USAID’s The Goldozi Project: Inviting Community-Based Organizations & NGOs from Afghanistan

Deadline: 31 January 2019

USAID’s Goldozi Project (Goldozi) is seeking applications from organizations interested in assisting FHI 360 implement a grants program to carry out trainings, workshops, and other related project interventions for predominantly women entrepreneurs and their families in the embroidered products value chain.

The Goldozi Project (“Goldozi,” or “embroidery,” in Dari) aims to create 15,500 new and better jobs in the embroidered products value chain, primarily for women, in Afghanistan.

Grant Objectives

Goldozi grants will achieve six objectives:

Prepare LEs to lead producer groups through the GCP;
- Register the proposed number of WEs
- Identify, select, and register the proposed number of LEs from among registered WEs
- Conduct the Goldozi Certificate Program (GCP) in grantee-provided facilities for LEs
Establish producer groups of 1 LE to 30 WEs;
- Assign 30 WEs to an LE upon the completion of Phase 1 training;
- Assist LEs with the establishment of a Producer Group
Provide continuous support to help LEs succeed in their role as facilitator of producer groups;
- Conduct refresher trainings for LEs in each year of the grant period, including the first year
- Conduct family forums for LEs and their families for the purpose of gender sensitization of LE male family members to the value of supporting women family members to earn income
- Provide ongoing direct support to LEs to identify and overcome barriers to success
Provide rolling support to WEs to help them produce quality embroidered goods;
- Offer the basic business management module (Phase 1) of the GCP to WEs
- Offer capacity building to WEs on stitching techniques and trending designs, derived from modules in Phase 2 of the GCP
- Provide ongoing direct support to WEs to identify and overcome barriers to success
Promote the quality of Goldozi-branded embroidered goods; and
- Conduct spot checks of product quality for embroidered goods produced by WEs
Facilitate market linkages for LEs in order to promote efficiencies, quality, and profit.
- Identify and link LEs with suppliers of quality inputs
- Identify and link LEs with clothing producers, wholesalers, and retailers
- Conduct buyer-seller meetings and exposure visits

Award Information

Estimate of Funds Available and Number of Awards Contemplated Goldozi expects to award up to three grants under this RFA. The total number of LEs and WEs reached through this grant must add up to 150 and 4,500, respectively. The applicant may propose to reach between 20 LEs/600 WEs and 100 LEs/3,000 WEs.
It is estimated that all grants issued under this RFA will cumulatively not exceed USD $400,000 over the three-year period of grant implementation. The applicant is encouraged to find cost efficiencies, as cost is evaluation criteria as per the scoring criteria.
Activities pursuant to this RFA will be for a three-year period. The estimated start date is on or about March 1, 2019.

Eligibility Criteria

Goldozi anticipates issuance of grants to Afghan organizations, such as: