USAID Access to Education Grant Program (Senegal)

Deadline: 30-Apr-24

Applications are now open for Access to Education project to improve access for children and youth, especially the most marginalized and vulnerable, to quality education that is safe, relevant, and can promote social well-being.”

The purpose of the Access to Education (A2E) Activity is to support out of school children and youth in Kolda, Sedhiou and Kédougou to gain access to quality and inclusive learning and training opportunities while simultaneously strengthening community engagement and prevention of gender based violence, specifically, bullying, corporal punishment, and sexual violence and utilize an inclusive development approach. The Activity addresses the USAID Education Policy priority of “children and youth, particularly the most marginalized and vulnerable, have increased access to quality education that is safe, relevant, and promotes social well-being.” It also addresses the USAID Youth in Development Policy objectives on better access to services and livelihood opportunities, youth participation in decision-making and systems for positive youth development.

USAID/Senegal is considering assisting a bidder with a defined plan to achieve these results. This plan will be further developed through a co-creation process and in consultation with USAID/Senegal. USAID/Senegal’s goal is to support one or more implementing partners whose work plan reflects the Positive Youth Development (PYD) approach and with the capacity to independently identify and address novel interventions that promote positive outcomes for young people.

Objective 

• The project aims to strengthen non-formal education opportunities for out-of-school children and youth in Kolda, Sédhiou and Kédougou in order to foster the inclusive engagement of all children and youth in their communities.
• The goal of the USAID/Senegal A2E project is to foster access to quality and inclusive learning and livelihood generation opportunities for out-of-school children and youth in Kolda, Sédhiou, and Kédougou, while strengthening community engagement and prevention of gender-based violence in learning environments.
  • Result 1: Out-of-school children and youth from vulnerable communities have access to safe learning environments that enable them to develop literacy and numeracy skills
    • The proposed approaches are expected to result in measurable improvements in literacy, numeracy and other basic skills to prepare an individual to become an active and productive member of society and the labour force. The project will address the barriers faced by out-of-school children and youth in accessing education and develop innovative ways for vulnerable children and youth. Proposed approaches need to be tailored to the regional and local context and demonstrate their effectiveness in reaching and retaining vulnerable youth, especially girls and children with disabilities. The project needs to find entry points to address school-related gender-based violence to create a safe learning environment for girls.
  • Result 2: Improved access to life skills and livelihood training for out-of-school children and youth from vulnerable communities
    • A2E will expand access to life skills training and locally appropriate livelihood development. Interventions should engage young people and their families and be tailored to meet the needs of young people based on gender, age or disability. This includes proposing innovative approaches to 1.) teachage appropriate social and emotional skills to all beneficiaries and 2.) Teach appropriate workforce development techniques.
  • Result 3: Strengthened engagement and support of local communities, governments, parents, the private sector and other potential partners for youth education and livelihoods.
    • A2E should engage young people, communities, local governments, parents, the local private sector and any other potential local partners with the aim of boosting their commitment and support for the education of out-of-school children and youth at their level. A2E will work in partnership with local actors and communities to ensure that the educational opportunities offered incorporate vulnerable groups, including but not limited to girls and children and young people with disabilities.

Funding Information

• USAID plans to award up to two grants totaling $9,500,000 over a five-year period, divided into two phases.
  • Phase 1 (Years 1 to 3 of the project): Initial grants capped at $7 million.
  • Phase 2 (Year 4 and Year 5 of the project): Renewal of grants up to a total amount of $2.5 million. The final amount will be determined during the programmatic review and may be lower or higher depending on the circumstances.

Implementation Priorities

• Priorities for implementation the following are the priorities that the bidder should include in its concept note and integrate into its proposed approaches.
  • Positive Youth Development (DYP): The project must adopt a positive youth development approach10 to ensure the effectiveness of youth development principles and practices. The DYP11 is a resolute, holistic, age- and developmentally-appropriate, gender-transformative and pro-social approach for youth development. It advocates for the development of positive youth and community strengths and strengthens protective factors to increase resilience and achieve desired short- and long-term outcomes for youth. Interventions need to be led by young people for young people. L
  • Gender mainstreaming: Bidders should demonstrate their capacity to address gender disparities and empower women, and illustrate how the organization or project is structured to ensure that gender disparities are deliberately and adequately addressed in their programs. While gender-based discrimination persists across Senegal in the cultural, social, and political spheres, USAID’s A2E project will encourage opportunities to reverse this trend and highlight the societal benefits of doing so.
  • Gender-based violence prevention: Unsafe learning environments and travel to and from school are among the main barriers affecting student retention and learning outcomes. Safety in education programs refers to physical and emotional safety and psychosocial support in the learning environment. Bidders must propose interventions to address gender-based violence in learning environments and incorporate community and parent involvement.
  • Inclusive education for children and youth with disabilities: Inclusive education for persons with disabilities helps foster a culture of respect and belonging in learning environments. In an environment where everyone is fair to others and builds trusting relationships, the impact is far-reaching, particularly in terms of acceptance of individual differences, resulting in a decline in gender-based violence, crime, bullying and discrimination.

Geographic Areas 

• The A2E activity will target out-of-school children and youth in the regions of Kolda, Sédhiou and Kédougou.
• The continuity of interventions in these regions is the result of a strong desire to build on the progress made within the framework of the Passerelles project.
• A maximum of two separate grants will be awarded per geographic area.
• Interested bidders must submit a specific concept to one or more of the following three administrative regions: Kolda, Sédhiou, Kédougou.

Eligibility Criteria

• Interested organizations, of any kind, may submit only one concept note as the lead bidder. In the event that more than one concept note is received from the same lead bidder, USAID will seek written clarification from the relevant entity as to which concept note should be considered. If no clarification is provided within five (5) business days, all concept notes from that bidder will be deemed ineligible.
• It should be noted that bidders may act as sub-recipients or partners under several concept notes under this Addendum. Only local organizations and institutions that meet the definition below are eligible for the program set out in this A2E Addendum.
• Non-local organizations can participate as part of a consortium led by a local partner.
• Local Organization Definition
  • USAID welcomes concepts from a wide variety of local actors who bring an understanding of the development challenges facing their communities, country, or regions or who demonstrate a way to determine local priorities in their approach. Eligible applicants:
    • Must be local entities in Senegal. When determining if an entity is a “local entity” for the  purposes of this APS, USAID will consider:
      • Whether the entity is legally organized under the laws of Senegal;
      • Whether the entity has its principal place of business or operations in Senegal;
      • Whether the entity is majority owned and controlled by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Senegal; and
      • Whether the entity is managed by a governing body, the majority of whom are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Senegal.
    • Cannot be a U.S.-based organization. U.S.-based organizations are not eligible as prime awardees under this APS.

For more information, visit Grant.gov.