Small Grant Scheme - 2012 Call for Proposal: “Civil action for promoting child rights to education”
Background:
Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working together in 98 countries and with partners and allies around the world to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice. In Vietnam, Oxfam is recognised as one of the leading international NGOs, especially in rural development, disaster risk reduction and humanitarian response, civil society development, ethnic minorities, and women’s empowerment.
Oxfam’s education programme aims to have more children (especially girls and ethnic minority children) access their rights to quality basic education. In the past decades, this programme built a good model of Child Centred Methodology (CCM) from which thousands of teachers and students, especially school girls and ethnic minority children from Tra Vinh, Lao Cai and Dak Nong provinces have been benefiting. Also, Oxfam has been advocating the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) for national expansion of this model.
Oxfam’s 2011-2015 education strategy moves from service delivery to good governance in education. In the next three years, Oxfam’s My Rights My Voice programme focuses on promoting social accountability and engagement between local authorities/education service providers (duty bearers) and children and their parents (right-holders). The programme focuses on CHILDREN and YOUTH as change agents by equipping them with knowledge and tools to understand their rights, identify their needs and aspirations, and creating spaces where they can communicate with decision makers within the school environment but also reach out to policy-makers to contribute to influencing policies and implementation of existing legislation in a safe and constructive way.
The programme is also an opportunity to support the Vietnamese government in their efforts to strengthen democratic mechanisms to ensure good governance and accountability in education sectors. This is particularly important in the decentralised education sector where participation and understanding of roles and responsibilities of citizens (especially young people) is key.
The programme activities are implemented at local level in the three provinces (Ninh Thuan, Lao Cai and Dak Nong) as well as at national level for the purposes of policy advocacy and campaigning. Among five objectives (outcomes) of the programme, the 5th one states that “Selected education polices, programme, plan incorporate some findings/recommendations as results of policy research, advocacy, media alliance, networking efforts”. To contribute to achieving this objective, the programme has initiated a Small Grant Scheme to support initiatives of Vietnam Non-Government Organisations (VNGOs), local networks/working groups, and research centres and educational institutions on facilitating creation of spaces for children, youth and their allies to raise their voices for children’s rights of access to quality basic education.
In this context, Oxfam is pleased to announce the first round of Small Grant Scheme call for proposals.
Small Grant Scheme Objective:
Through providing small grants to the Vietnam Non-Government Organisations (VNGOs), local networks/working groups, and research centres and educational institutions, the objective of Small Grant Scheme (SGS) is to support these bodies to implement their innovations for promoting child rights of access to quality basic education.
Thematic focus:
The fund is used to support initiatives of Vietnam Non-Government Organisations (VNGOs), local networks/working groups, and research centres and educational institutions on achieving the 5th programme outcome “Selected education polices, programmes, plans incorporate some findings/recommendations as results of policy research, advocacy, media alliance, networking efforts”. The proposed initiative should be related to one of the following areas:
i. Youth’s engagement in promoting social accountability in education sector and child rights to quality basic education
ii. Policy Research & Advocacy for appropriate legal framework/environments related to good governance in education sector, child rights to quality basic education and girls’ education.
Eligibility:
The proposals can be submitted by Vietnam Non-Government Organisations (VNGOs), and local networks/working groups. It is also open to research centres and educational institutions if the 2nd area of thematic focus is chosen. Applicant organisations should meet the following criteria:
- Have legal registration in Vietnam preferably for at least three years
- Have proven experiences in working with youth and children (especially for the 1st thematic focus)
- Have strong experiences in doing policy research and advocacy preferably in education sector
- Have solid experiences in working with different stakeholders (government, CSOs, donors, etc.)
- Have strong experiences in project management and financial administration
Budget & Implementation Period:
- Applicants can apply for a grant up to 25,000 USD. The proposed budget must be related directly to project activities and work-plan
- Proposed project can be implemented for a period of 8 months at maximum (i.e within the duration from1 July 2012 to 28 February 2013)
Selection Process: All submitted proposals will be reviewed by Oxfam’s panel (Education Governance Team). After that all submitted organisations will be informed of results of proposal status in writing (being shortlisted for interview or rejected).
Representatives of shortlisted organisations will be invited for interview before final decision is made. The selected organisations will finalise the proposals based on comments and feedback from the panel and then send them back to Oxfam.
Upon final selection, Oxfam will sign Partnership Agreements or Contracts with granted organisations.
Proposal format: Applicants should submit the proposals in English or Vietnamese with application form (see Annex 1).
Deadline: All proposals should be sent to Oxfam by fax, email or mailing no later than 8 June 2012. The results of proposal status will be informed before 29 June 2012
CONTACT PERSON:
All proposals submitted to Oxfam should be sent to the following address
Ms Pham Thi Hong Net
Programme Officer
Education Governance Programme
Oxfam, 22 Le Dai Hanh, Hanoi
Tel: 84-4 9454362 (Ext.127);
Fax: 84-4 9454365;
Email: [email protected]