Deadline: 19-Apr-2024
UN Women has announced a call for proposals for Empowerment of Disadvantaged Women and Girls through Education and Digital Technology in Côte d’Ivoire.
The project to empower disadvantaged women and girls is aligned with the 5th Hi5 of the African Development Bank (AfDB) entitled: “Improving the quality of life of Africans, particularly within the framework of the Youth Employment Strategy and the Gender Strategy”. As part of the Jobs for Youth strategy, the AfDB aims to increase inclusive employment and entrepreneurship, strengthen human capital and create sustainable links with the labor market. The proposal is also aligned with the Bank’s Gender Strategy in its pillar 2: “accelerating job creation for women through improving skills”. This pillar aims to increase women’s access to relevant skills and jobs taking into account the need to introduce more women into the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), while leveraging technology to improve access to skills and information. The project will significantly contribute to ensuring access to quality education (SDG 2), to guaranteeing access to decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), for women and girls, to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment (SDG 5) and to eliminate poverty (SDG 1). The project is also part of the ADB Strategic Document for Côte d’Ivoire, in its pillar 1: “develop transport, ICT, urban development and energy infrastructure at national and regional levels”.
Based on the previous experience of the “Empowering Women in Agricultural Transformation” project, funded by the Korea Trust Fund and implemented by UN Women, education and skills development emerged as a key issue for the development of women and girls, particularly in rural areas. With the BuyFromWomen platform developed through this project, women and girls have demonstrated their appetite and capacity for digital technologies and business opportunities.
Significance of the Project
- The overall objective of the project is to ensure that disadvantaged girls and women in Côte d’Ivoire have access to, participate in and achieve quality outcomes in learning, entrepreneurship and employment through education and digital technology, in:
- Developing context-specific, affordable and scalable learning, entrepreneurship and employment pathways to empower disadvantaged women and young women in Côte d’Ivoire;
- Providing women and young women, their families, local communities and societies with the benefits of access to educational services tailored not only to their needs as learners, but also to their future as employees.
- It draws on partnerships, holistic approaches, innovative technologies, learning pedagogies and funding to achieve its objectives. It targets between 200 and 400 girls and women who are out of school or not, from 10 Women’s Training and Education Institutes (IFEF) in peri-urban and rural areas aged 16 to 45 (72.8% aged 16 to 25) who lack access to formal education and entrepreneurial skills.
Purpose of the Service
- As part of the implementation of the activities of the project “Empowerment of disadvantaged women and girls, through education and digital technology”, UN Women is looking for an Implementation Partner (IP) for the execution of a certain number of activities, namely: the development of training modules/curricula; the development of the content of the e-learning program; the selection of girls and women for vocational training; conducting community awareness and advocacy activities as detailed below.
- Activity stream 1 Develop training modules/curricula
- Presentation of the development and digitalization protocol including: The methodology, design, tools used (explanation of choice); the limitations and expected results as well as the timetable of the mission to the project managers, with a detailed plan taking into account the objectives to be achieved, the means available and the rigor of the proposed approach The modules and guides with educational sheets and content, adapted to the specific needs of education personnel (based on the results of the needs survey), are produced and available in electronic version within a digital library and version printed and bound paper and test the training module during a seminar for its evaluation and validation;
- Activity stream 2 Develop the content of the e-learning program and create an online learning platform for women and girls
- Analyze the capabilities of the Center for Women Entrepreneurs (CFE) to serve as a hosting center for the various servers and propose solutions if necessary
- Define activities, implementation formats and learning strategies Provide detailed advice on choosing an Open Source solution (also mobile and tablet compatible) and interactive content (application of learning strategies, integration of multimedia elements and development of courseware)
- Provide support to training institutes in adapting teaching modules and putting them online
- Develop the various training modules and online learner evaluation systems; Configure and deploy the e-learning system on the CFE servers
- Support training institutes in the deployment and appropriation of the system that will be put in place
- Propose a sustainability plan for the e-learning system
- Activity stream 3: Select girls and women for vocational training
- The bidder must present a methodological note which highlights the techniques and tools used, the time allocated and the resources allocated (human and material) to carry out the various profiling activities.
- Activity stream 4 conducting community awareness and advocacy activities
- Plan and guide interventions relating to social mobilization, strengthening community groups, and facilitate relations between communities and local authorities on issues of positive masculinities and femininities, the division of labor between women, girls, men and boys at the household level to enable women and girls to develop their entrepreneurial skills and opportunities;
- Work to define the technical support strategy and the social and community mobilization work plan Provide conflict mediation and promote community dialogue Work to define the technical support strategy and the social and community mobilization work plan Take stock of the action of the local committees set up on each site by identifying the strengths/opportunities and weaknesses/constraints encountered in the context of their organization and operation as well as in the implementation of activities in order to measure the positive or negative impact of the intervention.
- Activity stream 1 Develop training modules/curricula
Funding Information
- The budget range for this proposal should be Min. 35,000,000 XOF and Max: 50,000,000 XOF.
Timeline
- Start date and end date for completion of required services/results
- Implementation of project activities will begin on June 1, 2024 until November 31, 2024
Services and Results Required
- Existence of a participatory, innovative and achievable work methodology over time
- Existence of a task execution timeline
- Existence of lists of project beneficiaries (girls and women)
- Existence of a directory of training modules and curricula
- Existence of an online learning platform
- Effectiveness of awareness-raising actions and advocacy
Competencies
- Technical/Functional Skills Required
- The bidding organizations will be experienced and active NGOs, Associations, which must demonstrate:
- Number of years of experience: At least 5 years
- Be an NGO of national or international renown recognized by the competent national authority and having good knowledge of the environment of Institutes of Training and Women’s Education (IFEF) in Côte d’Ivoire.
- Have benefited from funding from international organizations to carry out projects or initiatives as part of the training of young girls in careers and entrepreneurship.
- Have carried out at least one awareness campaign of national scope and aimed at at least five hundred people, on digital themes, entrepreneurship, or other themes.
- Have at least 3 years of experience in program/project management;
- Justify the required administrative, technical and financial capacities;
- Have the personnel and logistical means necessary for the services to be carried out in the project areas.
- Have an office and/or work experience in the project implementation areas
- The bidding organizations will be experienced and active NGOs, Associations, which must demonstrate:
- Other skills which, although not required, can be an asset for service performance
- Significant experience in the implementation of digitalization and e-learning projects
- Knowledge of United Nations procedures would be an asset.
- Proven skills in specialized and close advisory support, as well as training and monitoring of income-generating activities (AGR)
For more information, visit UN Women.