72066822RFA00001_NOFO_IYEA 1.26.2022_Final_Signed.pdf

Issue Date: January 26, 2022

Deadline for Questions: February 9, 2022

Phase 1 Closing Date: February 28, 2022

Closing Time: 2:00 PM Juba Time

Subject: Notice of Funding Opportunity Number 72066822RFA00001

Program Title: South Sudan Integrated Youth Engagement Activity

Federal Assistance Listing Number: 98.001 Foreign Assistance for Programs Overseas

Ladies/Gentlemen:

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking applications for a

Cooperative Agreement from qualified entities to implement the South Sudan Integrated Youth

Engagement Activity (IYEA). Eligibility for this award is not restricted.

USAID intends to make one (1) award to the applicant who best meets the objectives of this funding opportunity based on the merit review criteria described in this NOFO subject to a risk assessment. Applicants should review Section D.8 regarding Funding Restrictions. Eligible parties interested in submitting an application are encouraged to read this NOFO thoroughly to understand the type of program sought, application submission requirements and selection process.

To be eligible for award, the applicant must provide all information as required in this NOFO and meet eligibility standards in Section C of this NOFO. This funding opportunity is posted on www.grants.gov and may be amended. It is the responsibility of the applicant to regularly check the website to ensure they have the latest information pertaining to this notice of funding opportunity and to ensure that the NOFO has been received from the internet in its entirety.

USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes. If you have difficulty registering on www.grants.gov or accessing the NOFO, please contact the Grants.gov Helpdesk at 1-800-518-4726 or via email at support@grants.gov for technical assistance.

Please be aware that this NOFO utilizes a multi-tiered review process with several selection phases:

Phase 1: Applicants will submit an Initial Application. Based on USAID’s evaluation of the

Initial Application, up to four (4) Applicants will be selected to proceed to Phase 2.

Phase 2: Selected applicants from Phase 1 will be invited to participate in oral presentations of their proposed technical and management approaches. Oral presentations will be conducted http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:support@grants.gov

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NOFO No. 72066822RFA00001

USAID South Sudan Integrated Youth Engagement Activity (IYEA)

Page iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION A: PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

SECTION B: FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

SECTION C: ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

SECTION D: APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

SECTION E: APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

SECTION F: FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

SECTION G: FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACT(S)

SECTION H: OTHER INFORMATION

ANNEX 1: SUMMARY BUDGET TEMPLATE

ANNEX 2: STANDARD PROVISIONS

ANNEX 3: ASSISTANCE BRANDING STRATEGY, MARKING PLAN and

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION PLAN GUIDANCE

Section A - Page 1

SECTION A: PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

This funding opportunity is authorized under the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) of 1961, as amended. The resulting award will be subject to 2 CFR 200 – Uniform Administrative

Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, and USAID’s supplement, 2 CFR 700, as well as the additional requirements found in Section F.

I. INTRODUCTION

Through the Integrated Youth Engagement Activity (IYEA), USAID/South Sudan seeks to support a program that builds the capacity of vulnerable youth and empowers them to lead healthy, engaged, and productive lives in their communities.

USAID/South Sudan envisions that IYEA will adapt and/or pilot a Youth Corps Service model as a modality to creatively achieve the activity's stated goal and integrated objectives. Unemployed

South Sudanese youth who are graduates from high school and universities, and non-graduates of exceptional demonstrated ability, will be mobilized, trained, coached, and mentored to become

Youth Corps Service members. They will deliver specific IYEA-prescribed activities to disadvantaged targeted youth beneficiaries and their communities. The activity will help leverage youth for the youth’s benefit, build a sense of belonging and solidarity, and help to promote peace.

In line with USAID’s Positive Youth Development approach, USAID will support the development of peaceful and protective youth safe spaces and strengthen relationships among youth, their families and communities, and local authorities. These spaces will support work readiness skills including functional literacy, numeracy, soft skills, social emotional skills, and economic opportunities for vulnerable and marginalized youth. The activity will target disadvantaged youth, including, but not limited to, women and girls, out of school youth, internally displaced, returnees, child soldiers, street youth, youth in gangs, disabled, drug addicts, cattle camp youth, youth living with HIV/AIDS. Other vulnerable youth categories will be identified during activity implementation scoping in USAID/South Sudan’s strategic 13 focus counties.

Through the activity, USAID/South Sudan will be better positioned to assist in preventing violence and support conflict-affected South Sudanese youth and their communities. USAID envisions that IYEA will partner with communities and the private sector to provide economic opportunities, foster employment, and promote entrepreneurship and other productive activities with market-based approaches. IYEA will leverage young people to go to work, help fellow youth gain skills, while also improving social cohesion, support the prevention of disenfranchisement by idle and disengaged youth, foster greater economic and social stability for youth in their communities, and a sense of belonging and solidarity.

https://www.youthpower.org/positive-youth-development-pyd-framework

Section A - Page 2

II. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

A. Development Context

Since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan has been engulfed in civil war for much of its history. About 400,000 South Sudanese died as a result of the conflict that started in

December 2013. Atrocities and widespread attacks on civilians, including rampant sexual violence, have defined this conflict. In this context, young people have been forcefully recruited by armed groups, killed extrajudicially, used as informers, forcefully displaced from their homes and schools and denied learning opportunities, forced into prostitution, and trafficked within the armed groups and urban gangs.

Half of South Sudan’s population is under the age of eighteen1 and over 72 percent are under the age of 30. Despite making up such a significant portion of the population, the youth in South

Sudan are among the most vulnerable, underserved, and untapped segments of the population. In

2020, South Sudan ranked 185 out of 189 in the Human Development Index (HDI) and was shown to have among the world’s lowest human development outcomes.2

Youth are plagued by many challenges, which range from limited access to basic social services such as education and health, to widespread unemployment and limited opportunities to engage in productive livelihoods. Studies have shown that youth, with no possibility to attend school or acquire skills to earn a living or lead productive lives, are a latent force for instability. Limited access to educational and other relevant livelihood skills and few employment opportunities mean that out-of-school and idle youth become more vulnerable to negative coping methods such as substance abuse, crime, and mental health challenges. These at-risk youth find themselves unable to positively engage and participate in the development of their communities and country.

The oil sector is the key driver of economic growth, accounting for over 70 percent3 of Gross

Domestic Product in 2017, but it has not resulted in much-needed jobs for South Sudanese. The oil industry is highly controlled and sets stringent international standards. Thus, the oil sector largely imports labor due to lack of a qualified local labor force. The other economic sectors include agriculture (10 percent), manufacturing (7 percent) and services (6.1 percent). The country’s rich natural endowment has not translated into improved standards of living for the people of South Sudan, particularly as much of the population is mobile due to insecurity.

UNFPA/USAID 2019. ‘’The Status of Adolescent and Youth Report in South Sudan’’; USAID South Sudan 2020-

2024 Strategic Framework; South Sudan Development Plan (2011-2013, extended to date).

UNDP 2020. ‘Human Development Report 2020: Accessible at:

http://hdr.undp.org/sites/all/themes/hdr_theme/country-notes/SSD.pdf African Development Bank (2019): Statistic database-2018.

http://hdr.undp.org/sites/all/themes/hdr_theme/country-notes/SSD.pdf

Section A - Page 3

Furthermore, the recent economic growth momentum, with the real GDP reaching 5.8 percent in

2019 from 0.5 percent in 2018, was not inclusive as it has not created the needed jobs to support the rapidly growing population, especially youth.

Recent consultations with youth identify and affirm some of the issues identified. Additional challenges include:

● Multiple barriers to youth employment, livelihood, and economic opportunities.

● Gaps in availability and use of youth-friendly services, especially for reproductive health.

● Distrust of public authorities; and

● Weak social cohesion among communities.

The poverty rate in South Sudan is estimated at 82 percent of the total population4; youth comprise 72 percent of the total population. The demand for skilled labor is growing in South

Sudan in sectors such as hospitality and construction. However, the current labor force does not have the required skills and mentality to enable youth to take advantage of the job opportunities.

This has resulted in the country importing skilled labor from neighboring countries, contributing to South Sudanese youth unemployment.

Over 2.2 million5 children and youth were out of school in 2018, representing 47 percent of the

4.7 million population of school-aged children and youth in South Sudan. For those in school, the education system does not meet their needs. Bleak prospects and inadequate education quality and access further increase the risk of youth dropping out of school. Only 47.9% of youth aged 15-24 years are literate6, and the school dropout rate rapidly increases from ages 14-17.7 Youth lack knowledge and skills, including work readiness, psychosocial and social emotional skills, and the soft and life skills needed to function effectively. Despite these gaps, youth would like to work and earn a living as well as lead healthy and productive lives. For those youth with some education, paid employment opportunities are rare. When paid jobs arise, there is often a mismatch between the skills youth have and what employers need and expect. Lack of career guidance has been identified as a major setback for most youth - a challenge attributed to the educational system and the youth development structures are in a nascent stage, with most youth policies and legal frameworks yet to be harmonized, disseminated, and operationalized.

World Bank (2021) Available at https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/southsudan/overview#1

UNESCO (2018) Global Initiative for Out of School Children and Youth Report. South Sudan.

UNESCO (2020) Available at: http://uis.unesco.org/en/country/ss

Ibid https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/southsudan/overview#1 about:blank http://uis.unesco.org/en/country/ss

Section A - Page 4

Notably, the many years of conflict in the country have exacerbated ethnic tensions that weakened the social fabric and have had a negative impact on youth’s mental health8. The children and youth associated with armed conflict in the country are estimated at 19,0009. These youth have few skills, little to do, and minimal opportunities for legitimate employment as compared with civilian youth. With no jobs or skills, youth may choose the only alternative they know, coming together based on shared tribal and/or political interests. This has potentially serious consequences: the rise of youth gangs, violence, and criminal activities, including inter-communal conflicts, cattle rustling, and revenge killings.

In relation to health, although all youth face multiple obstacles in accessing reproductive health support and services, especially during the adolescence stage, the circumstances of adolescent girls and young women are particularly challenging. Child marriage and adolescent pregnancy remain quite high, with 31% of youth ages 15-19 already experiencing childbirth. Overall, about

51% of women ages 20-24 were married before the age of 1810 despite the association of child marriage with childbirth complications and infant and maternal mortality.11 Most youth are bound by cultural norms and practices that limit their access to sexual and reproductive health services.

2016 research on social norms and family planning decisions in South Sudan notes that the

Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) is just 4.7%, with only 1.7% of women reporting using modern methods,12 a very low uptake which can be associated with the gender and social norms around using contraceptives.

Consultations with youth further affirmed the shrinking civic engagement space in the country and noted that youth see themselves further alienated from the governance system and political engagements. This has led to a level of discontent, with some becoming easy prey to political manipulation, being co-opted into armed conflicts and used to advance political interests and agendas with the promise that they will be rewarded with political posts and other benefits.

Without major initiatives to address the relevant socio-economic and civic engagement constraints, youth are likely to put the current Government of the Republic of South Sudan

(GRSS) peace, and economic reforms at risk.

B. USAID/South Sudan and USG Priorities

While USAID/South Sudan is strategic in its work with youth, and the majority of Mission

UNFPA/USAID 2019. ‘’ The Status of Adolescent and Youth Report in South Sudan”: UNESCO 2018, The Out of

School Youth Report for South Sudan.

U.S. States Department Report on Child Soldiers: accessed on Dec 17, 2021, at:

https://www.stimson.org/2021/cspa-country-south-sudan/

UNFPA/USAID 2019: The Status of Adolescent and Youth Report.

Kane et al. 2019. ‘‘You have a child who will call you “mama”: Understanding Adolescent Pregnancy in South

Sudan’’, Global Health Action, Vol.12.

Kane et al. 2016. ‘’Social norms and family planning decisions in South Sudan’’, BMC Public Health.

Section A - Page 5 activities are working with youth, there is no specific activity that is comprehensively working with and for youth. IYEA will fill this crucial gap to respond to the critical needs of South

Sudan’s youth in key geographic locations.

IYEA is driven by USAID/South Sudan’s Youth Engagement Strategy and overall South Sudan

Strategic Framework 2020-2024 development goals. The activity stems from Development

Objective (DO) 2: Household resilience increased (IR 2.2 ‘Foundation laid for individuals to expand livelihood options’) and DO 3: Improved social cohesion (IR 3.3 ‘Enhanced civil society capacity for inclusive civic engagement particularly youth and women’). Additionally, the activity is built upon lessons learned from previous and ongoing USAID and other organizations’ programs working with youth and marginalized groups focusing on education and life skills, conflict prevention and reconciliation, psychosocial and mental health support, livelihoods, and humanitarian response to conflict-affected populations including IDPs and returnees.

IYEA is also closely aligned with the Agency’s Youth in Development Policy (2021) by using its

Positive Youth Development approach to proactively develop youth’s social, personal, and technical skills to foster healthy relationships, and support youth to become meaningful participants in the development of their communities. This activity also advances the goals of the

Global Leadership and Education for Advancing Development (Global LEAD) initiative by increasing education, civic/political engagement, and leadership skills. Additionally, IYEA adheres to the following USG strategies and policies:

● USG Strategy for Advancing Protection and Care for Children in Adversity by incorporating elements to protect youth from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect.

● USG Education Policy 2018-2023 with a focus on Goals 2 and 3: “Children and youth gain literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skills that are foundational to future learning and success” and “Youth gain the skills they need to lead productive lives, gain employment, and positively contribute to society’’ respectively.

III. THEORY OF CHANGE AND ANTICIPATED RESULTS

A. Theory of Change

“IF youth have improved knowledge and skills necessary to earn a livelihood, advocate for their inclusion and participation in decision making; AND youth have access to reproductive health services and meaningful opportunities for civic and economic empowerment; THEN South

Sudanese youth will be more productive, responsible, and resilient citizens.’’

This theory of change is built upon the assumptions that:

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Strategic-Framework-SouthSudan-July-2024-public-version.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/policy/youth

Section A - Page 6

1. The security situation in the country remains sufficiently stable and physically accessible to allow for activity presence and implementation.

2. Target institutions, communities, and organizations remain open to receiving USAID assistance and implementing the activity.

3. The Government of Republic of South Sudan (GRSS) is supportive of this activity: The core assumption is that the applicant and USAID have a strong/supportive working relationship with the GRSS and the local authorities to ensure a fully successful youth activity.

4. The activity outputs will result in expected outcomes, and other USAID and donor activities are coordinated to ensure adequate collaboration and optimization of IYEA outcomes.

This activity depends upon a multi-layered theory of change, which states that for its purpose and intended results to be best achieved, it is important that the Recipient:

● Directly engages youth and their communities to plan, implement, and monitor interventions that fit their needs and priorities.

● Works with the private sector to identify market-based solutions, engages with government counterparts, and ensures communities are leading their own development efforts.

● Maintains flexibility to adapt interventions over the course of implementation to respond to emerging and unexpected contextual shifts and environmental dynamics including climate change and prioritizes collaboration to ensure rapid feedback loops and adaptation to achieve both short- and long-term changes.

● Identifies and links IYEA’s components to other existing interventions in the locality to optimize impact.

● Selects a significant amount of youth activities that have the potential for scaling up without additional investment.

USAID/South Sudan recognizes that given the complexity of the current development landscape in South Sudan, the theory of change will need to be periodically revisited, and potentially adjusted, in accordance with an ongoing, iterative analytical approach. It will be essential for monitoring, evaluation, and learning actions, underpinned by staff skills and processes, to periodically examine ongoing progress with respect to the key drivers for transformative and sustainable development.

B. Anticipated Activity Results

Overall, IYEA intends to achieve the following goal:

Goal: Youth gain the knowledge and apply the skills they need to lead productive lives, gain employment, and positively contribute to their communities.

Section A - Page 7

The activity seeks to accomplish the following results:

1. Improved access to functional literacy, numeracy, soft and life skills (including social emotional skills) and wellbeing programs for vulnerable and marginalized out-of-school youth are increased.

2. Entrepreneurial, employment, and vocational opportunities for youth are expanded.

3. Behavior changes among youth to make positive adolescent reproductive health choices are supported and cultivate equitable gender norms.

4. Social cohesion among youth and their communities by improving civic engagement and supporting youth contributions to address community needs.

IV. GENERAL PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

IYEA seeks to address a selected number of youth challenges, recognizing that the problems facing the youth are systemic in nature and scope, and thus require systemic solutions. Thus, to provide more attainable systemic solutions, IYEA will focus on community-based approaches to provide interventions at the community level, adopting a holistic and cross-sectoral methodology.

USAID aims to engage youth, especially females, as a generally underserved and under-utilized population and yet potentially powerful influencers of South Sudan’s development trajectory and outcomes. The activity will actively work with local structures and actors to reduce barriers for marginalized and vulnerable populations. In the face of increasing economic concentration and various forms of exclusion and discrimination, IYEA will specifically engage and empower marginalized and vulnerable populations throughout all stages of activity design, implementation, evaluation, and learning.

IYEA will focus on youth in accordance with the USAID definition of youth (targeting ages 10-

29) with an emphasis on youth between the ages of 15-29 (adolescence and emerging adulthood) to respond to the different challenges and needs of younger and older youth.

The activities of IYEA are envisioned to be youth initiated, designed, implemented, and led.

Opportunities for youth to participate throughout the process, during the design, implementation, and monitoring of interventions, are a priority.

A. Objectives

1. OBJECTIVE 1 - SKILLS: Access to functional literacy, numeracy, soft and life skills (including social emotional skills and wellbeing) programs for vulnerable and marginalized out-of-school youth increased.

The following provides definitions of the skills described above:

Section A - Page 8

● Functional literacy and numeracy skills: are special and practical skills that enable a person to engage in all those activities in which literacy is required for effective function of his or her group and community and for enabling a person to continue to use reading, writing and calculation for his or her own and the community’s development (UNESCO).

● Soft skills: refers to a broad set of skills, behaviors, and personal qualities that enable people to effectively navigate their environment, relate well with others, perform well, and achieve their goals.13

● Social emotional skills: skills that help an individual manage emotions, problem solve, and create positive relationships with others14.

● Life skills: are a set of abilities, attitudes and socio-emotional competencies that enable individuals to learn, make informed decisions and exercise rights to lead a healthy and productive life and subsequently become agents of change.15

USAID will support efforts to partner with local communities, local authorities, civil society, and the private sector to implement innovative approaches to address skill gaps, which is one of the root causes of unemployment and livelihood diversification, and activities that will improve youth’s functional literacy and numeracy skills and soft and social emotional skills. The Recipient is expected to provide community and institutional provision of skills empowerment services for youth that is responsive to their specific needs and differences. These include services for vulnerable and marginalized youth both in rural and urban settings, out of school youth with no/limited knowledge and skills, school dropouts, disengaged child soldiers, and unemployed youth graduates with diplomas.

Men and women experience differences in pursuit of their educational and training goals. The

IYEA will support approaches that will increase participation of women and girls as much as men and boys, focusing on several key areas in its attempt to reduce gender inequality, ensure equitable access to training and mentoring services and support positive gender norms.

The key beneficiaries will be out of school youth who will benefit from quality skills training.

Other beneficiaries will include facilitators, parents, and other community members who will be better able to participate in, and exert influence over, the quality of training.

Objective 1: Expected Outcomes Results

● Enhanced readiness of young people to engage in sustainable livelihood activities.

13 USAIDYouthpower.org:https://www.youthpower.org/soft-skills-positive-youth-development 14 USAID Youthpower.org https://www.youthpower.org/resources/guiding-principles-bu ilding-soft-and-life-skills-among-adolescents-and-young-adults ; (CASEL 2015; Ungar et al. 2017; Winthrop and

Kirk 2008).

15 https://www.unicef.org/azerbaijan/media/1541/file/basic%20life%20skills.pdf;

https://www.youthpower.org/soft-skills-positive-youth-development https://www.youthpower.org/resources/guiding-principles-building-soft-and-life-skills-among-adolescents-and-young-adults https://www.unicef.org/azerbaijan/media/1541/file/basic%20life%20skills.pdf

Section A - Page 9

● Youth trained apply literacy and numeracy skills in their daily activities.

● Instructors and facilitators use improved methods/skills to deliver their training.

● Youth suffering from significant adverse experiences or marginalized backgrounds practice socio-emotional, coping, and problem-solving skills.

Illustrative Indicators

● Number of youth trained in soft skills/life skills/socio-emotional skills through USG-assisted programs.

● Percent of individuals with improved soft skills following participation in USG-assisted workforce development programs.

● Percent of individuals with improved reading and math skills following participation in

USG-assisted youth programs.

● Number of youth who report increased self-efficacy at the conclusion of USG assisted training/programming.

● Number of youth who complete USG-assisted leadership programs.

● Number of public or private schools/institutions receiving USG assistance.

● Number of USG engagements jointly undertaken with the private sector to achieve a U.S.

foreign assistance objective.

2. OBJECTIVE 2 - INCOME: Entrepreneurial, employment and vocational opportunities for youth expanded.

The demand for a skilled labor force is growing in South Sudan in sectors such as hospitality and construction. However, the current labor force does not have the required skills, competencies, and attitude to enable the youth to take advantage of the job opportunities. This has resulted in the country importing skilled labor from neighboring countries. This importation has contributed to unemployment, especially among youth. Youth destitution and lack of empowerment, underpinned by the widespread absence of productive capacities and income generation opportunities, are among the principal factors sustaining the ongoing conflict in South Sudan.

Further, young men and women face unequal access to assets, including information, financial services, land, and other productive assets. High unemployment with little formal sector employment results in many youth, particularly women, engaged in the informal sector where wages are not regulated and the earnings are minimal. In addition to informal sector employment, most women are still fulfilling the many reproductive and community-assigned roles in line with cultural norms. While men have more freedom to navigate the private and public spheres, traditional roles often restrict women to the private or informal sphere. This results in women being less active, engaged, and empowered in political, social, and economic decisions. With the return of peace and a growing number of returnees, the GRSS is challenged to ensure that more

South Sudanese are absorbed into the labor market. Entrepreneurial and vocational training plays

Section A - Page 10 an important role in providing alternative, and often more effective, pathways to acquiring skills, learning and employment, especially in the context of a fragile setting.

USAID/South Sudan seeks to encourage working-age youth participation in economic growth.

IYEA will leverage community and private sector resources by engaging in partnerships to increase youth's workforce development skills, support access to gainful employment, and promote entrepreneurship opportunities to sustain peace and development. USAID will support the recipient's efforts to widen the livelihood options for youth and to engage them through skills enhancement, employment, and social inclusion, especially for the most vulnerable (including female youth, ex-combatants, and persons with disabilities).

Objective 2: Expected Outcomes Results

● Improved youth access to market-driven products and services that can enhance their income opportunities or that of their households.

● Trained youth apply their knowledge and skills to create small scale enterprises or cooperatives.

● Private vocational training institutions provide demand-driven, relevant and employable skills to learners.

Illustrative Indicators

● Percent of individuals with new employment following participation in USG-assisted workforce development programs.

● Average percent change in earnings following participation in USG-assisted workforce development programs.

● Percent of youth with improved perceived quality of employment following participation in USG-assisted workforce development programs.

● Number of youth-related microenterprises supported by USG enterprise assistance.

● Percentage of female participants in USG-assisted programs designed to increase access to productive economic resources (assets, credit, income or employment).

● Number of private sector enterprises that engaged with the USG to support U.S. Foreign

Assistance objectives.

3. OBJECTIVE 3 - HEALTH: Foster behavior change among youth to make positive adolescent reproductive health choices and cultivate equitable gender norms.

Adolescents experience rapid physical, cognitive, and psychosocial growth and despite being thought of as a healthy stage of life, there is significant death, illness, and injury in the adolescent years. During this phase, adolescents establish patterns of behavior – for instance, related to diet, Section A - Page 11 physical activity, substance use, and sexual activity – that can protect their health and the health of others around them (World Health Organization16) and partly determines how productive they are in their communities. Without adequate, quality information and guidance, youth can make ill-informed decisions that have life-long negative consequences such as engaging in transactional sex or abusing drugs. Girls and young women face additional challenges related to familial economic circumstances and cultural traditions. As a result, they are often forced into early marriages, do not have a say as to when to start having children, and suffer from intimate partner violence. In South Sudan, 52% of girls are married before the age of 18 (UNICEF17).

Complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for girls aged 15–

19 globally and those who survive are most likely to drop out of school.

Additionally, one of the barriers to accessing health services by the adolescents is the provider’s bias and negative attitude towards adolescents. Youth-friendly services help youth, especially girls and young women, address a range of sexual and reproductive health needs. These should include non-judgmental counseling and practical services, such as testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), access to contraceptives and HIV/AIDS prevention information.

IYEA will focus on empowerment of girls and young women to enhance their agency that will expand their life choices. The activity will support efforts targeted at strengthening positive parental, family, and community involvement to foster healthy behaviors with and among youth.

This may include promotion of sexual and reproductive health education, efforts to delay marriage, pregnancy and prevent sexually transmitted diseases, and more respect between girls and boys, and young men and women. Equitable access to friendly health services and being supported by family and their community is necessary to ensure that youth can more meaningfully participate in productive activities.

Objective 3: Expected Outcomes Results

● Improved parenting and family communication skills for strengthened intra-family support.

● Reduced adolescent pregnancies in targeted communities.

● Increased female participation in household-level decision-making processes.

Illustrative Indicators

● Number of sites providing youth friendly health information and services.

16 https://www.who.int/health-topics/adolescent-health#tab=tab_1 17https://mics.unicef.org/surveys. 2010 https://www.who.int/health-topics/adolescent-health#tab=tab_1 https://mics.unicef.org/surveys

Section A - Page 12

● Percent of audience who recall hearing or seeing specific USG-supported Family

Planning/Reproductive Health (FP/RH) and/or gender equity messages.

● Number of people reached by a USG funded intervention providing GBV services (e.g., health, legal, psycho-social counseling, shelters, hotlines, etc.).

4. OBJECTIVE 4 – YOUTH CONTRIBUTIONS: Improved social cohesion among youth and their communities by supporting safe spaces for productive and civic engagement activities.

South Sudanese youth are often excluded from public dialogues and decision-making processes impacting them and their community development. Idle youth are denied their ability to build social skills and healthy community values because of limited opportunities for social engagement. This situation often leads to deterioration of social cohesion and development of negative community perceptions of youth.

Youth participation in public spaces is currently hindered by a lack of safe spaces that are key to positive youth engagement. Safe spaces enable youth to engage in activities related to their needs and interests; participate in community and local decision-making processes; and freely express themselves without fear of violence or retribution.

USAID will support efforts to advance youth's safety and respect by fostering the availability and accessibility of safe places where youth can convene and organize, participate in productive community engagement activities including sports, culture, civic, and leisure activities, and feel comfortable and welcome. Youth engagement in safe spaces, along with the communities’ and institutions’ participation and commitment to developing these spaces, will in turn be key to strengthening social cohesion and trust in target communities.

Objective 4 Expected Outcomes/Results

● Inter- and intra-community social bonding among youth strengthened.

● Increased capacity for youth-responsive services.

● Improved civic participation by young people in community development.

● Increased use of safe spaces by youth to share and promote positive development values.

● Improved safe public spaces for youth.

Illustrative Indicators

● Number/percent of youth participating in civic engagement and peacebuilding activities

● Number/percent of youth participating in community decision-making processes.

● Number of youth who participate in civil society activities following social or leadership skills training or initiatives from USG assisted programs.

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● Number of persons trained with USG assistance to advance outcomes consistent with gender equality or female empowerment through their roles in public or private sector institutions or organizations.

B. Geographic Focus

IYEA will be implemented in the five states and 13 counties of the USAID/South Sudan Strategic

Framework in a phased approach, drawing upon continuous learning and ensuring the activity’s flexibility to adjust as needed. This may include adjustments in technical and/or geographic approach. Aligning with the Mission’s goals and the priorities of the GRSS Ministry of Youth, the

Office of Vice President for Youth and the Gender Cluster18, USAID/South Sudan will support the recipient’s efforts in:

● Eastern Equatoria State: Kapoeta North and Budi Counties

● Jonglei: Akobo, Duk, Pibor, and Uror counties

● Unity: Leer, Mayendit, and Panyijar counties

● Upper Nile: Baliet and Ulang counties and

● Western Bahr-el Ghazal: Jur River and Wau counties

Specific locations within the 13 counties will be determined during the implementation stage especially during the inception phase. USAID and the Recipient will determine the counties designated as high priority, medium priority, and low priority and specific intervention locations will be based on the following considerations:

● Areas with high numbers of out of school children and youth;

● Conflict affected and hard to reach counties;

● Reported utilization and engagement of youth in criminal activities;

● Reported levels of idle and disengaged youth;

● Areas with highest rates of gender-based violence against youth;

● Areas with high rates of adolescent pregnancy; and

● Cattle rustling and revenge killings.

V. EXPECTED IMPLEMENTATION APPROACHES

A. Inception Phase to Refine Interventions

As part of the adaptive management, and at the outset of the activity, during the initial approximately six months after the award effective date, the Recipient is envisioned to allow for participatory, informed, and coordinated piloting and planning of interventions to ensure youth, 18 The Office of Vice President for Gender and Youth Cluster led by Mama Rebecca Nyandeng is one of the

Executives of the GRSS responsible for gender and youth issues in South Sudan.

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Strategic-Framework-SouthSudan-July-2024-public-version.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Strategic-Framework-SouthSudan-July-2024-public-version.pdf

Section A - Page 14 community, and government buy-in. This critical phase will enable the Recipient to analyze and understand system dynamics, the nature of the problem to be addressed, and identify where the activity might best intervene to achieve the activity purpose. Further interventions will be informed by the findings from the baseline assessments, studies, and pilots carried out.

The Recipient may consider conducting analyses within the thirteen counties of drivers and threats to youth development, including a robust analysis of economic activities and community conflicts impacting the relevant geographical target areas.

The Recipient is expected to use the Inception Phase to test design assumptions and pilot initial activities, including the Youth Service Corps program.

B. Youth Service Corps

To improve the communities in which they operate, as well as the education and employment outcomes of youth participants, IYEA will include a Youth Service Corps program. Evidence has shown that youth service experiences and programs operated at the local community level by government agencies and/or community-based organizations have improved the ethnic and social tensions in communities. By focusing on youth as leaders, IYEA is expected to create a positive enabling environment for vulnerable youth. Through the Youth Service Corps, youth will be positive change agents ready to contribute to the social and economic development of South

Sudan, helping their communities and the country to achieve self-reliance. The approach also improves the education and employment outcomes of participants, who may come from different social and economic backgrounds than the communities where they serve.

The Corps should primarily target economically disadvantaged young adults aged 18 and 29 who are high school and university graduates, or non-graduates of exceptional demonstrated ability.

Candidates must also demonstrate healthy behaviors, and would benefit from training, coaching, mentoring and facilitation resources.

C. Coordination and Partnership with Other Actors

IYEA is anticipated to coordinate and partner with USAID and other donor activities and offer support for greater coherence among other Mission activities. IYEA is envisioned to:

● Coordinate and partner with other donors to leverage resources and help establish a shared view of overlapping activities, results, and location.

● Coordinate and build synergies with the current mission flagship initiatives that most related to, dependent upon or contribute to the IYEA.

● Influence decision-making and interventions using evidence and data from the

USAID/South Sudan targeted geographic locations.

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1. Coordination

Youth issues are effectively cross-cutting and intersect with each of the Mission’s technical sectors, including education, health, economic growth, democracy and governance, and humanitarian assistance. IYEA is envisioned to benefit and contribute synergies to the current

USAID funded programs such as the peace building activity, the resilience agriculture activity, the water, sanitation, and hygiene activity, the PEPFAR Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe (DREAMS19) activity and others, especially those in the geographic focus areas, are encouraged to support a coherent USAID/South Sudan Youth Policy.

The Recipient should help establish a shared view of overlapping activities, results, and locations that advance essential outputs and results for youth.

Additionally, it is anticipated that other donors will continue to support the GRSS to develop youth in upcoming years. Current other donor activities include:

● EU: EMPOWER II project supports vocational skills

● UNDP: Youth empowerment project

● JICA: Peace through sports

● UNFPA: Reproductive health, youth policy, and youth Enterprise funds

USAID will continue to coordinate closely with other donors to minimize the duplication of efforts among donors and maximize the degree of coordination and program effectiveness.

2. Partnerships

Collaboration with key stakeholders, such as local youth-serving and youth-led organizations, local communities, local traditional leaders, local government leaders, private sector companies and institutions, civil society organizations, media outlets, and advocacy groups will be critical to achieving results. Support to vulnerable and marginalized youth requires their cooperation, commitments, and resources.

There is no required number of partnerships, but a strong commitment to a partnership-based approach, especially with locally based and non-traditional actors, is necessary for IYEA success.

Partnering with private vocational training institutions and youth-led and youth-serving organizations is key.

3. Private Sector Engagement

USAID Private Sector Engagement (PSE) policy gives prioritization and direction for the agency staff and partners to further USAID’s cooperation with the private sector and to apply market-based approaches for achieving sustainable development. Efforts to engage or partner with the

19 https://www.state.gov/pepfar-dreams-partnership/ https://www.state.gov/pepfar-dreams-partnership/

Section A - Page 16 private sector - including as resource partners - should be considered as tools to achieve the IYEA objectives.

4. Engagement with the Government of Republic of South Sudan

A key lesson learned from the implementation of USAID activities is the importance of continued dialogue between USAID/South Sudan, implementing partners, and the GRSS in identifying development challenges and building consensus around priorities and policies that should be pursued.

While USAID/South Sudan is focused on a community-based approach to deliver services to the people of South Sudan, institutionalization of successful lessons and best practices is essential for sustainability. IYEA should coordinate with youth related institutions to map priorities and opportunities for youth. These institutions may include, for example, the Gender and Youth

Clusters, the Ministry of Youth, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Peacebuilding, the

Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development, and training centers at the state and county levels.

D. Adaptive Management

Responsiveness to new information and contextual changes, and regularly conducted appropriate adjustments, is critical to the success of this activity. USAID seeks to support efforts that present a vision and strategy for management that intentionally plans for consideration and adjustment based on program learning, experience, and inputs from both internal and external researchers and evaluators. This includes regular consultations with USAID and relevant stakeholders, as well as the effective use of iterative processes and key data points from monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and collaboration, learning, and adapting (CLA) efforts as detailed in the activity’s MEL Plan (AMELP). CLA approaches should be leveraged with outreach initiatives to enhance programmatic impact. The activity’s implementation approach to adaptive management should also examine how to best take advantage of the flexibility of this mechanism to respond to targeted technical needs or other unanticipated requests as they may arise.

To foster a culture of knowledge management, knowledge sharing and performance monitoring, MEL will be a key component of IYEA's approach to adaptive management and its CLA agenda.

The activity must develop a systematic method for collecting and analyzing performance data and other information to track progress toward planned results, ensure effective management and oversight, and enable evidence-based decision-making. The activity should provide sufficient human and financial resources for MEL and CLA. Relevant stakeholders/partners must be involved in the development of the MEL approach, to not only cultivate ownership over results but to also utilize the process to build their own MEL capacity. This also ensures performance measurement and accountability partners.

Section A - Page 17

Thus, the activity will need to remain flexible as the country context changes, and work along a continuum of relief to development. Furthermore, the appropriate stakeholders should be fully engaged, and investments safeguarded throughout the implementation period and beyond. The flexibility may also need to be in response to emergent learning from implementation.

Approaches, models, activities, tasks may need to be adjusted to attain the results. To ensure impact, IYEA encourages new and relatively untested approaches (or untested in South Sudan context or in this sector).

E. Scenario Planning

The Recipient is expected to be cognizant of the South Sudan’s operational context and may conduct an analysis of three possible scenarios: status quo (fragile peace); relative stability and return to war (presence of conflict, lack of access to some places). The scenario plan may be integrated in all planning activities with suggested activities for each scenario. All three scenarios may be modified by a pandemic situation (COVID-19 etc.). When drafting the annual work plan, the Recipient should work with the AOR to determine the scenario used to draft that annual work plan. If conditions change, the scenario assumption could be revisited, and the annual work plan modified accordingly.

Furthermore, the Recipient is expected to be agile and take requests from USAID which address changing circumstances and unanticipated events that impact the achievement of the objectives of this activity and could enhance its results. This may include disaster preparedness, response and recovery, assistance to key stakeholders, taking advantage of new or changing market opportunities necessary to achieve the objectives in a changing environment.

VI. OTHER IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS

A. Do No Harm

IYEA implementation will incorporate the principles of Do No Harm. USAID commits to robust measures to avoid partners, participants, and communities experiencing harm as a consequence of activities. This incorporates potential physical, digital, psychological, and reputational threats and vulnerabilities. Cautious analysis and planning should be conducted to ensure that none of the activities’ participants are put at risk of harm due to existing community tensions.