Uutiset, 13.9.2021

CSO Call for proposals: Prevention and awareness raising on Gender Based Violence (GBV)

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (MFA) announces a Call for Proposals for prevention and awareness raising on Gender Based Violence (GBV). The MFA aims at supporting a national or international Civil Society Organisation (CSO)/a consortium of CSOs based in Kenya to work in three selected counties (Bungoma, Kilifi, Samburu), which will complement the Finland-Kenya bilateral programme on Strengthening Prevention and Response to GBV in Kenya. The expected duration of the selected CSO project is maximum 4 years (2022-2025). The Call for Proposals is open from 13 September 2021 to 15 October 2021.

UPDATE 22nd of September: Answers to questions on Kenya GBV Call for Proposals received by 20 September 2021, 16.15 hrs (UTC/GMT +2)

 

1. Q: Should the application cover all three counties indicated in the call (Bungoma, Kilifi and Samburu) or can it target only one of them? A: The CSO project to be funded is expected to cover all three counties: Bungoma, Kilifi and Samburu. Please note that consortiums with one lead applicant are also eligible for the call. 

 

2. Q: Should the proposal focus on all the ten objectives of the call or can less be selected? A: The call for proposals is organized in order to strengthen prevention and awareness raising on Gender Based Violence (GBV). Since only one project will be selected for funding, it is expected to cover all the ten objectives of the call.

 

Call for Proposals; Civil Society Organisations; Preventing and Raising Awareness on Gender Based Violence at County Level in Kenya

 

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (MFA) announces a Call for Proposals for prevention and awareness raising on Gender Based Violence (GBV). The MFA aims at supporting a national or international Civil Society Organisation (CSO)/a consortium of CSOs based in Kenya to work in three selected counties (Bungoma, Kilifi, Samburu), which will complement the Finland-Kenya bilateral programme on Strengthening Prevention and Response to GBV in Kenya. The expected duration of the selected CSO project is maximum 4 years (2022-2025). The Call for Proposals is open from 13 September 2021 to 15 October 2021.

 

The policy and legal reference for the Call for Proposals

Finland’s development policy and cooperation is anchored in the Sustainable Development Goals and its priorities are described in the Report on Development Policy across Parliamentary Terms(Linkki toiselle web-sivustolle.), adopted by the Government in May 2021. Kenya is a long-term partner country to Finland. The bilateral development cooperation is guided by Finland's bilateral development cooperation programme in Kenya 2021-2024 (available at https://um.fi/development-cooperation-kenya(Linkki toiselle web-sivustolle.)).

 

The civil society support is further guided by relevant MFA policy documents, such as Guidelines for Civil Society in Development Policy(Linkki toiselle web-sivustolle.) and Human Rights Based Approach in Finland's Development Cooperation(Linkki toiselle web-sivustolle.) and the Finnish Government’s Human Rights Report and the related Strategy(Linkki toiselle web-sivustolle.).

 

This Call for Proposals is administered by the Unit for the Horn of Africa and Eastern Africa at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. The Discretionary Government Transfers Act (Valtionavustuslaki 688/2001(Linkki toiselle web-sivustolle.), unofficial translation in English(Linkki toiselle web-sivustolle.)) is applied to the foreseen civil society support and the use of the grant.

 

The objective of the Call for Proposals: Preventing and Raising Awareness on Gender Based Violence at County Level in Kenya

 

The selected project of this call for proposals will contribute to the objectives of Finland’s bilateral development cooperation programme, specifically with regards to the impact statement “women participate meaningfully in decision-making and all women and girls are free from violence” and the outcome area focusing on “improved prevention of and response to gender-based violence”.

 

The project is expected to complement the Finland-Kenya bilateral programme on Strengthening prevention and response to Gender Based Violence, which will commence in October 2021 with an inception phase whereby the Programme Document will be reviewed. The bilateral programme is implemented by the State Department for Gender at the Ministry for Public Service and Gender and the county governments in the selected counties Bungoma, Kilifi and Samburu. The expected programme outcome is “to have adequate and sustainable quality services and systems (prevention and response) available in the targeted counties, supported by effective national and county strategies and structures”. The civil society project will strengthen prevention and awareness on Gender Based Violence taking into consideration the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on GBV as well as election related violence.

 

The objective for the Call for Proposals is to support a civil society organisation to:

 

  1. Create awareness of communities on gender-based violence in all its forms.
  2. Strengthen capacity at community level through engagement with relevant stakeholders to prevent gender based violence from happening.
  3. Change attitudes and behaviour related to harmful practices and social norms related to violence against women and girls in the communities.
  4. Encourage and enable male champions to take the lead in awareness raising and behavioural change work related to gender based violence.
  5. Support the duty bearers in the coordination of GBV related matters, but also hold the duty bearers accountable for their work.
  6. Scale up networking and sharing of good practices between duty bearers, rights holders, civil society organisations and community members including informal and religious leaders at community, county and national levels.
  7. Find new innovative ways of preventing gender based violence and contribute to behavioural change.
  8. Assist survivors to report and access the response chain.
  9. Relevant promotion of awareness on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
  10. Strengthening community structures for sustainability and continuity of GBV prevention work.

 

The project will be implemented in three counties: Bungoma, Kilifi and Samburu. However, best practices and lessons learned are expected to be shared with other counties.

 

Principles for funding

 

The grant is allocated by the Unit for Eastern Africa and the Horn of Africa of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Financing will be available to maximum one proposal with a contract duration of up to four years (2022-2025). The total amount of funding available for this call for proposals is 2 million euros. Maximum 10 per cent of the project costs can be used for project related administrative costs.

 

The grant available is project support, earmarked to activities eligible as Official Development Assistance (ODA). The successful CSO candidate(s) will sign an agreement(Linkki toiselle web-sivustolle.) with the MFA and agree to follow the General Terms and Conditions and Ethical Code of Conduct for the Government Grant. In its funding decision the MFA can set additional terms regarding the use of the government grant. As the bilateral GBV programme document will be revised during the inception phase (nine months), the selected CSO will also be required to take this into consideration and revise its project document accordingly.

 

The project support can be granted to a consortium of CSOs, but the grant decision can only be given to the lead applicant and the project agreement can only be signed with the same. The lead applicant is then the CSO responsible for meeting the grant decision and agreement requirements towards the MFA. The responsibilities of each CSO within the consortium must be clearly detailed within the proposal. Sub-granting is not allowed.

 

Minimum requirements                         

 

The applicant (lead applicant in case of a consortium) must meet the following criteria:

 

  • Be registered and/or legally competent in Kenya for at least two years (evidence of registration by the competent authority in Kenya to be shared)
  • Have previous experience in prevention and awareness raising on gender-based violence in Kenya (to be described in application form)
  • Clearly defined governance structure (to be described in application form)
  • Currently have funding from at least one other donor and a minimum annual income of 500 000 euros in the previous financial year (to be described in application form and the most recent audited  financial report by a recognized audit firm to be shared)
  • Have concrete evidence of proper bookkeeping and transparency (the most recent audited  financial report by a recognized audit firm to be shared)

 

The project proposal must:

  • Have a minimum budget of 1.5 million euros (max. funding available is 2 million euros)
  • Contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals
  • Be aligned with relevant development priorities in Kenya and the legislative and policy framework on Gender Based Violence
  • Contribute to the implementation of the Finnish development cooperation objectives in Kenya as indicated in the bilateral development cooperation programme 2021-2024
  • Be aligned with the development policy priorities and principles set in the Finnish Report on Development Policy across Parliamentary Terms
  • Be human rights-sensitive, at the very least, as defined in the Human Rights-Based Approach Guidance note(Linkki toiselle web-sivustolle.).
  • Adhere to Results Based Management(Linkki toiselle web-sivustolle.).

 

Criteria for review of applications

Applications that meet the all the above mentioned requirements will be evaluated against the following aspects:

 

Quality of the Proposal

  • Alignment with the specific objectives (1-10) of the call
  • Complementarity of the proposal to the Finland-Kenya bilateral GBV programme objectives
  • Context, gender and stakeholder analysis, including knowledge and understanding of the cultural and social aspects as well as relevant actors of the selected counties
  • Results chain/theory of change outlining impact, outcome, outputs or based on another corresponding methodology, including clearly set baselines, targets and indicators
  • Human rights based approach
  • Adherence to the Cross-Cutting Objectives of gender equality, non-discrimination (incl. inclusion of persons with disabilities) and climate resilience and low emission development.
  • Risk assessment and management
  • Timeframe and budget
  • Monitoring and evaluation
  • Suggested approaches including innovative elements and strategies for sharing best practices and lessons learned
  • Sustainability of project results and exit plan

 

Applicant’s (lead applicant and members of the consortium) capacity and track record

  • Relevant previous experience and achievements in prevention and awareness raising on gender-based violence related matters.
  • Previous experience of gender equality work in Kenya, including in the selected counties.
  • Ability to build networks and work efficiently with duty-bearers and other relevant stakeholders, particularly at the community level.
  • Track record in project and financial management and current capacity, structures and procedures to manage the project
  • Financial stability (including ability to cover its operational costs not covered by the grant)
  • Consortium roles and responsibilities

 

How to Apply

The below attached application form, the project document and its attachments must be sent to the MFA by e-mail. Any other additional attachments will not be considered.

 

Application form 

Outline of a Project Document 

 

Attachments to the application form must include the following:

  • Project document (please see above Outline of a Project Document). Maximum length 30 pages.
  • Theory of Change, Results Chain or equivalent results-based management system for the applied funding
  • Indicative work plan for the project
  • Risk matrix or equivalent system analysing risks and mitigation strategies and responsibilities
  • Detailed multi-year budget for the project

 

Documentation related to the applicant (only lead applicant in case of a consortium) to be submitted:

  • The CSO constitution (including organisational governance and management structures, organisational finance and financial management, procurement and audit procedures, organisational monitoring and evaluation procedures, anti-corruption policy and ethical code of conduct)
  • Copy of the registration certificate of the CSO
  • The CSO’s latest annual narrative and audited financial report by a recognized audit firm
  • The CSO’s annual plan and budget for the current financial year

 

The completed, signed application form (scanned and sent by e-mail), the project document and attachments must be received by the Ministry not later than 15 October 2021 23.59 hrs (UTC/GMT +2). Applications arriving after the given deadline will not be considered.

 

The electronic application and attachments shall be sent to the following e-mail address: [email protected] . The application has to be sent to this mailbox, no other electronic delivery options (including links, files on cloud etc.) will be considered. The subject field of the e-mail must be titled “Call for Proposal Kenya CSO GBV” The absolute maximum size of the e-mail message is 7 MB. In order to avoid technical problems, it is recommended not to leave the submission of the application to the very last minute, as applications arriving after the given deadline will not be considered.

 

The processing of applications takes up to four months. All applicants will be informed about the decision.

 

Inquiries

All questions related to the Call for Proposal, themes, technical issues etc. must be received by the Ministry no later than 16.15 hrs (UTC/GMT +2) on Monday 20 September 2021 by e-mail to [email protected] .The subject field of the e-mail must include “Call for Proposal Kenya GBV Questions”. The questions and the Ministry’s answers will be published by 16:15 hrs (UCT/GMT +2) on Friday 24 September on https://finlandabroad.fi/web/ken/ . Specific units or employees at the MFA or the Embassy, including those in charge of the call, are regrettably not in a position to answer questions received separately.

 

Relevant links