Deadline: 24 August 2018
The U.S. Embassy in Togo has announced the NOFO for a new program in Sokode (Central Togo) aimed at conducting a series of peace and reconciliation workshops to break down barriers between youth from different social sub-groups with the objective of creating a network of peace-builders in Sokode, Central Togo.
The goal of this program is to build a greater resiliency in the community to resist calls for violence and extremism.
Funding Information
- Approximate Total Funding: $65,000
- The initial period of performance will be August 2018-February 2019.
Activities
Activities will comprise four phases:
- Phase one of the project (August– October 2018) will be a series of peace and reconciliation workshops facilitated by a trusted local partner for youth from different religious, political, and ethnic backgrounds. These workshops will take place at a local cultural center. This center is now the only place in Sokode where community members can meet, after the previous community center was burned down during riots in October 2017. A small amount of funds will be used to upgrade the center (primarily painting and electrical work). At the close of each peace-building session, participants will be asked to create an action committee that will meet regularly to develop follow-on projects that will advance greater cohesion and community development. In this way the center will become a “Peace Hub” that begins to overcome the violent tensions in the city that make it ripe to explode once more into violence or fall prey to promoters of extremism.
- Phase two (November – December 2018) will be sports clinic and cultural show bringing together diverse youth from Sokode and surrounding communities. Sport and Culture are an ideal mechanism for bridging barriers. The clinics will be combined with educational sessions on the importance of peace and tolerance. Meanwhile during this period, the community development projects proposed by the peace-builders action committees working out of the “Peace Hub” will be implemented.
- Phase three (January 2019) will involve a major conference to highlight the results of the community development projects, organized with local officials, political parties, and religious figures. The conference will be capped off by a cultural show featuring youth performers form the community as well as nationally recognized artists. The message will be that peace pays off and leads to positive change, while violence only creates more violence. A strong media marketing campaign will accompany these activities to drive home the message
- Phase four (February 2019) will involve site visits of the different community development projects and evaluation of the project as a whole. Projects that have shown promise by achieving quantifiable results may be eligible for funding by partner organizations.
Eligible Applicants
Media organizations, educational and research institutions, foreign public entities, U.S. not-for-profit/non-governmental organizations.
How to Apply
Completed applications should be submitted electronically at the address given on the website.
For more information, please visit U.S. Embassy in Togo.