CALL FOR APPLICATIONS TO IMPLEMENT USAID EMPOWERED COMMUNITIES ACTIVITY (ECA) IN AFAR NATIONAL REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA

Project HOPE- the People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc. is a US based non-profit global health organization established in 1958. It is dedicated to providing long-lasting solutions to health problems and improving the quality of life for the worlds most vulnerable people. Project HOPE has implemented more than 500 programs in over 130 countries in a wide range of healthcare areas including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, reproductive maternal new-born and child health, and non-communicable diseases. Our work has involved strengthening health systems through established functional health management information systems, supply chain management, and strengthening the health work force to improve quality and delivery of care. Project HOPE is legally registered to operate in Ethiopia (registration number 3802) since June 2017 and has been implementing various programs focusing on HIV/AIDS, RMNCH, and Emergency Humanitarian Response.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

USAID/Ethiopia awarded a four-year assistance activity entitled USAID Empowered Communities to Project HOPE -The People-To-People Health Foundation, Inc. to strengthen community systems and platforms to improve health and nutrition outcomes. Improving community level health literacy and engagement, capacity strengthening of non-state actors (NSAs) and accountability systems as well as increasing service delivery through NSA managed health facilities are important result areas. It aims to address the social, cultural, political, and economic determinants that underpin health, and seeks to build partnerships with other sectors in finding solutions for better health outcomes.

Activity Goal: Community systems and platforms strengthened to improve health and nutrition outcomes.

Purpose: Greater community engagement, empowerment, and ownership of RMNCAH-N services.

Overall Objective: Achieve better health and nutrition outcomes through improved community ownership of health and strengthened social accountability systems and platforms.

Intermediate Results:

IR1: enhanced community ownership of their health and health services

IR2: Advocacy capacity of NSAs for accountability, transparency and responsiveness of health system strengthened.

IR3: Accountability system and platforms strengthened to improve health and nutrition outcomes and service utilization.

IR4: increased delivery of quality RMNCAH-N services through local NSA facilities.

The activity goal will be achieved through two key, interrelated objectives: Improving individual and community knowledge and understanding of their own health rights, available services, and fee and delivery structures to make informed decisions in managing their own health; and building the capacity of non-state actors (NSA) including but not limited to civil society organizations (CSO), community-based organizations (CBO), faith-based organizations (FBO), other formal and informal community platforms, and private sector actors to strengthen community voice and feedback in the delivery of essential health services for more transparent, responsive, and accountable health services. The Activity will support health sector actors to increase utilization of quality health and nutrition services. It will contribute to community engagement and empowerment and to social accountability efforts outlined by the Government of Ethiopia (GoE), and other sector actors to meet the ambitious goals outlined in the Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP II 2020-2025) and the Health Extension Program (HEP) Roadmap (HEP Roadmap 2020-2035). The Activity will be implemented in 40 selected woredas in four agrarian and one pastoralist regions of Ethiopia, namely Amhara, Oromia, South Ethiopia, Central Ethiopia and Afar.

Currently, Project HOPE is looking for a local partner for the implementation of this activity (ECA) in Afar region (covering the following five target districts including Chifra, Assayita, Dubti, Talalalk and Dalifage).

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Only local organizations that fulfill the following criteria can submit their applications based on the application requirements provided below.

• Local organizations incorporated or legally organized under the laws of and has its principal places of business in Ethiopia.

• Include local non-Governmental organizations (NGOs) established under the laws of and registered with the Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO) to carry out any lawful purpose in Ethiopia.

• Has current operations (program activities) in Afar national regional state.

• Past technical experience on local solutions and innovations in health advocacy and/or implementing specific health elements within RMNCAH-N services at community level.

• Has not received USD 1 million total or more in USAID funding (either from USAID Ethiopia mission or Washington HQs) as a prime and/or subgrantee over the last two years (2020-2022).

• Youth-led and/or Women-led organizations which satisfy the requirements outlined above are encouraged to apply.

Meet USAID requirements including Must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), does not appear on the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list, does not have active exclusions in the System for Award Management (SAM), not listed in the United Nations Security designation list, organization is not suspended or debarred.

(CONTENTS, PAGE LIMITS AND SCORING OF THE APPLICATIONS)

The application must follow the categories provided below and the required content. Highest scoring applicants applying to a given geographic area will be selected.

1.Cover page (Max 1 pages)

a.Full name of the local organization, address and contact details of the representation

2.Executive Summary (Max 1 page)

3.Technical Approach (Max 3 pages)

4.Organization Profile and Capability (Max 2 pages):

a. Year of establishment

b. The organizations past experience and current institutional capacity

c. Governance structure

d. Geographic coverage (list of geographic regions and districts/woredas where the organization has currently active operations.

e. Technical and financial management experience

f. Staffing and structure (full time, par-time, and volunteer base)

g. Partnership and engagement (public, private, CSOs, CBOs, networks/affiliations)

5. Past Performance (1 page per project)

List of all programs and grants implemented over the past three years (ongoing as well as completed). Include the following: Title, donor, timeline, start and end date, total budget, high level programmatic scope (one paragraph), program Targets, performance reference contact details of the donor.

7.Annexes

a.Support letter from the regional health bureaus/RHB.

b.Executive summary of last completed financial audit (Max 3 pages).

c.Annual financial statement summary (Max 3 pages).

d.CVs of current 1) technical focal person and 2) head of finance for the applicant (Max 4 pages).