Description
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The U.S. Embassy Praia of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to empower women in Cabo Verde. Cabo Verde has passed a gender parity law and joined the international Call to Action on Women’s Economic Empowerment Core Group, but statistically women are under-represented in government and private sector leadership, more likely than men to work in the informal economy, and more likely to be vulnerable to gender-based violence due to insufficient economic empowerment. Along with providing a public awareness complement to the steps Cabo Verde has taken, the proposed project aims to identify and address remaining gaps in its approach, bolster civil society advocacy for women’s rights, and provide policy recommendations to open more opportunities for women, lift women from poverty, and reduce the incidence of gender-based violence against women. The project should complement and build on earlier and ongoing UN and EU-supported activity supporting creation of the gender parity law, building capacity of elected women, promoting rights of domestic workers, collecting data on violence against women, combating gender-based violence, supporting victims of gender-based violence, engaging women and youth in decision-making processes, encouraging gender-responsive budgeting, promoting women’s rights, participation, and inclusion, and mainstreaming gender in agriculture and blue economy plans and projects. The anticipated period of performance for this grant will be from June 2022 – May 2024. Project Objectives: Objective 1: Broaden recognition of the need to address the peril women face from gender-based violence and the limits to economic opportunity that continue to keep many women vulnerable and in poverty. Objective 2: Identify gaps in efforts to date to advance women’s rights and expand economic opportunity for women, including in leadership positions. Objective 3: Enhance the capacity of organizations that advocate for women. Expected Results: Expected results of the program should include: · A measurable increase in awareness – among the public, government and non-governmental organizations, and civil society representatives – of the remaining challenges in the areas of gender-based violence, women’s rights, and empowerment. · Clear identification of gaps in the current approach to promoting women’s economic and political participation that limit opportunities for women. · Policy recommendations and advocacy activities to promote action to improve protection of women’s rights and expansion of economic opportunities for women. Main Activities Activity 1: General public awareness campaigns, seminars, or workshops on protection of women rights and expansion of economic opportunities for target groups in government and other institutions. Activity 2: Focused training for advocates of women’s empowerment. Activity 3: Assessment and analysis of gaps in the current approach to women’s economic and political empowerment in Cabo Verde. Activity 4: Consultations with focus groups to develop policy recommendations and conferences to socialize findings and plan appropriate follow-on advocacy activity and engagement of the legislature. Other activities proposed by applicant. Performance Indicators: The project should monitor and report on performance indicators that are specific, measurable, achievable, reasonable, and time bound. Establish, where possible, performance targets for each expected result and include details on sources that will be used to document performance, how the indicators will be measured and frequency of measurement. Funding authority is the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended. The source of funding is FY 2020 Economic Support Funds (ESF). This notice is subject to availability of funding.