Call for Proposals: UN Women inviting International/National/Local NGOs in Kenya

Deadline: 12-Apr-24
UN Women is pleased to announce its call for proposals aimed at engaging a Civil Society Organization or a Women Rights Organization in implementing the Evidence to Policy for Kenya Care Economy project.

The initiative aims at removing structural and systemic barriers to women’s full and equal participation in the Kenyan economy by developing a National Care Policy for the country, implementing the policy at both national and county levels, and strengthening women’s entrepreneurship.

UN Women, in close partnership with the SDfGAA, proposes to carry out a project that seeks to remove structural and systemic barriers to women’s full and equal participation in the economy in Kenya by finalizing the development of a National Care Policy, implementing the policy at both national and county levels and strengthening women’s entrepreneurship. By doing so, UN Women will contribute towards addressing the gender imbalances that are a root cause of women’s social and economic disempowerment. This project will focus on policy development at the national level during the first year, followed by county-level implementation and advocacy during the second year.

Funding Information

• The budget range for this proposal should be (Min. USD 100,000– Max. USD 120,000)

Outcomes and Outputs

• The project seeks to remove structural and systemic barriers to women’s full and equal participation in the economy in Kenya by developing a National Care Policy for the country, implementing the policy at both national and county levels, and strengthening women’s entrepreneurship. Ultimately, the aim is to foster a strong role for the public and private sectors through increased investment in care-supporting infrastructure and create opportunities for women and girls to engage in decent paid work.
• The outcome of the project is: Women and girls benefit from an inclusive and gender-responsive policy on care and transformative care services.
• Output
  • The national and county governments and civil society organizations have the capacity to plan, develop and implement a gender-responsive National Care Policy.
    • Provide technical assistance to and build the capacity of the State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action to develop the National Care Policy.
    • Support the convening of national and county-level policy dialogues on formulation and implementation of the National Care Policy.
    • Support the organization of national validation meetings; and engage with the Kenyan legislature and cabinet for sensitization and approval of the policy.
    • Raise awareness in communities, including with community opinion leaders, for social norms and behavior change, including scaling up HeForShe community advocates to increase awareness on unpaid care work.
    • Facilitate consultations with the private sector to incorporate their viewpoints into the National Care Policy.
    • CSOs/WROs to document the specific types and modalities of public care services and infrastructure that women and girls in different settings in Kenya most need. The study will collect lessons and best practices from Busia, Nairobi, Kisumu and Tharaka Nithi, to inform care-related work in the three counties of Kitui, Laikipia and West Pokot.
    • Support the mid-term review on the progress of the Government of Kenya’s commitments on care work.

Eligibility Criteria

• Technical/functional competencies required:
  • Non-Government Organizations (national/local)
  • International Non-Government Organizations
  • Academic institutions
  • UN agencies
  • Inter-governmental institutions not part of the UN System
  • Proven track record of 5 – 7 years in the gender equality and women’s empowerment (WEE)/ disability inclusion/ care
  • Proven record of ensuring gender equality and the empowerment of women is mainstreamed.
  • Proven commitment to results (able to provide reports/evaluations of successful results)
  • Proven credibility in the country or region, especially credibility in terms of working towards gender equality,
  • Women’s resilience and women’s economic empowerment
• Other competencies, which while not required, can be an asset for the performance of services:
  • Evidence of the organization having grassroots presence and or affiliation/networks with other similar strong qualified organizations in the country.
  • Evidence of strong working relationships with relevant stakeholders in country including national/sub-national government, other CSOs including faith-based organisations, donors and/or private sector.
  • Capacity to mobilise development partners in the WEE and Care spaces.
  • Good relations with Government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
  • Experience in policy development and implementation.
  • Participation in the development of policy documents and particularly the National Care Policy.
  • Participation in the WEE and care communities of practice (CoP).
  • Coordination of communities of practice.
  • Experience organising awareness campaigns.

For more information, visit UN Women.