CFAs: Empowering Youth to Improve Child Health During Crises (Lesotho)

Deadline: 26-Apr-2026

UNICEF Lesotho invites Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to partner on adolescent-focused interventions improving child health outcomes during crises. The programme targets education, health, livelihoods, and social protection, aiming to enhance adolescent health, skills development, and digital access, while addressing maternal, neonatal, and HIV-related risks in vulnerable communities.

Programme Overview

UNICEF is seeking expressions of interest from CSOs in Lesotho to implement interventions that improve child health outcomes by empowering adolescents and youth. The initiative integrates multiple focus areas:

• Education: Out-of-school education, learning outcomes, and skills development for adolescents
• Health: Adolescent health, sexual and reproductive health, child health, HIV/AIDS services
• Livelihoods: Skills training, self-reliance, and sustainable livelihood opportunities
• Social Policy & Advocacy: Social protection, multidimensional poverty, and youth-focused social safety nets

This programme targets vulnerable adolescents and young people aged 10–35, particularly in mountainous and hard-to-reach districts, where barriers include limited transportation, health workforce shortages, and high youth unemployment.

Context and Rationale

Lesotho faces overlapping humanitarian and development challenges:

• High maternal and child mortality, with significant neonatal deaths linked to anemia in pregnant women
• Severe HIV epidemic, disproportionately affecting adolescent girls, contributing to early pregnancies and limited access to youth-friendly health services
• Youth unemployment crisis, with 40% of young people unemployed and 74% of adolescents aged 18–24 out of school
• Teenage pregnancy prevalence affecting nearly one in five girls, reinforcing cycles of exclusion and poverty
  These intersecting crises highlight the need for community-driven, adolescent-centered interventions to improve child health outcomes during crises.

Key Results and Activities

Result 1: Improved Child Health Outcomes

• Target beneficiaries: 21,600 adolescents, young mothers, and youth
• Activities:
  • Community and digital engagement to promote HIV testing, early antenatal care, maternal and neonatal services
  • Social accountability measures to increase facility-based deliveries
  • Linkage of adolescents to livelihood opportunities for sustainable health and economic outcomes
• Maximum grant: US$60,000

Result 2: Expanded Livelihood Opportunities

• Target beneficiaries: 400 young people, focusing on young mothers
• Activities:
  • Skills training and small grants for farming, agribusiness, small-scale manufacturing, climate-smart technologies, and food processing
  • Support for implementation of sustainable livelihood initiatives
• Maximum grant: US$40,000

Result 3: Enhanced Digital Access and Employability

• Target beneficiaries: 450 adolescents (girls and boys)
• Activities:
  • Upskilling and earning opportunities through the Yoma digital learning-to-earning platform
  • Provision of tools, devices, and locally relevant digital training modules
• Maximum grant: US$90,000

CSOs may submit proposals for only one of the three results.

Geographic Coverage

• Mokhotlong
• Thaba-Tseka
• Berea
• Leribe
• Mohale’s Hoek

Who Can Apply?

• Legally registered CSOs in Lesotho
• Experience in adolescent health, education, livelihoods, or social protection programming
• Capacity to reach vulnerable adolescents in hard-to-reach districts
• Ability to implement community-driven, participatory approaches

Expected Outcomes

• Improved child and adolescent health outcomes during crises
• Increased access to livelihood opportunities and skills development for young people
• Enhanced digital access, employability, and earning potential for adolescents
• Strengthened resilience of adolescents and communities, ensuring vulnerable youth are not left behind

Tips for Applicants

• Focus on one result area only and align proposal with target beneficiaries
• Demonstrate capacity for community engagement and participatory programming
• Include clear monitoring and evaluation mechanisms
• Address sustainability and potential for scale-up
• Highlight prior experience working with adolescent health and youth livelihoods

FAQ

Q1: Who can submit proposals?
A1: Legally registered CSOs in Lesotho with experience in adolescent health, education, livelihoods, or social protection.

Q2: Can organizations apply for more than one result?
A2: No, each CSO may apply for only one result area.

Q3: What are the maximum budgets for each result?
A3: Lot 1: US$60,000 | Lot 2: US$40,000 | Lot 3: US$90,000

Q4: Who are the primary beneficiaries?
A4: Adolescents and young people aged 10–35, with emphasis on young mothers, out-of-school youth, and vulnerable adolescents.

Q5: Where will the programme be implemented?
A5: Districts of Mokhotlong, Thaba-Tseka, Berea, Leribe, and Mohale’s Hoek.

Q6: What sectors does the initiative cover?
A6: Education, health (including sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS), livelihoods, and social protection.

Q7: What is the overall goal?
A7: Strengthen resilience, improve child health outcomes, and ensure vulnerable adolescents are not left behind during crises.

Conclusion

This UNICEF Lesotho initiative empowers adolescents and youth by integrating health, education, livelihoods, and social protection interventions. By focusing on vulnerable communities, the programme strengthens resilience, enhances access to essential services, and ensures that adolescents and young mothers receive life-saving support and sustainable opportunities during crises.

For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.