CFPs: Child Protection and School Safety Initiatives (South Africa)

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is accepting applications for a programme that supports learner-centred interventions to prevent gender-based violence (GBV) and create safer, more inclusive schools. The initiative focuses on empowering students, strengthening school safety systems, improving reporting mechanisms, and promoting gender-responsive education environments.

About the UNICEF School Safety and GBV Prevention Programme

UNICEF has launched a partnership opportunity to support interventions that address gender-based violence prevention, child protection, and violence prevention in schools.

The programme aims to create learning environments where children and young people feel safe, supported, and empowered to participate in preventing and responding to gender-based violence.

The initiative focuses on strengthening student leadership, improving school protection systems, and promoting positive gender attitudes among learners.

Programme Objectives

The programme aims to:

• Prevent gender-based violence in schools.
• Promote safer and more inclusive learning environments.
• Empower learners to identify and respond to violence.
• Strengthen child-friendly school systems.
• Improve reporting and referral mechanisms.
• Support gender-responsive school practices.
• Increase learner participation in school safety activities.

Key Focus Areas

The programme focuses on three main areas:

Child Protection

The initiative supports:

• Protection of children from violence and abuse.
• Safe school environments.
• Child-friendly reporting systems.
• Learner support mechanisms.
• Strengthened protection policies.

Gender-Based Violence Prevention

Activities will focus on:

• Preventing violence against learners.
• Promoting gender equality.
• Challenging harmful gender norms.
• Increasing awareness of GBV risks.
• Supporting survivor-centred responses.

Prevention of Violence and Crime

The programme supports:

• Safer schools.
• Violence prevention education.
• Positive behaviour development.
• Community and school-based safety initiatives.

Expected Programme Outcomes

By the end of the partnership period, the programme aims to achieve:

• At least 12,000 learners participating in structured GBV prevention activities.
• Increased learner leadership in school safety initiatives.
• Establishment of learner-led platforms or clubs in participating schools.
• Improved implementation of school safety frameworks.
• Better awareness of reporting and referral pathways.
• Increased adoption of positive gender norms.

How the Programme Supports Learners

The initiative will empower students to:

• Recognise signs of gender-based violence.
• Understand their rights and responsibilities.
• Report violence safely.
• Access available support services.
• Participate in prevention activities.
• Become leaders in creating safer schools.

Strengthening School Safety Systems

The programme will support schools to improve:

• Safety policies.
• Referral systems.
• Reporting procedures.
• Prevention frameworks.
• Protection mechanisms.

It will contribute to the implementation of:

• The National School Safety Framework.
• The Protocol for the Management and Reporting of Sexual Abuse and Harassment in Schools.

Who Is Eligible?

The opportunity is intended for organisations with experience in child protection, education, gender equality, and violence prevention.

Eligible applicants may include:

• Non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
• Child protection organisations.
• Education-focused organisations.
• Civil society organisations.
• Organisations working with schools and learners.

Applicants should demonstrate experience in:

• Gender-based violence prevention.
• Child safeguarding.
• School-based interventions.
• Learner participation approaches.
• Community engagement.
• Education systems strengthening.

Why This Programme Matters

Schools play a critical role in protecting children and promoting equality.

Gender-based violence can negatively affect:

• Children’s safety.
• Educational participation.
• Mental and emotional wellbeing.
• Academic outcomes.
• Future opportunities.

This programme helps address these challenges by creating environments where learners can:

• Speak about violence safely.
• Access support.
• Participate in decision-making.
• Promote respect and equality.

How the Programme Works

Selected partners will support activities such as:

1. Implementing learner-centred GBV prevention programmes.
2. Establishing learner leadership platforms.
3. Supporting school safety activities.
4. Strengthening reporting and referral systems.
5. Training learners and school communities.
6. Documenting successful approaches and lessons learned.

Key Activities Supported

Potential activities may include:

• Learner leadership training.
• Gender equality awareness sessions.
• School safety campaigns.
• Student-led clubs and platforms.
• Reporting mechanism improvements.
• Child protection activities.
• Documentation of good practices.

Monitoring and Learning

The programme will focus on documenting:

• Successful interventions.
• Implementation lessons.
• Good practices.
• Learning materials.
• Approaches that can be expanded.

These resources will support long-term sustainability and future programme improvements.

How to Apply

Interested organisations should:

1. Review UNICEF programme requirements.
2. Confirm organisational eligibility.
3. Prepare a proposal aligned with child protection and GBV prevention goals.
4. Demonstrate technical expertise and implementation capacity.
5. Explain planned activities and expected outcomes.
6. Submit required application documents according to UNICEF guidelines.

Applicants should clearly describe:

• Target schools and learners.
• Implementation approach.
• Safeguarding measures.
• Monitoring and evaluation methods.
• Sustainability plans.

Tips for a Strong Application

Applicants should:

• Demonstrate experience working with children and schools.
• Include learner-centred approaches.
• Highlight gender-responsive strategies.
• Explain community involvement.
• Provide measurable outcomes.
• Include strong safeguarding practices.
• Show ability to document and scale successful approaches.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid:

• Focusing only on awareness without prevention strategies.
• Ignoring learner participation.
• Failing to include safeguarding measures.
• Providing unclear implementation plans.
• Missing links with school safety frameworks.
• Not explaining monitoring methods.
• Proposing activities without sustainability plans.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the UNICEF learner-centred GBV prevention programme?

It is an initiative supporting schools and organisations to prevent gender-based violence and create safer learning environments through learner participation and protection systems.

Who will benefit from this programme?

Learners, schools, teachers, and communities will benefit through improved safety systems, awareness, and prevention activities.

How many learners are expected to participate?

The programme aims to engage at least 12,000 learners in structured gender-based violence prevention and leadership initiatives.

What are the main focus areas?

The programme focuses on child protection, gender-based violence prevention, school safety, reporting systems, and learner leadership.

What role will learners play in the programme?

Learners will participate in prevention activities, leadership platforms, awareness initiatives, and school safety efforts.

What school frameworks will the programme support?

The programme supports implementation of the National School Safety Framework and protocols for managing and reporting sexual abuse and harassment in schools.

Why are learner-led platforms important?

Learner-led platforms encourage students to actively participate in creating safer schools and promoting positive gender norms.

Conclusion

The UNICEF Learner-Centred Programme for Gender-Based Violence Prevention provides an opportunity to strengthen child protection and school safety systems through meaningful learner participation. By empowering students, improving reporting pathways, and supporting gender-responsive education environments, the initiative aims to create safer and more inclusive schools where every learner can thrive.