Deadline: 29 August 2018
The Accelerating Strategies for Practical Innovation and Research in Economic Strengthening project (ASPIRES), a USAID and PEPFAR-funded cooperative agreement implemented by FHI 360 is seeking applications to support evidence-based, gender-sensitive programming to improve the economic security and health and wellbeing outcomes of highly vulnerable populations, such as adolescent girls and young women.
The purpose is to develop and pilot test a demand-driven youth employment and microenterprise development program that place adolescent girls and young women in jobs or self-employment, building on comprehensive job demand market analysis in the Zimbabwe Employment Market Opportunity Analysis paper.
The objective of this RFA is to identify a local partner organization to pilot test employment and micro-enterprise development activities that show promise for providing sustainable benefits to adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Zimbabwe. These promising activities should build on opportunities identified in the Job Demand Market Analysis paper. FHI 360 will identify one organization or consortium to receive a sub award to implement a project in a setting in Zimbabwe that is appropriate to the objective of building sustainable benefits to AGYW.
Funding Information
The ceiling for award(s) under this RFA is $100,000for one award.
Scope of Work
The primary learning focus of ASPIRES’ Job Demand Market Analysis: Operational Learning & Pilot Testing activity is to better understand the combination of skills, assets, approaches and other forms of support that are most effective in linking vulnerable adolescent girls and young women in Zimbabwe to sustainable livelihoods. The recent study, Zimbabwe Employment Market Opportunity Analysis, conducted by ASPIRES in early 2018 represents the latest understanding of Zimbabwe’s context and opportunities for livelihoods programming for this vulnerable population. The aim of this RFA is to identify a local partner to develop targeted pilot activities based on this analysis that would support AGYW in better reaching economic opportunities.
Based on the Zimbabwe Employment Market Opportunity Analysis (ZEMOA) report, applicants should present a proposal for pilot programming at the district level, building on existing perceptions and knowledge of opportunities revealed in the report. At a high level, the ZEMOA identified five programming opportunities for implementers that respond to the needs of AGYW and the market demand, as well as eight more broad recommendations about programming for AGYW in Zimbabwe. The five programming opportunities that are summarized below include:
- Improve holistic and layered programming – opportunities exist to improve the holistic nature programming for AGYW. This means using practices such as community engagement, a positive youth development approach, educational and learning resources, and games in combination with greater access to demand driven market opportunities such as information on which sectors have growth potential, or what skill employers look for when hiring.
- How to Build Understanding of Micro-Value Chain and Growth Pathways –identifying micro value chains and potential growth pathways, and providing this information as a service to AGYW is one area of opportunity. This information or ability for AGYW to understand these local opportunities could improve their ability to target job searches to employers who are looking to hire or create businesses that could respond to local demand.
- Building Group Businesses – buy supporting AGYW to develop group businesses, in the right circumstances, they have a greater opportunity to pool resources and skills to respond to market demand. This includes insuring AGYW group businesses are founded on trust, that participants have sufficient financial literacy and a structure that allows them to access to financial resources, and have ground rules or a structure that help resolve conflict and ensure the business stability.
- Build engaged mentorship system – opportunities exist to build on mentorship programs, by improving their utility to both mentors firms’ and AGYW. This includes establishing a value proposition for mentors and AGYW up front, a means of monitoring and enforcing rules for both parties, and ensuring a quality and continuity of the mentor pool.
- Improve market linkages and information flow–providing or facilitating linkages to improved technical information or market linkages to already established microenterprises looking for this type of support is another opportunity. The provision of advanced technical or business trainings, improved business operation skills, or information about a market such as goods prices or new business partners could further strengthen established AGYW owned microenterprises.
Eligibility Criteria
- This competition is open to US, international or national non-governmental organizations, faith based organizations, and universities.
- Collaboration with other organizations is welcome, and particularly encouraged in cases in which applicants present a convincing description of complementary technical and operational strengths.
- Submitting organizations must have a presence in and be registered to work in Zimbabwe for project implementation and have a minimum of two years of experience working in that country.
- They must be able to demonstrate prior experience in leading and implementing projects of $100,000 or more in value, supported by appropriate donor references.
How to Apply
Proposals must be submitted via email at the address given on the website.
For more information, please visit ASPIRES.