Low Value Grants to support Women’s Livelihoods in Nuristan (Afghanistan)

Deadline: 3-Aug-23
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is seeking proposals to promote gender equality and empower women economically in Nuristan by reinforcing their participation in local agricultural value chains.

This will be executed through specialized training programs focused on job creation and entrepreneurship, particularly in areas like food processing, packaging, and greenhouse gardening.

The ABADEI program combines a local area-based program approach within each of Afghanistan’s administrative regions with specific vertical sector initiatives. These six sector initiatives include:

• renewable energy,
• strengthening health systems,
• tertiary education,
• banking and financial services,
• CSO/NGO capacity building, and
• private sector development.

Budget Size and Duration

• Proposals amounts should not exceed USD 150,000.
• The amount requested in the proposal should be commensurate with the organization’s administrative and financial management capabilities. In principle, project duration will not exceed 4 months.

Expected Outputs/Deliverables

• Output 2.3: Local private sector development through technical and financial support to informal and formal businesses, including assisting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to access and/or expand to new market areas, support to local traders, to women-led businesses and community- led social enterprises.
  • Key Activity Result: Local economies improved through gender-responsive community-based livelihoods.
  • Key Actions/Deliverables             
    • Support to the private economy: Agriculture, business, MSMEs, employment.
    • Support women’s empowerment through business, especially (MSMEs) in handicraft industries, agricultural value chain, and women’s access to vocational education that enhances their employability.
  • Indicators: Number of MSMEs benefitting from technical and financial support, disaggregated by female – led MSMEs.

Results

After completion of the assignments, it is expected to achieve the following main results:

• Strengthen capacities of local women within the agricultural value chains. It includes establishment of innovative training programs tailored for local women. These programs should focus on imparting practical skills, such as food processing, packaging, and greenhouse gardening for women, and considering this as entry point for women to get skills, jobs and incomes accordingly. Furthermore, it’s crucial to deliver essential agricultural and livestock resources to economically vulnerable households, especially women-headed households, and those who falls to intersectional groups of vulnerability and poverty.
• Enhance market access for women and women’s products. The selected grantee organization is required to develop and integrate a market linkage module within their training curricula. This module is specifically aimed at empowering women with the necessary knowledge and skills to successfully access and navigate local markets. It is also necessary to ensure that strategic initiatives are actively in place to forge robust connections between these women and their local markets. This will contribute to promoting sustainable economic growth within the community. Therefore, the business skills and inputs should be aligned with the local market needs and informed by the current market situation in Nuristan.

Targeted Geographic Areas

• Region: Eastern
• Province: Nuristan province
• Districts: Parun, Waigal, Kamdesh and Norgram districts

Eligibility & Qualification Criteria

• Minimum Eligibility 
  • To be eligible for this call, an applicant must:
    • Be an organization or association officially registered in the country (applications to be accompanied by proof of registration under the name of the applicant signed and stamped by the relevant authorities).
    • Have sufficient capacity to execute the proposed application and operating experience of minimum two years.
    • Be established and operating in the Eastern region/ Kunar and Laghman provinces.
    • Have experience of managing at least two similar projects during the last four years.
    • Have a valid bank account open under the name of the applicant organization indicating Bank Name, Account Number, Branch Name, Swift Code.
    • Women led registered NGOs/CSOs are encouraged.
• Technical Qualification of the Applicant Organization
  • The Technical Proposal must be submitted using the provided template and following minimum guidelines. The submission package should include the following minimum sections and supporting documents:
    • A cover letter explaining why the applicant organization considers itself the most suitable candidate for the work.
    • A methodological approach of how each of the activities described in the TORs Sections III and IV would be carried out.  This should include specific ideas or suggestions that demonstrate an understanding of the requirements, objectives, scope and deliverables and how they might be enhanced.
    • Gender- inclusive arrangements in targeting and implementation of the TOR, such as female personnel involved in the identification, validation process, location, sector, occupation selection, conducive space i.e., cultural, hygiene, safety, lighting, selection of trainers and timing.
    • Communication and visibility plan in alignment with UNDP and donor requirements and standards. The comprehensive photo and video database should be developed and submitted to UNDP.
    • Grievance redressal mechanism prior, during and after the programme (submit the GRM manual if any).
    • Key risks to completing the deliverables and of ways that these risks might be mitigated.
• Qualification of the Project Implementation Team
  • All key staff positions are required to have the technical competencies and in addition to the qualification below:
    • Display cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age sensitivity and adaptability
    • Treats all people fairly and with impartiality
    • Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
    • Flexible and responsive to changes and unexpected demands.
    • Ability to work with people from different backgrounds to deliver quality products within a short timeframe.
    • Client-oriented and open to feedback.

For more information, visit UNDP.