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GPAF COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP PROPOSAL FORM (Round 3) The Proposal documentation provides detailed information about your proposed project. This information is used to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the initiative and will ultimately inform the DFID funding decisions. It is very important that you read the GPAF Community Partnership Window Guidelines for Applicants and related documents before you start working on your Proposal, to ensure that you understand and take into account the relevant funding criteria. Please also consider the GPAF Proposals - Key Strengths and Weaknesses document, which has been prepared following the appraisal of full proposals submitted to previous GPAF Innovation and Community Partnership windows, and identifies the generic strengths and weaknesses of proposals submitted in relation to the key proposal appraisal criteria. How? You must submit a Microsoft Word version of your Proposal and associated documents by email to [email protected] . It should be written in Arial font size 12. We do not require a hard copy. When? All Proposal documents must be received by the GPAF Fund Manager (Triple Line/Crown Agents) on or before 23:59 GMT, 28th April 2014. Proposal documents that are received after the deadline will not be considered. What? You must submit the following documents: 1. Narrative Proposal : Please use the form below. The form has been designed to allow you to record all the information required to assess your proposed project. Please note the following page limits: Sections 1 – 7 : Maximum of 15 (fifteen) A4 pages Section 8 : Maximum of 3 (three) A4 pages per partner Please do not alter the formatting of the form and guidance notes. Proposals that exceed the page limits or that have amended formatting may not be considered. 2. Logical framework: All applicants must submit a full Logical Framework/Logframe and Activities Log. Please refer to the GPAF Logframe Guidance and How-To-Note and use the Excel logframe template provided. 3. Project Budget: Applicants must submit a full project budget with the Proposal. Please refer to the GPAF Community Partnership Window Guidelines for Applicants and Financial Management Guidelines and the notes on the budget template. The Excel template has three worksheets/tabs: Guidance Note; Budget; and Budget Notes. Please read all guidance notes and provide full and detailed budget notes to justify the budget figures. 4. Your organisation's governance documents: e.g. Memorandum and Articles of Association, Trust Deed, Constitution. We need this to check your eligibility. If you have any doubts about your eligibility please contact us immediately. 5. Organisational Accounts: All applicants must provide a copy of their most recent (less than 12 months after end of accounting period), signed and audited (or independently examined) accounts. 6. Project Organisational Chart / Organogram: All applicants must provide a project organisational chart or organogram demonstrating the relationships between the key project partners and other key stakeholders (please use your own format for this). 7. Project Schedule or GANTT chart: All applicants must provide a project schedule or GANTT chart to show the scheduling of project activities (please use your own format for this). 1 GLOBAL POVERTY ACTION FUND (GPAF) – COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP WINDOW PROPOSAL FORM SECTION 1: INFORMATION ABOUT THE APPLICANT 1.1 Organisation name Feed the Minds 1.2 Main contact person Name: Position: Email: Tel: Adam Sach Fundraising and Communication Director [email protected] 0207 582 3535 1.3 2nd contact person Name: Position: Email: Tel: James Cole Programme Officer [email protected] 0207 582 3535 1.4 Please use this space to inform of any changes to the applicant organisation details provided in your Concept Note N/A SECTION 2: BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT 2.1 Concept Note Reference No. INN-07-CN-1543 2.2 Project title Sustainable agricultural livelihood and income enhancement for 2,500 women farmers in northern Sierra Leone through skills training and gaining access to markets. 2.3 Country(ies) where project is to be implemented Sierra Leone 2.4 Locality(ies)/region(s) within country(ies) Makarie Gbantie Chiefdom, Bombali District, Sierra Leone 2.5 Duration of grant request (in months) 24 months 2.6 Project start date (month and year) 1st January 2015 2.7 Total project budget (In GBP sterling) £249,575 2.8 Total funding requested from DFID (in GBP sterling and as a % of total project budget) £249,575 100% 2.9 If you are not requesting the full Source: N/A amount from DFID, please list the amounts and sources of any £ other funding (In GBP sterling and as a % of total project funds) % 2.10 Year 1 funding requested from DFID (In GBP sterling) £143,932 2 2.11 Please specify the % of project funds to be spent in each project country Sierra Leone: 80% UK: 20% 2.12 Have you approached any other part of DFID to fund this project? NO [delete as appropriate] If Yes, please state which fund or department: 2.13 ACRONYMS (Please list all acronyms used in your application in alphabetical order and write out each one in full. You may add more rows if necessary.) UNDP United Nations Development Programme IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development MDG Millennium Development Goal PRSP Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper MDGNA Millennium Development Goals Needs Assessment SLDHS Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey GoSL Government of Sierra Leone IMF International Monetary Fund FTM Feed the Minds MEWODA Menna Women’s Development Association SLPMC Sierra Leone Produce Marketing Cooperation BALID British Association for Literacy In Development VMC Village Monitoring Committee SECTION 3: FIT WITH GPAF COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP WINDOW 3.1 CORE SUBJECT AREA - Please identify between one and three core project focus areas (insert '1' for primary focus area; '2' for secondary focus area; and '3' for tertiary focus area) NB: For this Round (3) the thematic focus is on Jobs and Livelihoods. DFID is seeking projects that are focused on bringing tangible change to poor people’s lives through raising household incomes and improving livelihoods. Agricultural production 2 Governance Appropriate Technology Health (general) Business advice and support HIV/AIDS / Malaria / TB Business (incl. technical) skills Housing Child Labour Income Generation Child Rights / Child Protection Justice Climate Change Land Conflict / Peace building Livestock Cooperatives Market analysis / information Core Labour Standards Market access / promotion Disability Media 1 3 Drugs Mental Health Economic assets Microfinance (Credit, Savings and Loans) Education & Literacy Reproductive Health / FGM Enterprise development Rural Livelihoods Environment Slavery / Trafficking Fisheries / Forestry Trade Food Security Water & Sanitation Gender 3 Violence against women / girls / children Other: (please specify) 3.2 Which of the Millennium Development Goals will your project aim to address? Please identify between one and three MDGs in order of priority (insert '1' for primary MDG focus area; '2' for secondary MDG focus area and; '3' for tertiary MDG focus area) NB: For this Round (3) the primary MDG must be MDG 1. 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger 1 2. Achieve universal primary education 3. Promote gender equality and empower women 2 4. Reduce child mortality 5. Improve Maternal Health 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases 7. Ensure environmental sustainability 8. Develop a global partnership for development 3.3 Explain why you are focusing on these specific MDGs. Are the above MDGs “off track” in the implementing countries? If possible please identify subtargets not just the within national context but also related to the specific geographical location for the proposed project. Please state the source of the information you are using to determine whether or not they are “off track”. How will this project support the national government’s commitment to achieving identified MDGs? Your response should also inform section 5.3. Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world (177/188 (UNDP, 2013)); as a result of the decade long civil war poverty remains widespread. The country’s poorest people are small scale rural farmers, particularly women, for whom the war was acutely devastating with ongoing declines in agricultural productivity leading to resultant increases in food prices and decreases in household income. IFAD (2013) report that in all aspects of social development, the rural poor of Sierra Leone are most disadvantaged with inadequate levels of education, food security, healthcare and nutrition. MDG 1 – Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger: According to the GoSL (2010) this will not be met. Although absolute poverty across the country has possibly fallen from 70% at the end of the civil war in 2002 to 60% (The World Bank’s PRSP 2 report (2009) indicates no actual change at street level), progress has not been sufficient to meet the target of halving the number of people living on <$1/day. This figure also hides rural/urban differences: rural poverty levels are at 79% and rural areas account for 73% of the country’s poor (Ibid). The second indicator under this MDG, the poverty gap ratio, reveals serious regional disparities; Bombali district where this project will take place records the highest figure for all of Sierra Leone at 50% (MDGNA, 2008) i.e. it requires more resources to be allocated more intensively, to achieve progress towards this indicator. Even if the poverty rate has fallen slightly as a national average, the malnutrition ratio has certainly not fallen; the number of underweight children under 5 has remained constant at 21% with rural areas again bearing the brunt 4 at 23% against 16% for urban areas (SLDHS, 2008). Supporting the GoSL’s efforts towards meeting this goal: GoSL describe increased agricultural activity as key to achieving progress towards MDG1, particularly in rural areas where the link between poverty and hunger is most acute. They propose initiatives that make efficient use of labour and capacity build the poor. This project focuses on rural women farmers (the most marginalised and most discriminated group in the country), providing training on efficient crop production to increase yields of three key crops (groundnuts, rice and ginger) in a sustainable fashion. Simultaneously the project forms farming cooperatives to allow for the increased yield to not just increase immediate household food security but to allow for sale at market to increase household income. This is maximised by capacity building efforts (in line with GoSL’s strategic aims for this goal), training the cooperatives in business and financial literacy skills and linking them with markets (local, regional and international) to allow for long term market sales and associated increased household income. Furthermore, to ensure this increased income is used most effectively to combat the extremely high poverty in the region, the project promotes equality in the role of women through a series of gender training activities, focussing on polygamous households as those in most need by cross-stakeholder engagement (see below). MDG 3 – Promote gender equality and empower women: This goal will not be met. (GoSL, 2010). Female dropout from school remains higher than for males, and multiple deeply entrenched layers of discrimination (including formal government, traditional and religious laws) continue to disadvantage women in Sierra Leone, including a highly patriarchal culture marginalising the role of women in making household decisions, coupled with high levels of domestic violence. The result is that women are highly vulnerable to child marriage, polygamous marriages/negative power relationships, sexual assault and STIs (World Bank, 2009). Sierra Leone recently had the worst maternal and child morbidity levels in the world (Ibid) and 23% of the population live in polygamous households; the majority are in rural areas and are associated with a higher incidence of poverty (75% of polygamous households are under the poverty line and 36% in extreme poverty, associated with minimal literacy levels and ongoing food insecurity (IMF, 2005)). Supporting the GoSL’s efforts towards meeting this goal: GoSL recommend advocacy initiatives to combat entrenched harmful traditional gender attitudes along with encouraging more women to partake in literacy programmes as vital in achieving progress towards this goal. This project proposes intense community advocacy and sensitisation, targeting an appropriate range of local stakeholders (women’s/men’s groups, local leaders and local government) to combat traditional gender attitudes and to give women, including older women, greater equity in making household decisions particularly regarding spending of increased income. Polygamy itself is a deeply entrenched cultural practise and we are not intending to combat the practise itself; instead this project will promote the role of women in polygamous households to participate in household decision making. Financial literacy training will give women farmers, operating both as part of cooperatives and as individuals, maximum ability to implement and control their own business strategies for the sale of crops and produce. Financial literacy training is one of Feed the Minds’ key inputs to the project; we have extensive experience working with in country partners to develop and implement appropriate literacy/numeracy training with a focus on women and in this project will play a key role in producing relevant and effective training materials and methodologies to increase the literacy levels of impoverished women farmers. 3.4 Please list any of DFID’s standard or suggested outcome and output indicators that this project will contribute to. Please refer to the Standard Indicators document on the GPAF website. Note that if stated here, these indicators also need to be explicit in your logframe. N/a SECTION 4: PROJECT DETAILS 4.1 PROJECT SUMMARY: maximum 5 lines – Please provide a brief project summary including the overall change(s) that the initiative is intending to achieve and who will benefit. Please be clear and concise and avoid the use of jargon. (This may be used for dissemination of information about the fund and should relate to the outcome statement in the logframe). 5 To increase the income of 2,500 rural women farmers in 50 villages and increase their ability to use this income to reduce household poverty (benefitting 17,500 dependents) in Bombali District, Sierra Leone. This will be achieved through establishing farming cooperatives trained on improved agricultural techniques and business skills training, combined with gender training/advocacy to women increased power to decide on use of extra income. 4.2 PROJECT DESIGN PROCESS Describe the process of preparing this project proposal. Who has been involved in the process and over what period of time? How have the intended beneficiaries and other stakeholders been involved in the design? If a consultant or anyone from outside the lead organisation and partners assisted in the preparation of this proposal please describe the type of assistance provided. FTM and MEWODA are the organisations involved in preparing this project proposal. Our partnership began in 2012 with a pilot project improving economic situation for rural women farmers; FTM has monitored and reviewed the impact of project activities through written reports and in-country visits. Feedback/learning was used in the design, working with a larger number of villages and also introducing new elements. Beneficiary/stakeholder feedback has been a constant and useful process. A 2013 larger scale needs assessment led to the first development of this proposal; positive learning outcomes were analysed as to how they could be replicated and maximised in this larger project. Project challenges and activities that required improvements in order to meet outcomes were analysed collectively, informing the design of this project. Learning outcomes replicated in the design of this project relate to literacy outcomes and the impact of increased financial literacy skills for women selling at market and women becoming elected as leaders as a result of gender advocacy initiatives. Challenges include learning that literacy activities benefit from regular community visits; the community themselves requested more literacy training after seeing the advantages it offers. As a result of this updated needs assessment, and to strengthen the key learning points from it, MEWODA also conducted specific review/learning discussions with key stakeholders revealing increasing demand for literacy and demonstrated that women can successfully challenge social norms and own/use land to manage household income themselves. One of the main outcomes is the need to raise the status of women farmers within the household level, with subsequent changes in their ability to make resource allocation decisions. Consensus was gained that this needs to be approached at both household and village/community level through training and cross-stakeholder sensitisation efforts. In particular, the practice of polygamy was understood to have a hitherto unrealised significant discriminatory effect in relation to intra-household decisions relating to income and expenditure decision making. Whilst polygamy has long been understood as marginalising the role of women, focus group discussions with both men’s and women’s groups, as well as local government officials, revealed that the negative impact on women’s household members is greater than previously realised; typically there is a ‘favourite’ wife, resulting in the household contributions of other wives allocated unequally and particularly impacting on other children. Other stakeholder views have been incorporated into project design through open forum meetings with farming groups, local leaders, local government and traders; in particular recent low quality, nonprocessed, end products have understood as being the cause of poor harvests. Therefore this project ensures quality processed crops available to sell at markets through use of milling machines. MEWODA’s local partner, the University of Makeni, confirmed their role as designing facilitation and beneficiary manuals at reduced cost and also providing expert facilitation. The entire project design and development stage has been conducted jointly and entirely by FTM and MEWODA through remote communication and in country visits; no external consultants have inputted. 4.3 PROJECT CONTEXT (PROBLEM STATEMENT) Describe the context for the proposed project. Why have the particular project location(s) and target groups been selected and at this particular time? What specific aspects of poverty is the project aiming to address and how are these affecting the lives of the target groups? What are the causal factors leading to poverty and/or disadvantage? What gaps in jobs and livelihoods have been identified? How has your proposal considered existing services or initiatives? Please 6 also refer to your response to section 3.3 (fit with MDGs) when answering this section. NB: You must present your own analysis of the specific context(s) and the rationale for selection of the beneficiary target groups with reference to relevant MDG targets. Northern Sierra Leone is one of the poorest regions in one of the poorest countries on earth, with subsistence agriculture dominating. Massively affected by the 10 year civil war; agricultural households were on the brink of starvation even before the war with families repeatedly farming the same exhausted land. The destruction of tools, seed stocks and killing of labour dealt further crushing blows (Bolten, 2009). Post conflict the area has started to return to the status quo of subsistence agriculture, but with no advancement in agricultural/business skills, the region faces continued subsistence farming. We have identified appropriate strategies to combat rural poverty in the area as training women farmers and forming cooperatives to sustainably grow crops and sell at market to generate income. Gender discrimination is identified, through the current project, as having a massively negative affect, particularly in polygamous households which are a cultural norm. Polygamy, which increases in prevalence as a result of conflict (Fenske, 2011), acutely enhances the discrimination of women due to the element of competition. Employment in the area, particularly outside of Makeni, is restricted to subsistence agriculture with no opportunity to build up resistance to shocks; in 2012 late rains meant a withering crops/poor harvest. We have identified that although prices at regional, national and international markets for main crops produced in the area typically remain favourable, women farmers lack access to those markets due to three dominant factors: lack of surplus to sell (improved agricultural techniques in this project increase yield sustainably), lack of ability to form cooperatives and/or arrange for produce to be sent to market due to household/societal gender discrimination (gender equity initiatives in this project allow women to independently action researched decisions regarding selling crops at markets) and low literacy levels (literacy and financial literacy training through this project allows formed cooperatives to link to markets and sell at fairer prices). Regionally, the SLPMC exist to link up local farming producers with national and international markets; in practise this is frequently not available to (particularly women) farmers because of lack of knowledge relating to markets combined with low literacy levels. This project will link with the SLPMC through their international contacts to sell high quality ginger grown through the project. 4.4 POTENTIAL PROJECT IMPACT Please describe the anticipated real and practical impact of the project in terms of poverty reduction. How does the proposal demonstrate a clear line of sight to poverty reduction? What changes are anticipated in the lives of the main target groups identified in 4.5, within the lifetime of the project? At what scale or magnitude are these changes envisaged? Specific change: 2,500 women from 1,250 households in 50 villages across the chiefdom increase both the quantity and quality of rice, groundnuts and ginger that are already grown in the area, and directly link up to markets (locally, regionally and internationally) to sell this produce at a rate 50% higher (average figure for rice, groundnuts and ginger at national and international markets) than is available in the immediate locality, with corresponding typical household income increases. Produce will be sold year round in a sustainable fashion, with women themselves controlling increased income to the benefit of their own and their dependants/children’s livelihoods (an estimated 7,500 children). Community impact: The cooperative approach combined with financial literacy is sustainable and locally led and therefore the community impact is long-lasting, with increased literacy levels, alongside continued and sustainable household income, leading to reduced poverty in the area. The locally owned processing mills, combined with the newly formed umbrella cooperative, allow for permanent market access for a comparatively high-profit crop, which is the driver for reduced regional poverty. No’s benefitting: 2,500 rural women farmers from 1,250 households are direct beneficiaries, along with 12,500 family members. Advocacy activities, challenging status quo of women, including those in polygamous relationships, having minimal decision making powers regarding household resource allocations/financial decisions and promote gender equity and women empowerment. Practical achievements: The above will lead to women farmers selling produce at markets and achieving significantly higher income than ever before, and furthermore having increased household status in order to exercise future allocation of this income to the betterment of their families and 7 dependants, moving them sustainably out of poverty. 4.5 DIRECT AND INDIRECT BENEFICIARIES Who will be the direct beneficiaries of your project and how many will be expected to benefit directly from the project intervention? Please describe the direct beneficiary group(s) under a), differentiating sub-groups where possible, and providing numbers for each sub-category; and then provide a total number in b). DIRECT a) Description - b) Number - Women farmers from 50 villages, formed into cooperatives and trained in agricultural techniques and market/business skills 10 community members form a VMC on gender issues Villagers attending public meetings on gender equity 2,500 women farmers (2,400 aged 18-50, 100 aged 50+) 1,500 adults (750 male, 750 female), trained on intrahousehold gender issues, 500 of whom (250 male, 250 female) go on to form VMCs Who will be the indirect (wider) beneficiaries of your project and how many will benefit within the lifetime of the project? Please describe the indirect beneficiary group(s) and numbers on each category under a) and then provide a total number in b). INDIRECT a) Description - b) Number - 4.6 Households with cooperative member benefit from increased income allocated towards poverty reduction 50 villages benefit from cooperative formation leading to greater financial income to 50 households/village. Villages also benefit from gender advocacy initiatives (public rallies, radio) Disabled residents of 3 amputee camps (government established camps to support war amputee victims) benefit from having family members joining cooperatives 17,500 household members benefit from one member joining farming cooperative 67,500 villagers (average 1,350/village; 200 women, 150 men and 1,000 children (500 male, 500 female)) 100 disabled individuals from 3 amputee camps (all adults, 50 male and 50 female) PROJECT APPROACH / METHODOLOGY Please provide details on the project approach or methodology proposed to address the problem(s) you have defined in section 4.3 and achieve the impact and changes anticipated in 4.4. You should justify why you consider this approach to be the most effective way in which to achieve the project outcome. Please justify the timeframe and scope of your project and ensure that the narrative relates to the logframe and budget. Be realistic and not over ambitious. Principal methodology: Forming/training 50 cooperatives (each with 30 members in year 1, increasing to 50 in year 2) in 50 villages, and linking them to markets both nationally and internationally. Village level training workshops change intra-household power dynamics and decision making processes to empower women, allowing them to implement and benefit from cooperative market links. Benefits of cooperatives: - Cooperatives increase economic productivity and purchasing/selling power in markets compared to individual households growing and selling produce - Cooperatives play essential roles including enabling new/diverse production activities, mobilising resources, organising activities and local government/community collaboration. Specifically, the cooperatives: - Are formed through a process of community sensitisation which links with beneficiary selection 8 on the basis of poverty, vulnerability and commitment Are directly and permanently linked to markets (local, regional and international) Use agricultural training to sustainably increase both quality and quantity of yield Use financial training (including financial literacy, financial management, value and supply chain processes, land rights, loan management and savings) to control their own selling prices and manage their own production and income accordingly - Are represented by an umbrella cooperative, which gives a further strengthened negotiating position, and links to other large scale produce growers/purchasers - Collectively own and manage agricultural processing equipment, obtaining best possible price - Are strengthened through advocacy processes, addressing gender participation in income decisions and household resource management decisions. Women empowerment: The project addresses traditional patriarchal attitudes that repress the role of women in household decision making, especially concerning income. Men are key stakeholders in this project and advocacy activities sensitise them on the benefits (at both household and local community levels) of gender equality regarding income and associated decision making. Local leaders (traditional and elected) are also involved, increasing credibility and maximising impact. VMCs: Formed as part of cross-community advocacy initiatives to challenge gender power norms relating to household resource allocation, VMCs act as a permanent resource, giving the credibility and authority to raise cases of gender discrimination, particularly from polygamous households. Markets: The project links produce with markets at local, national and international levels, using combination of the project vehicle and direct meetings with international market representatives (including SLPMC, who are quasi-governmental and there is no private sector equivalent). International markets will initially include neighbouring countries Guinea and Liberia, at the level of the umbrella cooperative. We have identified 5 regional markets across Sierra Leone that will be targeted for selling, with transport provided by the project vehicle. Local market selling is arranged by the cooperatives themselves, with support (both advice and vehicle usage) supplied as requested. Beneficiary selection: The 50 villages represent an area entirely dependent on subsistence farming in one of the country’s poorest areas. Cooperative members are entirely women and therefore from the most marginalised in society as victims of gender discrimination. MEWODA have strong community links and will engage with existing community structures (local leaders, women’s groups) to sensitise and recruit specific cooperatives based on capacity and vulnerability. Seed loan system: MEWODA’s experience includes use of this revolving seed fund, allowing for cooperative start up at reduced financial cost, and from resultant yields some seeds are returned. Safe and secure storage allows for long term development and expansion of project cooperatives. - 4.7 SUSTAINABILITY OF BENEFITS How will you ensure that the poverty reduction benefits for the beneficiary population will be sustained? Please identify how you will mitigate risks to sustainability, particularly those that are dependent on handing over responsibility for delivery to others or rely upon a commitment from the beneficiaries. You should also include any significant risks and mitigation measures in section 7.1. 9 Cooperatives: Established and trained in governance structures and with technical agricultural training and financial literacy, business skills and market links training (all of which are backed up by having accessible manuals), the cooperatives will be well set to continue into the future earning significant household income for their members. Members will commit financially to the cooperatives, further enhancing their sustainability, and interest from other village members will allow for future growth. VMCs: Communities are widely sensitised about the benefits of gender equity for community social development. The VMCs remain as a permanent resource, allowing women in the future to challenge gender discrimination in the household and play an enhanced role in decision making within the household, particularly when regarding financial/resource allocation. Seed loan system: Loaning seeds to cooperatives with interest paid back in the form of seeds postharvest; returned seeds are loaned to other women farmers joining/establishing their cooperatives. 4.8 SCALING-UP AND REPLICABILITY What is the potential for future continuation, replication or larger-scale implementation of the proposed intervention? Please provide details of any ways in which you see this initiative leading to accessing other funding or being scaled up by others in the future. Describe how and when this may occur and the factors that would make this more or less likely. The seed storage/loan system guarantees that outputs continue after 2 year funding period, with seeds returned as interest loaned out to cooperatives, both those formed as part of this project and new ones. The project is replicable in other areas of Sierra Leone, and lessons learnt can be adapted to suit the agricultural outputs of other nations also, combined with the financial literacy and market links aspects. After this large scale project has been evaluated and analysed, MEWODA/FTM we will adapt its strengths to other partners locally and in other African countries for replication and impact. 4.9 CAPACITY BUILDING, EMPOWERMENT & ADVOCACY If your proposal includes capacity building, empowerment and/or advocacy elements, please explain how they these elements contribute to the achievement of the project's outcome and outputs. Please also explain clearly why your project includes these elements, and what specific targets you have identified. Please also refer to the Additional Guidance on Empowerment and Accountability on the GPAF web page. Capacity building: FTM’s contribution focuses on: efficient adult literacy (particularly financial literacy), developing M&E skills and MEWODA capacity building for community-based advocacy leading to change related to gender dominated power structures (a process that started through an advocacy training workshop in 2014). FTM’s expertise in literacy methodology/materials will ensure MEWODA’s training is appropriate for rural women with low levels of education and literacy/numeracy skills; contextual appropriateness is ensured by working alongside the University of Makeni. All outputs benefit from the development of training manuals – an aspect which is something MEWODA does not currently have sufficient capacity for or experience in developing. An initial participatory capacity assessment (regular part of FTM’s initial partnership commencement process) revealed that M&E was an area in which MEWODA needed to increase their capacity. This is therefore included as a strategic organisational development target and fully included in this larger scale project. In country, the capacity of beneficiaries is enhanced through cooperative formation, allowing local ownership in response to community identified problems, with appropriate support to formed groups, and ongoing assistance both from project staff and other groups directly supporting each other. Advocacy: Challenging and changing patriarchal gender norms is a key project component to change power structures, increase poorer women’s empowerment and ultimately contribute to increased income generation and a decrease in poverty and GBV. We are fully aware of the long-term nature of achieving changes to entrenched cultural norms and the project is therefore integrating a variety of awareness raising advocacy activities (radio broadcasts, public rallies and village wide sensitisation/training) combined with training VMCs to ensure agreed changes are discussed, monitored and implemented. Women are also supporting each other on an individual basis through their own cooperatives, and are able to use positive examples of increasing income through empowerment and support each other when meeting resistance from men or women. The project also gives women opportunities for leadership roles, increasing their influence/power in the local village 10 and providing positive role models. This approach aims to combine different aspects of advocacy into a structured process; awareness raising, influencing, and positive support which will lead to behavioural change that is monitored through reported increases in women’s voices being heard in decision making and domestic violence being more openly discussed, with the aim to in due course lead to decreased incidence of this. Without these aspects built in, the project would only lead to household income increase, but not lead to equality for all women and children in a household. These activities specifically contribute to outputs 3&4, which are key in giving household women increased role in expenditure/resource allocation, created as a result of increased income under outputs 1&2. 4.10 GENDER AND SOCIAL INCLUSION How will the project impact positively on issues of gender and social inclusion? How are you defining social differentiation and addressing any barriers to inclusion which exist in the location(s) where you are working? Please be specific in relation to gender, age, disability, HIV/AIDs and other relevant categories depending on the context (e.g. caste, ethnicity, etc.). How does the project take these factors into account? How is gender mainstreamed and promoted in your project and in your organisation? What analytical tools are you using to identify different needs and priorities of women and men, boys and girls, and excluded groups? Please also refer to the document Gender and the Global Poverty Action Fund on the GPAF website. The project has a strong empowerment focus on 2,500 women who are a highly marginalised group in a post conflict setting. The rural location in one of the world’s poorest countries, combined with patriarchal attitudes towards gender, mean that the target group are amongst the poorest in west Africa. This gender focus is a reflection of FTM’s and MEWODA’s core focus on women as vital to social development and poverty reduction; all of our projects focus on women and promoting gender equity. The project also benefits 100 war amputees, who struggle to support themselves in a country with few opportunities for people with disabilities. 4.11 VALUE FOR MONEY (VFM) Please demonstrate how you have determined that the proposed project would offer good value for money and that the proposed approach is the most cost-efficient way of addressing the identified problem(s). Please ensure that your completed proposal and logframe demonstrate the link between activities, outputs and outcome, and that the budget notes provide clear justifications for the inputs and budget estimates. Please also refer to the value for money guidance documents provided in the proposal pack. One of the VFM challenges incurred with project delivery in remote rural areas is increased travel/transport costs for training, affecting both staff and beneficiaries. VFM considerations led to a second hand but reliable vehicle being budgeted for, but also to use cheaper vehicles (motorbikes) for transport needs. Transport for activities is shared and/coordinated to a high degree. Furthermore, trainings/workshops are always held in one of the villages where participants live, saving on transport costs. We also use a ToT methodology, avoiding higher training costs for everyone separately. Moreover we consider this an effective methodology increasing the sustainability and quality of the training combined with the manuals that are a resource beyond the life time of the project. Increased income is generated for beneficiaries, with the cost of the milling machines paying for themselves long term with the cooperatives able to obtain market prices 2-3 higher for milled produce. All materials are locally sourced and based on quotes evaluated to achieve best quality at lowest cost. Maintenance costs are included in order to ensure capital investment (e.g. vehicles) is used as efficiently as possible. Whenever possible existing resources have been used. Bulk buying is one of the methods of ensuring that prices are competitive. Cooperatives, sharing both equipment and knowledge, provide a cost effective and sustainable solution for the individual producers, and will sustain themselves; the seed bank ensures that this is possible even if new members are included. Increased household income and changes in how the increase is spent is expected to bring long term benefits in terms of increased school enrolment and better nutrition leading to improved health. The advocacy element will therefore bring a more efficient use of the communities and individual’s resources. True costs are well known based on previous projects, and financial management and procurement systems are in place. 11 4.12 COUNTRY STRATEGY(IES) AND POLICIES How does this project support the achievement of DFID’s country or regional strategy objectives and specific DFID sector priorities? How would this project support national government policies and plans related to poverty reduction? Wealth creation: The core outcome of this project is to generate income for 2,500 women farmers. This will be achieved through forming cooperatives and improving their individual and collective agricultural skill sets and linking them to markets for selling produce. Education: As well as wealth creation, this project ensures that generated income is spent to most effectively lift people out of poverty. Increasing gender equity will ensure that household financial decisions are taken not just by men but women also, who are more likely to prioritise the education of children. The project itself is education women on financial literacy and business skills. Capacity building of in country organisations: DFID understand that this is key to long term changes to poverty prevalence in Sierra Leone. Through this project FTM will build key sustainable elements of our local partner MEWODA, particularly around financial literacy training and M&E so as to better understand impact and allow for sharing and replication elsewhere. Value for money: This core element is well entrenched in this project, with VFM considerations given to all project plans and activity sections, ref section 4.11. 4.13 PAST LESSONS LEARNED What lessons have you drawn on (from your own and others’ past experience) in designing this project? If this project is based on similar project experience, please describe the outcomes achieved and the specific lessons learned that have informed this proposal. FTM and MEWODA have partnered to deliver a pilot project, with successful outcomes relating to training women farmers in agricultural skills and linking them to markets through cooperatives. Literacy learnings: The importance of increased literacy skills has been demonstrated with women farmers now using written words/numbers in basic business scenarios related to selling at market; business terms are understood and applied; numeracy skills avoid exploitation which was previously common for farmers new to larger markets, for instance relating to exchange rates. Gender roles: We have documented encouraging examples of women in the project being elected as local leaders/judiciary representatives. At the household level, women are for the first time inputting their thoughts into decision making processes. Change in access to land for women: Previously male land owners were charging female relatives for land access. As result of advocacy/sensitisation efforts leaders and land owners are realising the benefits of women having access and are removing such charges, particularly where relatives are concerned. In inheritance cases, women are now experiencing access or shared ownership – the default status is no longer for land to default to a male relative, instead women are inheriting also. Challenges faced and learnt from: MEWODA saw first-hand the benefits of regular literacy engagements. Accordingly, all scheduled project activities in this larger scale project involve financial literacy elements so as to allow continual development in the literacy skills of women farmers. 4.14 ENVIRONMENT Please specify what overall impact (positive, neutral or negative) the project is likely to have on the environment. What steps have you taken to assess any potential environmental impact? Please note the severity of the impacts and how the project will mitigate any potentially negative effects. Agricultural training covers optimum spacing of crops – typically in the area crops are packed in tightly in the mistaken belief this will deliver maximum yield, but in fact long term is damaging to the soil, and leads to lower yields than with fewer seeds planted at greater distance from each other. This results in higher yields as it allows the soil to recover natural nutrients. Similarly, crop rotation is promoted through this project which further allows the soil to benefit from different plant systems, which in turn bring different species to the farming areas – increased biodiversity is another positive environmental output of the project. Use of organic fertilisers is promoted as an environmentally sustainable option. Finally, consolidated journeys to market for the women in each village reduces fuel consumption. 12 SECTION 5: PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION 5.1 PROJECT MANAGEMENT Please outline the project implementation and management arrangements for this project. A clear description of the roles and responsibilities of the applicant organisation and each of the partners. You must also provide an organogram (in a separate document) of the project staffing and partner management relationships. A clear description of the added value of each organisation (including the applicant). An explanation of the human resources required (number of full-time equivalents, type, skills, background, and gender). MEWODA are responsible for project implementation, in country M&E, stakeholder relationships and management of all resources in Sierra Leone. 4 existing roles (1 FT, 3 x 0.4 FTE) will be involved and 5 new roles (all at full time) will be recruited (Project Officer and 4 x Field Supervisors). Both organisations will adhere to respective financial and Human Resources systems and incorporate the project in their normal administration and management structures. MEWODA already have a strong relationship with local communities ensuring successful local participation and acceptance of challenges to local customs by MEWODA who have a local office and a trusted community organisation. FTM is responsible for M&E support, capacity building, especially on financial literacy, reporting to DFID and overall management of the project. 2 existing roles, both at 0.2 FTE (one female, one male) are directly funded by the project and have extensive experience of project management and M&E. The Program Director has particular expertise in Sierra Leone development projects, adult literacy methodology and extensive experience of developing local partner’s M&E skills. 5.2 IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS Include a list of all organisations to be involved in project implementation including offices of the applicant and any partners starting with the main partner organisation(s). Implementation partners are defined as those that manage project funds and play a prominent role in project management and delivery. FTM and MEWODA, lead organisations, have a strong partnership record, working to improve the livelihoods of women farmers in northern Sierra Leone since 2011, with FTM providing expert assistance on literacy methodologies and M&E frameworks, and MEWODA demonstrating continued excellent links with local community to deliver activities, generate meaningful and sustainable impact and report on that appropriately, both remotely and through in-country visits. 5.3 OTHER ACTORS / COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS Include all other key stakeholders who will have a role in the project. Consider issues of integration with other programmes – especially those of the relevant government agencies – and how activities will be coordinated with others. How will you ensure that there will be no duplication of effort? Collaborative partners are defined as those that play a key role in supporting the delivery of the project and in coordination, but do not directly manage project funds. The University of Makeni, a long term local partner of MEWODA, will assist with literacy training materials, market monitoring and workshop facilitation as experts in gender, literacy training, agriculture and markets. The SLPMC will interact at the level of the umbrella cooperative in relation to ginger, which they have identified as having high demand, acting to arrange sales internationally. They have committed to support the project throughout the planting and growing process also, inputting their technical expertise in ginger production so as to maximise quality and quantity of yield. 5.4 NEW SYSTEMS, STRUCTURES AND/OR STAFFING Please outline any new systems, structures and/or staffing that would be required to implement this project. Note that these also need to be considered when discussing sustainability and project timeframes. Primary new systems are the linking of formed cooperatives to markets for selling of produce, locally, 13 regionally and internationally. Required training is provided on business skills and financial literacy so that cooperatives can sustainably adapt to future changing markets, exploiting new opportunities for maximum return. To deliver the training, new local staff are recruited (1 x Project Officer and 4 x Field Supervisors) in line with the project organogram and according to existing HR procedures. SECTION 6: MONITORING, EVALUATION, LESSON LEARNING This section should clearly relate to the project logframe and the relevant sections of the budget. Please note that you will be required to commission an independent project evaluation towards the end of the funding period to assess the impact of the fund. Please allow sufficient budget for monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and note the requirements for external and independent evaluation. 6.1 How will the performance of the project be monitored? Who will be involved? How will beneficiaries be involved in the project monitoring and evaluation? What tools and approaches are you intending to use (please be specific)? Are there any new methodologies (e.g. quasiexperimental) to be applied? How will your logframe be used in M&E? What training is required for M&E? A Project Management Group (PMG), comprised of Project Officer, M&E Officer and Programme Manager (MEWODA) and Project Officer and Programme Director (FTM) will oversee project implementation and M&E in coordination with field staff, meeting electronically to save costs. FTM will provide relevant training at project set up and support throughout. A Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG), with the MEWODA Project Officer, M&E Officer, 4 Field Supervisors, 6 cooperative group members, 3 village leaders and 3 VMC members, will meet quarterly to ensure that feedback from villages guides development and strengthens delivery/impact. The logframe/activities log are central to M&E with data collection tools developed for each indicator, measured against accurate baseline data. All target villages will be profiled by the CLFs/Field Officers to provide baseline data regarding agricultural and gender situations so as to quantify impact. Quantitative monitoring forms developed by FTM & MEWODA will ensure correct target numbers are met on schedule; qualitatively, case studies, interviews and focus group discussions will capture changes in attitude, quality of life and life opportunities arising from cooperatives selling produce and improvements towards gender equity. Monitoring will focus on ensuring a) activities are taking place as planned, b) delays or concerns are identified and resolved, c) expenditure is in line with the budget and financial records are accurate and d) accurate data collection is taking place towards the agreed outputs and indicators. Evaluation will be integrated throughout the project and will focus on a) impact of cooperative approach on agricultural output and level of change regarding gender equity, b) sustainability, in particular the cooperatives and market links, c) impact at the household level and d) lessons learned and their potential replicability in other contexts. Cooperatives will keep minutes of regular monthly meetings, including yield information, market rates obtained and amounts sold (monitoring tools will be created centrally to maintain consistency). Field Officers and the Project Officer will compile monthly reports based on records from villages. Finance Officer will compile monthly financial reports. M&E Officer will collate monthly reports, producing a summary report for PMG review ensuring project delivery is on track; identify strengths and weaknesses in project delivery and to agree corrective action if necessary. Quarterly narrative/ financial reports will be produced by the Project Officer and submitted for review by FTM. FTM will conduct annual monitoring visits, reviewing all M&E systems and assessing achievement of all indicators and outcomes. Monitoring tools will be revised to improve data collection where necessary. There will be a mid-term review by the External Evaluator, (appointed by FTM in consultation with MEWODA) and a final end of project review to assess project impacts and outcomes. 6.2 Please use this section to explain the budget allocated to M&E. Please ensure there is provision for baseline and on-going data collection and a final independent evaluation. Available resources for M&E: a) 0.4 FTE MEWODA M&E Officer (£1,569 p/a), b) establishment/ support of the SAG (£363 p/a), c) external evaluation (£5,600), d) FTM project set up visit, including 14 PMG training in specific project/donor M&E requirements (£3,640), e) annual FTM monitoring (£1,760 p/a) an d f) regular in-country monitoring (£4,731). 6.3 Please explain how the learning from this fund will be incorporated into your organisation and disseminated, and to whom this information will be targeted (e.g. project stakeholders and others outside of the project). If you have specific ideas for key learning questions to be answered through the implementation of this project, please state them here. Learning around impact/methodology will be disseminated through networks in both Sierra Leone and the UK. MEWODA is a registered organisation with the Ministry of Agriculture alongside all other farming NGOs across Sierra Leone, allowing dissemination locally and nationally. Local partners involved in previous MEWODA work expressed strong interest in the approach taken by this project, including the University of Makeni, where MEWODA will present project impact/learning. FTM is re-developing its website in 2014, which will include a knowledge sharing portal for our partners globally to access and exchange materials, case studies, reports and peer-to-peer project learning points. MEWODA will play a significant role in sharing the impact and learning outcomes through this medium. Additionally, FTM will disseminate in the UK through the specialist adult literacy organisation BALID and to the wider UK NGO sector through BOND. SECTION 7: PROJECT RISKS AND MITIGATION 7.1 Please outline the main risks to the success of the project, indicating whether the potential impact and probability of each risk is high, medium or low. How will these risks be monitored and mitigated? If the risks are outside your direct control, is there anything you can do to manage their effects? If relevant, this may include an assessment of the risk of engagement to local partners; or risks related to natural or man-made shocks (e.g. drought, conflict) and longer term stresses (e.g. land degradation). The risk assessment for your programme needs to clearly differentiate the internal risks and those that are part of the external environment and over which you may have less (or little) control. (You may add extra rows if necessary - as long as you do not exceed the overall page limits). Explanation of Risk Potential impact High/Med/Low Probability High/Med/Low Environment/climat Medium e: changing weather patterns may influence crop production Low Women will be High taking leadership roles, which men may object to. Market rates of Mediumproduce may vary. High Low Low Mitigation measures Crop rotation allows for production of at least 1 of 3 crops even in times of extreme drought/rainfall. Water use/management training allows consistently high annual production. Careful project planning based on expert knowledge of annual crop cycles maximises growth season. This project involves men at all stages. Men are viewed as a crucial stakeholder group; their buy-in and participation from early design stages minimises this risk. Project does not just rely on a single market; local, regional and international markets allow for this risk to be spread and therefore minimised. 15 SECTION 8: CAPACITY OF APPLICANT ORGANISATION AND ALL IMPLEMENTING PARTNER ORGANISATIONS (Max 3 pages each) Please copy and fill in this section for your own organisation and each implementing partner 8.1 Name of Organisation Feed the Minds 8.2 Address Park Place, 12 Lawn Lane SW8 1UD, London 8.3 Web Site www.feedtheminds.org 8.4 Registration or charity number (if applicable) 291333 (England and Wales) SC 041999 (Scotland) 8.5 Annual Income (from latest set of approved accounts) Income (original currency): £860,553 Income (£ equivalent): Exchange rate: Start/end date of latest set of approved accounts (dd/mm/yyyy) From: 01/05/2012 To: 30/04/2013 8.6 Number of existing staff 9 8.7 Proposed project staffing staff to be employed under this project (specify the total fulltime equivalents - FTE) Existing staff Programme Officer (0.2 FTE) Programme Director (0.2 FTE) 8.8 New staff n/a Organisation category (Select a maximum of two categories) Non-Government Org. (NGO) x Trade Union Faith-based Organisation (FBO) Local Government National Government x Ethnic Minority Group or Organisation Disabled People’s Organisation (DPO) Diaspora Group or Organisation Orgs. Working with Disabled People Academic Institution Other... (please specify) 8.9 A) Summary of expected roles and responsibilities, AND B) Amount (and percentage) of project budget allocated to this organisation/partner. A): Feed the Minds will manage the reporting to DFID, and support the implementation of the project with an emphasis on both M&E and appropriate literacy related to finance/business skills for the cooperatives, including maximising the accessibility of materials to support the cooperatives formed of rural women farmers with low literacy levels. B): £49,617 of the budget is allocated to FTM, which is 20% of overall budget. This includes £7,110 (3% project budget) to be spent in country on external evaluation, leaving 17% of overall budget spent in the UK. 8.10 EXPERIENCE: Please outline this organisation's experience in relation to its roles and responsibilities on this project (including technical issues and relevant geographical coverage). FTM has been working with education and community-based development projects for 50 years. Our 16 vision is of a world in which all people everywhere have the opportunity to live life in all its fullness. Our organisational values are Creativity, Partnership, Integrity and Diversity and our commitment to these values is demonstrated through all our work. We see education, with an emphasis on adult literacy, as an efficient strategy to combat poverty, promote a better and healthier quality of life and ensure people are aware and capable of defending their rights. We do not aim to simply teach people how to read or write but instead provide them with skills to improve their own lives now and in the long term. Through our work, people in developing countries can access information and training otherwise denied to them. Working through local grassroots organisations, all of our projects maintain a strong focus on building the capacity of the local partner organisation to ensure greater sustainability. We develop partnerships where we see potential for learning as a two-way process and are committed to ensuring partners are able to deliver more effective projects in the future. We also focus on supporting our partners to integrate adult literacy into their approach to ensure that the most disadvantaged are not excluded from a project because they, for instance, are unable to read a form or fill in a questionnaire. In 2012-13, FTM was working with 26 projects and local partner organisations in 13 countries. All projects are developed and implemented in partnership with local NGOs/CBOs and fall under the following themes: vocational training, health education, civic education, peace building and practical, contextual theological education. All of our projects include a literacy element e.g. ensuring that printed materials are fully accessible to the target groups and that participants are encouraged to develop literacy skills which are relevant to the project and their lives. In the last 3 years, FTM has worked with around 60 local partners in a similar way, with a focus on empowerment, especially for women, and in most instances in rural communities. These projects include working with issues around reproductive health, HIV and Aids, disability health awareness, nutrition and civic rights. In Sierra Leone our recent work has involved 4 local NGOs since 2007, and has involved multiple visits/learning opportunities leading to UK staff having expert understanding of the post conflict context both in Bombali and across the country as a whole. Previous evaluations have highlighted the role of literacy on accessing rights and also empowering women to make changes in their communities, resulting in increased school attendance, improved household nutrition and enhanced role of women in society. Local women have identified income generation through agriculture as a crucial area of need and lobbied MEWODA for support who in response collaboratively designed this project in consultation with both FTM and local women. FTM has also led a process with around 40 NGOs (UK and abroad) on Cross-organisational learning, with workshops, both in the UK and overseas, leading to guidelines being produced and disseminated. 8.11 FUND MANAGEMENT: Please provide a brief summary of this organisation's recent fund management history. Please include source of funds, purpose, amount and time period covered. In addition to support from trusts, individuals and other organisations, Feed the Minds has had funding from the following institutional donors for specific projects: Comic Relief, £71,695, 2010-2013, peace building in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya Comic Relief , £394,744, 2013-2016, vocational training, Bo, Sierra Leone Big Lottery Fund, £270,004, 2012-2015, women’s land rights, Rwanda Baring and Ellerman Foundation, £160,012, 2011-2012, literacy and civic education, South Sudan 8.12 CHILD PROTECTION (for projects working with children and youth (0-18 years) only) How does this organisation ensure that children and young people are kept safe? Please describe any plans to improve the organisation's child protection policies and procedures for the implementation of this project. FTM has a child and vulnerable adult’s protection policy, including a staff code of conduct. It was last updated in April 2013. All partners are made aware of the policy and encouraged to adopt it. The policy sets out common values, principles, and beliefs in relation to protection and describes the steps that will be taken in meeting our commitment. 17 8.13 FRAUD: Has there been any incidence of any fraudulent activity in this organisation within the last 5 years? How will you minimise the risk of fraudulent activity occurring? No, FTM has had annual full and clear audits for the last 7 years. Our systems are deemed by the auditors to be strong, but we have also used self-assessment tools the last two year to further strengthen our capacity, for instance the Charity Commission checklist, on a regular basis. All FTM staff have had training to better understand the importance of strong financial systems and specific training on our anti-bribery policy in 2012, using a material provided by BOND, relevant for organisations working internationally. SECTION 8: CAPACITY OF APPLICANT ORGANISATION AND ALL IMPLEMENTING PARTNER ORGANISATIONS (Max 3 pages each) Please copy and fill in this section for your own organisationand each implementing partner 8.1 Name of Organisation Menna Women’s Development Associates (MEWODA) 8.2 Address Panlap Town Vai Makeni Northern Province Sierra Leone 8.3 Web Site n/a 8.4 Registration or charity number (if applicable) 8.5 Annual Income (from latest set of approved accounts) Income (original currency): Leones (Le) 284,601,600 Income (£ equivalent): £44,469 Exchange rate: Le 6,400 - £1.00 Start/end date of latest set of approved accounts (dd/mm/yyyy) From: 01/10/2011 To: 28/02/2013 8.6 Number of existing staff 15 8.7 Proposed project staffing staff to be employed under this project (specify the total fulltime equivalents - FTE) Existing staff 1 Full time, 3 at 0.4 FTE each 8.8 New staff 5 all at Full time Organisation category (Select a maximum of two categories) Non-Government Org. (NGO) x Local Government Trade Union National Government Faith-based Organisation (FBO) Ethnic Minority Group or Organisation Disabled People’s Organisation (DPO) Diaspora Group or Organisation Orgs. Working with Disabled People Academic Institution Other... (please specify) 8.9 A)Summary of expected roles and responsibilities, AND B) Amount (and percentage) of project budget allocated to this organisation/partner. 18 A): The project will be implemented by Menna Women’s Development Associates (MEWODA) according to the project activity plan. MEWODA will therefore assume the responsibility for mobilising and applying effectively the required inputs to reach the expected project outputs and results. B): MEWODA are responsible for £199,839 of the overall project budget, equivalent to 80%. 8.10 EXPERIENCE: Please outline this organization’s experience in relation to its roles and responsibilities on this project (including technical issues and relevant geographical coverage) MEWODA have expertise, competence and experience in relation to its roles and responsibilities on this project; we have had a lot of experience in managing similar projects over the years and our achievements include: 1. We have contributed to improved knowledge and skills in gender equity issues, agri-business skills, economic justice, human rights and community participation for one thousand (1000) rural community women farmers covering 30 village communities in Makarie-Gbanti chiefdom, Bombali District, Northern Sierra Leone. We have also built the capacities of community stakeholders and local government officials in gender equity and human rights for 300 beneficiaries in Makarie-Gbanti chiefdom that resulted to good working relationships with these beneficiaries and MEWODA as an organization. 2. We have established a regular advocacy platform through the electronics media using rural community radios, consulted/lobbied local leaders where women’s economic and social rights are fully discussed in a bid to mitigate the phenomena of discrimination against rural women’s equal access to existing services key in enhancing women’s social and economic protection, gender parity and economic development for women. Together with partners, NGOs and the rest of civil society in Sierra Leone, we have succeeded in making Government enact gender justice laws 2007 and 2009 respectively, the sexual offences Act, 2012 and the National Referred pathways for victims of human rights abuse who in many cases are women. 3. We have given livelihood support to 1250 women farmers through the provision of viable seed inputs (groundnut, rice and ginger seeds) and establish agri-business cooperatives with linkages to weekly community markets in the Makarie-Gbanti chiefdom covering 35village communities. 4. Our sensitization and awareness raising campaigns are on-going in rural communities in the Bombali District, Northern Sierra Leone on women’s development issues such as equitable household resource management and women’s full participation in the governance of their local institution such as farmer cooperatives and credit unions. Through this we have succeeded in engaging traditional leaders and local government authorities on land rights issues for women. 8.11 FUND MANAGEMENT Recent funds received and managed include: 1. €75,000 Grant received from Cordaid Netherlands, for the implementation of a one year project on: “Enhancing Farmer Economic Performance through Crop Diversification Project”. 30 village communities benefited from this project. 2. £10,000 Grant received from Feed The Minds, based in the United Kingdom (UK) for the implementation of a one year project on: Rural Women Entrepreneurs and Farmers Integrated Economic and Social Empowerment and Rights Project”. 22 village communities benefited from this project. 8.12 CHILD PROTECTION (for projects working with children and youth (0-18 years) only) How does this organisation ensure that children and young people are kept safe? Please describe any plans to improve the organisation's child protection policies and procedures for the implementation of this project. MEWODA have signed up to FTM’s recent child and vulnerable adult’s protection policy and are investigating creating their own version for the Sierra Leone context. 19 8.13 FRAUD: Has there been any incidence of any fraudulent activity in this organisation within the last 5 years? How will you minimise the risk of fraudulent activity occurring? There has never been any incidence of fraudulent activity in our organisation, and we adhere to all FTM’s advice on preventing and reporting fraud. SECTION 9: CHECKLIST OF PROPOSAL DOCUMENTATION 9.1 Please check boxes for each of the documents you are submitting with this form. All documents must be submitted by e-mail to: [email protected] Mandatory Items 9.2 Check Y/N Proposal form (sections 1-7) Y Proposal form (section 8 - for applicant organisation and each partner or consortium member) Y Have you addressed the issues raised in the concept note feedback? Y Project Logframe Y Project Budget (with detailed budget notes) Y Most recent set of organisational annual accounts Y Project organisational chart / organogram Y Project bar or Gantt chart to show scheduling of activities Y Please provide comments on the documentation provided (if relevant) We have also provided a copy of our Constitution, as required on page 1, p.4. 20