities particularly affected include:

• Scheduled Tribes (STs)
• Scheduled Castes (SCs)
• Women
• Children
• Economically vulnerable households

Although multiple welfare schemes exist, many eligible beneficiaries continue to face:

• Low awareness of entitlements
• Documentation barriers
• Administrative complexity
• Weak last-mile delivery systems
• Limited institutional coordination

The initiative seeks to close the gap between welfare scheme availability and actual beneficiary access.

Programme Objectives

The project aims to:

• Improve implementation of social protection systems
• Strengthen institutional capacity
• Generate evidence for policy improvement
• Enhance coordination across welfare schemes
• Increase inclusion of vulnerable populations
• Improve access to entitlements and services
• Build scalable delivery models for urban and rural communities

The programme also supports better monitoring and evaluation systems to improve accountability and policy effectiveness.

Expected Results and Outputs

The initiative is expected to deliver several major outputs and system-strengthening outcomes.

Key expected results include:

• A comprehensive state report mapping social protection schemes
• Identification of welfare coverage gaps
• Analysis of barriers preventing access to entitlements
• Development of scalable demonstration models
• Improved welfare scheme saturation among eligible populations

Additional outputs include:

• Foundation-level social protection training courses
• Co-designed institutional training programmes
• Capacity-building tools for government officers
• Community facilitation frameworks
• Standardized operating procedures for intervention scaling
• End-line assessments of coverage improvements
• Dissemination of findings for policy adoption

The project emphasizes sustainable and scalable solutions for long-term system strengthening.

Capacity Building and Training Components

A major focus of the programme is strengthening institutional and community-level capacity.

Activities may include:

• Training government officers
• Developing social protection learning materials
• Improving monitoring and reporting systems
• Building community facilitation networks
• Strengthening frontline service delivery systems

The programme aims to improve both administrative efficiency and community-level awareness.

Demonstration Models and Service Delivery Innovation

The initiative will support:

• Urban saturation models
• Rural outreach models
• Community-based facilitation systems
• Convergence approaches linking multiple welfare schemes

These demonstration models are intended to:

• Improve last-mile service delivery
• Increase beneficiary enrollment
• Reduce exclusion errors
• Strengthen access to social protection benefits

Successful models may later be scaled for broader policy implementation.

Why This Initiative Matters

Strong social protection systems are essential for:

• Poverty reduction
• Child development
• Women’s empowerment
• Nutrition improvement
• Maternal health outcomes
• Social inclusion

In many communities, eligible families fail to access benefits because of:

• Information gaps
• Administrative barriers
• Weak institutional coordination
• Documentation challenges

This programme aims to strengthen the overall ecosystem so that welfare schemes reach intended beneficiaries more effectively and equitably.

Who May Benefit from the Programme?

Potential beneficiaries include:

• Women from vulnerable households
• Children facing social or economic exclusion
• Rural communities
• Marginalized caste and tribal populations
• Low-income families
• Government frontline workers
• Community facilitators and local institutions

The programme also supports policymakers and administrators through evidence and system-strengthening tools.

How the Programme Works

The initiative combines:

• Research and evidence generation
• Institutional training
• Community engagement
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Policy advocacy
• Pilot implementation models

Implementation activities may involve:

• Mapping welfare schemes
• Assessing barriers to access
• Designing training modules
• Conducting outreach and facilitation
• Monitoring service delivery outcomes
• Evaluating improvements in scheme coverage

The programme seeks to create sustainable improvements in social protection delivery systems.

Common Challenges the Programme Addresses

The initiative responds to several recurring social protection challenges:

• Low awareness of government entitlements
• Poor beneficiary identification systems
• Incomplete documentation
• Weak digital access
• Fragmented service delivery
• Limited coordination between welfare schemes
• Gaps in institutional capacity
• Inequitable outreach to vulnerable communities

The programme aims to improve both system efficiency and social inclusion.

Tips for Organizations Preparing Proposals

Organizations preparing grant applications should:

• Demonstrate expertise in social protection systems
• Show experience working with vulnerable populations
• Include strong monitoring and evaluation frameworks
• Propose scalable and evidence-based models
• Highlight community engagement strategies
• Explain institutional capacity-building approaches
• Include gender-sensitive and child-focused interventions
• Align proposals with Rajasthan’s welfare ecosystem and policy priorities

Strong proposals typically combine technical expertise, implementation feasibility, and measurable impact.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the main goal of the UNICEF Rajasthan initiative?

The initiative aims to strengthen social protection systems for women and children by improving welfare scheme coverage, coordination, and service delivery.

Which areas does the programme focus on?

The programme focuses on:

• Social protection
• Gender equality
• Child welfare
• Nutrition
• Maternal health
• Institutional strengthening
• Policy advocacy
• Digital entitlement systems

What is the indicative budget for the initiative?

The indicative budget is:

• 50,000

Who are the primary target beneficiaries?

Target groups include:

• Women
• Children
• Scheduled Tribes
• Scheduled Castes
• Rural communities
• Vulnerable households

What outputs are expected from the programme?

Expected outputs include:

• Social protection mapping reports
• Training programmes
• Community facilitation models
• Standard operating procedures
• End-line assessments
• Policy dissemination materials

Why is social protection strengthening important in Rajasthan?

Many eligible populations still face barriers such as low awareness, documentation issues, and weak service delivery systems despite existing welfare schemes.

What types of interventions will the programme support?

The programme supports:

• Capacity building
• Evidence generation
• Monitoring systems
• Community outreach
• Demonstration models
• Welfare scheme convergence strategies

Conclusion

The UNICEF initiative to strengthen social protection systems in Rajasthan represents an important effort to improve access to welfare schemes for women, children, and vulnerable populations. By focusing on institutional strengthening, community outreach, evidence generation, and scalable service delivery models, the programme aims to reduce exclusion and improve social welfare outcomes across the state.

Organizations with expertise in social protection, capacity building, public policy, community engagement, and welfare systems can play a critical role in improving access, strengthening inclusion, and supporting sustainable social development in Rajasthan.

For more information, visit UN Partner Potal.