Description
The U.S. Embassy Lilongwe / Bureau of African Affairs of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to counter-misinformation and disinformation about COVID-19 in Malawi. Please follow all instructions below. This will be a single-stage competitive process. Interested applicants will submit a full proposal addressing 1-2 of the program objectives listed below. Proposals will be thoroughly evaluated and scored by a merit review panel. Proposal review will consider the proposal’s alignment with the chosen objectives, as well as the applicant’s documented capacity to deliver timely results on the proposed objectives. Priority Region: Malawi Program Objectives: The Government of Malawi announced its intention to roll out COVID-19 vaccine distributions to the populace in March. However, some Malawians are spreading misinformation among the populace, leading to building mistrust and suspicion of the vaccine’s safety, in both rural and urban areas. This misinformation is being spread on popular social media platforms, and word of mouth. The objective of the grant would be to spread more positive messages about COVID-19 vaccination at grassroots, non-governmental level in Malawian communities. This call is for proposals for innovative projects that: 1. Counter misinformation and disinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine, including, but not limited to, information campaigns, social media campaigns, training for journalists about the science behind vaccines, educational activities for students, etc. 2. Teach communities where COVID-19 vaccine skepticism is observed, to think critically about information they see on social media about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine, including examining sources, evaluating multiple points of view, and considering the agendas of information sources. 3. Equip educators to teach students in rural and underserved areas to think critically about information they see on social media about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine, including examining sources, evaluating multiple points of view, and considering the agendas of information sources. 4. Achieve an increase in the number of Malawians, those who previously expressed suspicion and even rejection of COVID-19 vaccines, reporting a change of attitude and now positive reception to the idea of being vaccinated. 5. Achieve an increase in the number of Malawians receiving the vaccine, in areas where vaccine skepticism was earlier observed.