RFI Education for Social Prosperity.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

Subject : USAID Education for Social Prosperity

RFI number : 72066025RFI00002

Issuance Date : December 27, 2024

Closing Date and Time : January 24, 2025, 1700 local time Kinshasa, DRC

Dear Potential Offeror/Applicants, Thank you for your interest in USAID’s “Education for Social Prosperity" activity. The purpose of this communication is to obtain industry comment on the attached questions to enhance our activity design process. To that end, information obtained through this RFI will be held in confidence and will not be disclosed to the public unless specifically requested by responding sources. This RFI is open for comments from any interested party.

As the largest bilateral donor to education in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) breaks the cycle of conflict by providing safe learning spaces, catch-up programs and clubs, tutoring, and accelerated learning services to over 976,000 children and youth living in conflict affected and neglected zones.

The USAID Mission in the DRC is in the process of designing a new basic education activity to increase access to safe, inclusive, gender-responsive learning opportunities for children and youth ranging in age from 6 to 17 years old. The planned $12-14 million Education for Social

Prosperity activity will build upon USAID/DRC’s investments in the Kasai region to increase access to quality and relevant learning opportunities with tailored approaches for girls and support communities to become more resilient. By issuing this Request for Information (RFI), USAID/DRC aims to consult with the broad community of private sector actors, public institutions, development partners, non-governmental organizations, industry associations, civil society, think tanks, and academia concerned with education in the Kasai region. Your comments will inform our activity design to ensure efficient and effective use of contextualized best practices, coordination with existing and planned USAID and other development partner programs, as well as alignment with the Government of DRC’s (GDRC) priorities. Not responding to this request does not preclude participation in any future solicitation.

Responses should be written in French or English with consecutively numbered pages. Please clearly label each page with the name of the organization responding and “ “USAID/DRC

EDUCATION FOR SOCIAL PROSPERITY”. Any response format may be used but USAID values concise, issue-specific responses. Please make specific reference to RFI pages and question numbers for each response.

This announcement is a Request for Information (RFI), not a Request for Proposals (RFP) or a

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Issuance of this RFI does not constitute any obligation on the part of the Government to procure supplies or services or to issue a solicitation. Further, the RFI does not represent any award commitment on the part of the Government or obligate the Government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of any response.

Please send responses to this RFI via email to drcoaa@usaid.gov and mkadima@usaid.gov with the subject title “Request for Information (RFI): 72066025RFI00002 “USAID/DRC EDUCATION FOR

SOCIAL PROSPERITY”, by the date/time stated above. You will only receive an electronic confirmation acknowledging receipt of your response. No feedback will be provided on comments received.

USAID/DRC would like to re-emphasize that applications are not being requested at this time.

USAID/DRC reserves the right to or not to incorporate any and all of your comments provided into future project designs.

Thank you for your assistance and interest in USAID/DRC programming.

Sincerely, /S/

Gregory Wang

Supervisory Agreement/Contracting Officer

Attachment:

1. Background and Questions for Industry and Partner Feedback mailto:drcoaa@usaid.gov mailto:mkadima@usaid.gov

ATTACHMENT 1: Background and Questions for Industry and Partner Feedback

A. Background

The Kasai region, encompassing Kasai, Kasai Central, and Kasai Oriental provinces, is marked by persistent challenges linked to poverty, infrastructural deficits, and the lingering effects of conflict. Historically, the region has suffered from significant instability, with the 2016–2017 armed conflict causing widespread displacement and destruction. Each province experiences unique and layered obstacles that exacerbate vulnerabilities across economic, social, and infrastructural domains, hindering progress toward sustainable development. Although relative stability has returned, the region is still grappling with the aftermath of conflict, which has led to a significantly under-resourced education sector .

The education system in the Kasai region suffers from overcrowded schools, high dropout rates, and significant gender disparities, which poses challenges for learners (especially girls) to achieve learning outcomes. Factors that contribute to drop-out include school-related costs, distance to/from school, insecurity, gender-based violence and early pregnancies, and diseases

(USAID, 2020). For those enrolled in school, the region has the lowest school attendance rates.

A significant proportion of the population remains illiterate, which prevents girls and women from engaging in decision-making and limits their roles, responsibilities, and time use.

Furthermore, the province’s prolonged exposure to violence has deterred school attendance for girls in particular, as well as other vulnerable groups such as indigenous and linguistic minorities and learners with disabilities.

B. Questions for response

USAID/DRC seeks responses and feedback to any or all of the following questions related to education in the Kasai region. USAID appreciates brief and concise responses that will help inform activity planning.

1. Gender-responsive and tailored approaches are key to successful education programming in the Kasais. What are evidence-based best practices for supporting girls’ participation in education in this region?

a. What effective social behavior change practices could be taken to scale to promote girls’ engagement in education?

2. What school-based child and youth protection mechanisms exist, and how could USAID strengthen these mechanisms to provide more and better support?

3. What is the availability of school-based WASH and nutrition services? What opportunities exist for increasing integrated programming that responds to WASH, nutrition and education needs, especially for girls and other vulnerable groups?

4. What types of culturally and linguistically inclusive education approaches have effectively promoted greater participation in education in the Kasai region?

5. What are the biggest needs of teachers in terms of their professional development?

How could USAID provide meaningful support that measurably improves their teaching practice and wellbeing?

6. How can USAID strengthen local governance structures to promote increased participation and retention in education? Who are the key stakeholders to coordinate with?

a. What opportunities can be leveraged to establish or strengthen existing public, private partnerships?

7. What opportunities are there to leverage community resources to create more learning spaces?

a. What existing VSLA infrastructure is in place, and how could it be strengthened?

8. What approaches have proven successful in supporting access to quality education in remote areas? How has access to education been sustained during floods or other climate-related disruptions?

a. How have learning outcomes been measured through these approaches?

9. What are the most underleveraged opportunities for supporting youth to acquire functional literacy, numeracy and life skills to improve engagement in livelihoods?

10. What are the possibilities for cost-share from your organization? Are there opportunities for leverage with private sector partners and public-private partnership?

11. Are there other factors, recommendations, or considerations regarding education, especially for girls, that USAID should be aware of?