foa-ilab-15-05.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of International Labor Affairs

Notice of Availability of Funds and Funding Opportunity Announcement for Project to Reduce the Worst Forms of Child Labor and Improve Labor Law Enforcement and Working Conditions in Paraguay.

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: FOA-ILAB-15-05

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 17.401

Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is September 22, 2015.

Applications must be received no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

All technical questions related to the content of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) must be submitted no later than 10 business days prior to the close date of the FOA.

Addresses: Mailed applications must be addressed to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Grants Management, Attention: Elizabeth Whittington, Grant Officer, Reference FOA-ILAB-15-05, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4673, Washington, DC 20210. For complete application and submission information, including online application instructions, please refer to Section IV.

Executive Summary:

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department, or we), announces the availability of approximately $6,000,000 total costs for one or more cooperative agreements to fund a technical assistance project(s) in Paraguay to support efforts to reduce the worst forms of child labor (WFCL) and improve labor law compliance, with a particular focus on the Department of Guairá. The project will provide technical assistance to support Paraguay’s newly established Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security (MTESS) to strengthen its organizational capacity, particularly that of its labor inspectorate, to enforce child labor laws, improve working conditions with regards to minimum wage and hours of work violations, and develop employment training opportunities for vulnerable populations, including with a focus on rural adolescent girls. The project will use an area-based approach to combat the WFCL in urban work and agriculture, and it will continue the progress already made in eliminating child labor in sugarcane production.

The project will gather and disseminate lessons and results from project implementation in the Department of Guairá that can be replicated or adapted by the MTESS for use in other parts of the country. The duration of the project will be a maximum of 4 years (48 months) from the effective date of the award. Eligible Applicants may include any commercial, international, educational, or non-profit organization(s), including any faith-based, community-based, or public international organization(s), capable of successfully fulfilling the objectives identified in the Funding Opportunity Description.

Table of Contents I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Purpose B. Program Authority C. Project Targets D. Background Information

II. Award Information

A. Award Type and Amount B. Period of Performance

III. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants B. Cost Sharing or Matching C. Other Information

1. Application Screening Criteria

2. Number of Applications To Be Submitted

IV. Application and Submission Information A. How to Obtain an Application Package B. Content and Form of Application Submission

1. Technical Proposal

2. Cost Proposal

3. Submission Date, Times, and Process

C. Intergovernmental Review D. Funding Restrictions E. Indirect Costs F. Intellectual Property Rights G. Other Submission Requirements

V. Application Review Information A. Criteria B. Review and Selection Process

1. Merit Review and Selection Process

2. Risk Review Process

VI. Award Administration Information A. Award Notices B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

1. General Requirements

2. Audits and Attestation Engagements

3. Administrative Standards and Provisions

4. Other Legal Requirements:

5. Other Administrative Standards and Provisions

6. Special Program Requirements

C. Reporting

1. Quarterly Financial Reports

2. Semi-Annual Technical Progress Reports

3. Indirect Cost Rates

4. Closeout Reports

VII. Agency Contacts VIII. Other Information

A. Transparency B. OMB Information Collection

IX. Appendices APPENDIX A. Acronyms APPENDIX B. Definitions APPENDIX C. Sample Past Performance Table APPENDIX D. Requirements for Application Submission APPENDIX E. ILAB/OCFT Common Indicators

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Purpose

ILAB leads DOL’s efforts to ensure that workers around the world are treated fairly and are able to share in the benefits of the global economy. ILAB’s mission is to advance workers’ rights and livelihoods, particularly for the world’s most vulnerable workers. ILAB’s Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking (OCFT) conducts and funds research, develops strategic partnerships, and funds an international technical cooperation program to eliminate the worst forms of child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking.

This FOA solicits applications to implement a project with the goal of supporting Paraguay in its efforts to reduce the WFCL and improve labor law compliance, with a particular focus on the Department of Guairá.

The project will provide technical assistance to support MTESS to strengthen its organizational capacity, particularly that of its labor inspectorate, to enforce child labor laws, improve working conditions with regards to minimum wage and hours of work violations, and develop employment training opportunities for vulnerable populations, including with a focus on rural adolescent girls. The project will use an area-based approach to combat the WFCL in urban work and agriculture, and it will continue the progress already made in eliminating child labor in sugarcane production. The project will gather and disseminate lessons and results from project implementation in the Department of Guairá that can be replicated or adapted by the MTESS for use in other parts of the country.

This announcement is for the award of a new cooperative agreement with the specific project objectives and outcomes outlined in this FOA. As such, Applicants may not submit applications to renew or supplement an existing project.

B. Program Authority

ILAB is authorized to award and administer grants and cooperative agreements by the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, Pub. Law 113-235 (2014).

C. Project Targets

The project will assist children, households, and workers who are susceptible to child labor, other violations of labor rights, or exploitative working conditions and will implement activities in the Department of Guairá. Children receiving direct beneficiary services must be ages 5 to 17 at the time the intervention begins. Applicants are encouraged to propose strategies that assist rural females.

D. Background Information

In Paraguay, recurrent labor violations include the WFCL, illegal and unregistered adolescent labor, and failure to observe minimum wage and maximum hours of work for adolescents of legal working age and adults.1 Poverty, social acceptance, and limited education, training and livelihood opportunities create vulnerabilities to child labor exploitation in agriculture, domestic service, and urban work. Children in Paraguay are engaged in child labor in agriculture and in the WFCL in domestic service and urban work. A 2011 quantitative government survey found that 21 percent of all Paraguayan children are engaged in hazardous work, and that approximately 90 percent of all working children perform hazardous tasks, such as carrying heavy loads or using dangerous tools. A 2011 quantitative study on child labor in Paraguay’s

1 Article 58 of the Childhood and Adolescence Code sets the minimum age for work at 14. Article 54 of the Childhood and Adolescence Code, Article 3 of Decree 4951, and Article 125 of the Labor Code set the minimum age for hazardous work at 18.

sugarcane sector estimated that children comprise more than 25 percent of the sugarcane workforce, and about one out of four of those children suffered injuries twice a year, on average, while working.2 Many children also work selling goods in the street. Children working in urban areas are subject to injuries from street work and commercial sexual exploitation. Paraguay has almost 60,000 children in child domestic service, and domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to trafficking for sexual exploitation.

A major contributor to the high prevalence of violations of labor rights is the high level of informality; about 71% of non-agricultural employment is in the informal sector.3 Informality is maintained through sub-contracting jobs where there is a high potential for minimum wage abuses. Although Paraguay adopted a law in 2013 to incorporate youth in the labor market and to regulate specific contractual arrangements for their employment, Paraguay has one of the highest rates of youth informal employment in the Latin America region—between seven and eight of every 10 employed youth (ages 15 to 24) worked in informal conditions in 2013.4 This situation makes them highly vulnerable to labor exploitation. Young Paraguayan workers complain of precarious working conditions: low pay; hours that exceed legal limits; contracts of short duration; undated resignation papers that workers have to sign when they are hired; high production quotas; and unreliable work schedules that make it difficult to study and work. There is also both youth unemployment and underemployment, especially among girls in rural areas, which can limit their future employment prospects and professional development.5

The Childhood and Adolescence Code requires that adolescent workers be formally registered to work by CODENI (Consejerías Municipales para los Derechos del Niño, la Niña y el Adolescente or Defense Councils for the Rights of Children and Adolescents). This registration should be referred to the MTESS within 72 hours so that employers could be inspected for their enforcement of labor laws regarding adolescents. In practice, this registration, referral, and inspection are rarely done. Many youth lack identity documents which are required for an adolescent worker to formally register in CODENI. In cases where children are victims of violations under the penal code (which include the WFCL), they should be protected by children's judges. Yet oftentimes labor inspectors or other persons cannot freely enter private homes and farms suspected of violating labor laws and there is a lengthy process to obtain permission from judges.

Children, adolescents, and women are often not paid or are paid less than minimum wage.6 For example, the legal wage rate for adult domestic workers, who are generally female, is 40% of the minimum wage, despite Paraguay's ratification of ILO Convention 189 Concerning Decent Work for Domestic Workers in 2013, which would require full minimum wage. Domestic workers cannot receive social security benefits unless they are paid minimum wage. Furthermore, MTESS lacks a registry of domestic workers.

The MTESS separated from the Ministry of Justice in 2013 and has developed a strategic plan that includes building a highly effective, professional labor inspectorate. To do so, it plans to hire 40 new inspectors in 2015. It will be necessary to develop new inspection protocols and to provide training on labor laws and regulations for the new inspector corps. Furthermore, the MTESS does not have an electronic information

2 ICF Macro (2011) Child labor in the Sugarcane Industry in Paraguay. Paraguay is seeking a niche global market with organic sugar. It seeks to expand production and reduce child labor.

3 IMF (2015) Paraguay: selected issues, http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2015/cr1538.pdf. See also ABC Color, (September 16, 2012) “Clara radiografía de nuestra gran informalidad” http://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/suplementos/economico/clara-radiografia-de-nuestra-gran-informalidad-451053.html.

4 Paraguay adopted Law Nº 4951 for the Incorporation of Youth in the Labor Market in June 2013. See ILO (2015), Youth and Informality Promoting Formal Employment among Youth: Innovative Experiences in Latin America and the Caribbean.

5 The incidence of informal employment among young rural employees is approximately 80% in Paraguay. See ILO (2015).

6 Article 17 of the Ley de Primer Empleo states that workers hired under this Law, which includes adolescents ages 15-28, receive the legal minimum wage, according to hours worked, except as otherwise provided by law. See ILO (2015) and ABC Color (September 22, 2012), “Paraguay tiene 122.277 jóvenes desempleados, según la DGEEC” http://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/locales/paraguay-tiene-122277-jovenes-desempleados-segun-la-dgeec-453869.html system for the compilation and analysis of labor inspection data that would be useful for developing a strategy for proactive targeted inspections and for development of labor policy and legislation.

Although Paraguay has advanced its efforts to address child labor by implementing certain promising social protection programs and working with the private sector, including in sugarcane production in Guairá, these efforts have been insufficient relative to the scope of the problem. Furthermore, coordination among agencies in addressing the issue at the local and municipal level needs to be strengthened. For more information on the WFCL in Paraguay, including government efforts to address the problem, see the U.S.

Department of Labor’s 2013 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor Report, available at:

http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/findings/.

II. Award Information

A. Award Type and Amount

Funding will be provided in the form of a cooperative agreement. Approximately $6,000,000 is expected to be available to fund approximately 1 or more award(s). You may apply for a ceiling amount of up to $6,000,000 total costs. Awards made under this Announcement are subject to the availability of Federal funds. In the event that additional funds become available, we reserve the right to use such funds to select additional recipients from applications submitted in response to this Announcement.

ILAB’s involvement in program activities will focus on elements that are essential to meet program requirements and assure achievement of program objectives. ILAB involvement will include:

Designating key personnel positions and approving key personnel;

Collaborating with the recipient in order to refine the project strategy, the baseline survey and follow-up or endline survey methodology, the project performance indicators, and to develop a Comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (CMEP);

Monitoring project implementation through work plans, progress reports, evaluations, attestation engagements, site visits or conference calls with the recipient; and

Approval of deliverables outlined in the cooperative agreement and Management Procedures and Guidelines (MPG).

B. Period of Performance

The period of performance is a maximum of 4 years (48 months) from the effective date of the award. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Any commercial, international, educational, or non-profit organization(s), including any faith-based, community-based, or public international organization(s) (PIOs), capable of successfully fulfilling the objectives identified in the Funding Opportunity Description (see Section I) is eligible to apply. ILAB requires that all entities that elect to apply for this opportunity adhere to the specific requirements outlined in this FOA concerning monitoring and evaluation (M&E), audits and counter-terrorism. In negotiating an award with a PIO, ILAB will discuss the inclusion of appropriate language in the agreement acknowledging the rights and privileges as currently established and afforded to PIOs by the U.S. Government in accordance with U.S. law.

The following types of organizations are not eligible to apply nor to participate as subrecipients/contractors:

Organizations designated by the U.S. Government to be associated with terrorism.

Organizations designated by the U.S. Government to have been debarred or suspended.

Organizations planning to charge a fee (profit) associated with a project funded by DOL under this award.

In addition, foreign governments and entities that are agencies of, or operated by or for, a foreign state or government, are not eligible to apply.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost sharing or matching funds are not required for this program. Applications that include any form of cost sharing or match will not receive additional consideration during the review process. Cost sharing or match is not one of the application screening criteria.

C. Other Information

1. Application Screening Criteria

You should use the checklist below as a guide when preparing your application package to ensure that the application has met all of the screening criteria. Note that this checklist is only an aid for Applicants and should not be included in the application package. We urge you to use this checklist to ensure that your application contains all required items. If your application does not meet all of the screening criteria, it will not move forward to the merit review process.

Application Requirement Instructions Complete?

The deadline submission requirements are met Section IV.B.3.

If submitted through Grants.gov, the components of the application are saved in any of the specified formats and are not corrupt.

(We will attempt to open the document, but will not troubleshoot any problems related to opening files.)

Section IV.B.3.

Application does not exceed the ceiling amount of $6,000,000 total costs

Section II.A

Applicant has registered with SAM and maintains an active account

Section IV.B.2.a

Completed and signed SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance

Section IV.B.2.c

SF-424A, Budget Information Form Section IV.B.2.d

Technical Proposal Section IV.B.1

Annexes to Technical Proposal Section IV.B.1.e

Abstract Results Framework Work Plan Past Performance References Evidence of Government Support and

Country Presence Project Management Organizational Chart Key Personnel Signed Commitment Letters

(3) 1 Page Resumes for Key Personnel (3) 1 Page Resumes for Required Other

Professional Personnel (2) Audit Documentation

Outputs based budget and budget narrative Section IV.B.2.e.

2. Number of Applications To Be Submitted

Multiple applications from an organization are not allowed. If multiple applications are received, the most recent application submitted will be accepted. If the most recent application is disqualified for any reason, we will not replace it with an earlier application. Applicant entities are not precluded from participating as partners on another entity’s application.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. How to Obtain an Application Package

This FOA, found at www.Grants.gov, contains all of the information and links to forms needed to apply for funding. Applicants should note that hyperlinks to portions of the FOA are included in various parts of the announcement. Applicants are required to comply with all parts of the FOA, including those parts found at the hyperlinks.

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

Applications submitted in response to this FOA must consist of two separate and distinct parts: (1) a Technical Proposal, including an abstract, table of contents, and annexes; and (2) a Cost Proposal, including the SF-424 “Application for Federal Assistance” and related forms identified below. It is your responsibility to ensure that the funding amount requested is consistent across all parts of the application. If the funding amount is not consistent, the amount requested on the SF-424 will be considered for the purpose of the award.

1. Technical Proposal

All pages of the application must be numbered. All required documents (including annexes) must be submitted in English. Any additional documentation submitted that is not required or specifically requested under this announcement will not be considered. Technical Proposals must be no more than 50 single-sided, double-spaced pages (8-1/2” x 11” with 1” margins). If any page limits required by this FOA for any part of the application are exceeded, the content that exceeds the page limit will not be considered during the merit review process. Font style must be Times New Roman and font size must be no less than 12-point. The Cover Page, Acronyms List, Abstract, Table of Contents, and required annexes to the Technical Proposal do not count toward the page limit. Different fonts and font sizes may be used for tables, text boxes, and graphics. Please see section IV.B.3. for the file format requirements for electronic submissions.

The following instructions provide all of the information needed to complete the Technical Proposal.

Applicants should carefully read and consider each section, and include all required information. The Technical Proposal will be evaluated using the evaluation criteria identified in Section V.A. You must use the same section headers identified below for each section of the Technical Proposal:

a. Abstract (Executive Summary)

You must submit as an annex an abstract summarizing the proposed project, including, but not limited to, the scope of the project and proposed outcomes. The description of the proposed project must include the Applicant’s name, project title, a description of the area to be served (if applicable), number of participants to be served (if applicable), the total cost per participant (if applicable), and the funding level requested. The Abstract is limited to two double-spaced single sided 8.5x11 inch pages with 12 point text font, Times New Roman font style, and 1 inch margins. When submitting in grants.gov, this document must be uploaded as an attachment to the application package and specifically labeled “Abstract.”

b. Table of Contents

The Table of Contents must list all required documents and include their corresponding page numbers.

c. Project Narrative

The Project Narrative must describe in detail the Applicant’s response to the FOA. At minimum, the Project Narrative must contain the following sections:

1) Statement of Need

Applicants should describe, in both quantitative and qualitative terms, the need for assistance, including the nature and scope of the problems, and the consequences of not addressing the need.

Include relevant cultural, economic, social, labor and legal factors contributing to the problem.

Applicants must identify significant gaps in laws, policies, programs and coordination efforts that contribute to the identified problem and that need to be filled by the project.

2) Goals, Objectives and Expected Outcomes

Applicants must describe the overall goals, objectives, and expected outcomes the project will achieve, including those identified below. Applicants must demonstrate how their proposed strategies described in the Project Design section will fill identified gaps and achieve the identified project objectives and expected outcomes. Applicants may suggest additional objectives and/or outcomes and a rationale for how they contribute to the achievement of the project’s overall goals.

The main goals of the project are to support Paraguay in its efforts to reduce the WFCL and improve labor law compliance, with a particular focus on the Department of Guairá. In support of these goals, the project has two main objectives that should, at a minimum, lead to the outcomes outlined below.

OBJECTIVE 1: Children protected and educational opportunities expanded in the Department of Guairá. Expected Outcomes:

Awareness on the WFCL and labor rights, including acceptable conditions of work (minimum wage and hours of work), raised and vulnerable children referred to social protection programs.

Coordinated multi-agency7, area-based strategy to reduce the WFCL implemented (focus on agriculture, particularly in sugarcane, and in urban work).

Integrated data sharing system (registro único) to eliminate the WFCL and protect children and adolescents is operational in the Department of Guairá.

Innovative educational programs implemented.

Vocational training conducted to improve livelihoods of households vulnerable to the WFCL, including with a focus on rural adolescent girls.

OBJECTIVE 2: Labor laws enforced and working conditions improved in the Department of Guairá. Expected Outcomes:

Labor law compliance increased and working conditions improved, particularly with reference to child/adolescent labor and minimum wage and hours.

Labor law enforcement information system improved and expanded.

Mechanisms for labor law compliance and enforcement developed to effectively protect vulnerable children.

Working adolescents, including domestic laborers, are formally registered in CODENI8 and reported to the MTESS for labor law protection.

3) Targets

Applicants must describe the target populations that are to be direct or indirect beneficiaries of the project (see Appendix B for definitions of direct and indirect beneficiaries). Applicants must state the number of beneficiaries to be provided services by the project, and must justify this number, taking into account the project strategy and budget implications. Applicants must provide initial criteria for selection of potential project beneficiaries, if applicable. Applicants must also provide a justification for their selection of a target geographical area(s), as applicable.

Applicants must describe how target populations and/or geographic areas reflect the problem to be addressed and the overall strategy being proposed by the Applicant.

Applicants must propose strategies that target children, households, and workers who are susceptible to child labor, other violations of labor rights, or exploitative working conditions.

Geographical area. Applicants must implement activities in the Department of Guairá.

National-level capacity strengthening should be conducted at the national level, in addition to the target areas. Applicants should provide the name(s) of the specific geographic areas within the Department of Guairá, such as municipalities, for project implementation, and a justification for

7 These agencies include but are not limited to the MTESS labor inspectorate, the Judiciary, the National Commission to Prevent and Eradicate the Exploitation of Children (CONAETI), National Secretariat for Children and Adolescents (SNNA), CODENI, Abrazo and Tekoporá programs, Ministry of Agriculture, and Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise, Secretariat for Youth, and the private sector (e.g., sugar mill operators and other businesses).

8 CODENI is required to register working adolescents and to report the registration of these adolescents within 72 hours.

their inclusion must be provided in the application. In all cases, the final list of communities and municipalities will be agreed-upon post-award between the grantee and USDOL.

Direct Beneficiaries.

Children receiving direct beneficiary services must be ages 5 to 17 at the time the intervention begins. Applicants are encouraged to propose strategies that assist rural females. Applicants must target child beneficiaries who face one or more of the following factors that contribute to their engagement in or high-risk of entering child labor:

• engaged in hazardous work (or a sibling is);

• deficient in basic literacy skills;

• not attending school;

• a head of household;

• in need of assistance to complete educational programs;

• in need of assistance to secure and retain age appropriate employment (including for children affected by a disability).

4) Project Design

Applicants must propose a strategy to achieve the objectives and outcomes stated above for the project’s target population. Applicants must describe all major areas of project intervention. In describing project interventions, Applicants are expected to describe specific activities, including direct service interventions, and how such activities will lead to the project’s expected objectives and outcomes. Applicants should identify any potential barriers and describe how the project will be able to overcome those barriers.

DOL has informed host government officials of the proposed award. Applicants must consult with the Government of Paraguay to ensure that their proposed strategies are relevant to the country’s needs and supportive of the Government of Paraguay’s efforts to address the WFCL and improve labor law compliance, with a particular focus on the Department of Guairá.

Applicants should discuss proposed interventions and activities with host government officials and work with government stakeholders at the national and/or local level, including relevant ministries or government bodies, during the preparation of their applications. The Project Design should demonstrate evidence of this consultation. In addition, Applicants must provide required supporting documentation as discussed in Section IV.B.1.d.2 “Country Presence and Host Government Support.”

Effective labor law enforcement is necessary to eradicate the WFCL, protect adolescent workers from illegal labor practices, and improve the welfare of families subject to violations of wage and hour protections. Paraguay’s newly established MTESS has requested support to improve its capacity to enforce labor laws. The project will work with MTESS to strengthen its labor inspectorate, improve working conditions with regards to minimum wage and hours of work violations, and develop alternative employment training opportunities for vulnerable populations.

To meet the project objectives, Applicants must develop a comprehensive strategy to support Paraguay in its efforts to improve labor law compliance (including those related to child labor) and working conditions (minimum wage and hours of work), with a particular focus to enforce labor laws. The project will work with MTESS to strengthen its labor inspectorate, on the Department of Guairá. The project will work with MTESS and those government institutions charged with protecting children and improving opportunities for children, workers, and families.

The project must undertake an area-based approach in the target areas in the Department of Guairá (see Appendix B for a definition of “area-based approach”).

The Applicant must propose a strategy to improve the capacity of government agencies (at different levels) to coordinate programs and activities that reduce child labor, increase opportunities for improved livelihoods and employment, and foster sustainability. Applicants must present a detailed strategy for its proposed engagement with government institutions and how those entities would contribute to the project strategies. Applicants must demonstrate an understanding of child labor and the challenges facing youth in Paraguay, including in the target areas, and the types of governmental and non-governmental programs that are addressing these issues. Applicants are encouraged to seek partnerships with employers and/or business coalitions to address and monitor child labor and provide employment opportunities for youth of legal working age. Applicants should note that USDOL’s desire is for focused, holistic, and interrelated interventions, as well as realistic proposed outputs, rather than large quantities of dispersed and segmented activities. This should be reflected in the Applicant’s proposed strategies. As discussed below, Applicants will be required to coordinate targeting and implementation closely with other United States government (USG) programs, including USAID and other USDOL9 projects or activities in Paraguay, and with the MTESS, which is committed to providing complementary resources to support project goals, depending on the availability of resources.

To foster sustainability, Applicants should consider replicating, expanding upon, or strengthening existing programs, including training and vocational programs, to the degree possible; as much as possible, decisions about which programs to replicate and expand should be based upon available evidence from evaluations, performance data, or other assessments of existing programs. Applicants must present a strategy to institutionalize project-developed systems, curricula, protocols and tools within the relevant government or employer organizations, including through securing budgetary support.

The following is a list of outputs and activities that, at a minimum, must be included in order to support implementation of the proposed strategy and identified outcomes. Applicants are encouraged to propose additional and complementary outputs and activities as appropriate to their proposed strategies. All outcomes, outputs, and activities will be refined and finalized during the development of the project’s required comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan (CMEP). (See section IV.B.1.c.5).

OBJECTIVE 1: Children protected and education opportunities improved in the Department of Guairá. Applicants must propose strategies to provide opportunities for education, training, and improved livelihoods to child laborers, children at risk of child labor, rural adolescent females, and adults in households vulnerable to the WFCL. Applicants must explain the steps the project will take to ensure that livelihood activities offered to households do not lead to hazardous work situations, including children’s involvement in the use of agrochemicals or dangerous urban work, and to avoid possible and unintended consequences of project interventions related to livelihood promotion (e.g., an increase in household debt burden, greater demand for child labor, and decreased participation in schooling). At a minimum, the following outputs and activities must be included:

Raise awareness of WFCL and labor rights and increase access to social protection services.

Applicants must propose to develop and implement activities that lead to a greater awareness

9 USDOL is supporting three global projects that have components in Paraguay. For a list of USDOL programs in Paraguay, see:

http://www.dol.gov/ilab/map/countries/paraguay.htm. Also see the DOL Newsletter section about a recent Paraguayan delegation to DOL: The DOL Newsletter - April 2, 2015. For an interactive map with information on USAID’s programs in Paraguay, see:

http://map.usaid.gov/.

among employers and workers of labor rights, including child labor, and that lead to increased access to social protection services for vulnerable children.

Communications strategy developed to support an MTESS communication campaign to raise awareness about:

Dangers of the WFCL.

Paraguay’s obligation to enforce minimum age laws and eradicate the WFCL as a result of ILO ratification of ILO Conventions 138, 182 and 189.

Legal obligation for all citizens (and especially public servants) to report violations against children to 147-hotline or other responsible party.

Labor rights, in particular, regarding the minimum wage and hours of work.

Process to file complaints regarding labor rights violations.

Technical assistance provided to the Government of Paraguay (GOP) to identify/refine indicators of child vulnerability to the WFCL.

Survey of children vulnerable to child labor and those without identity documents completed in the Department of Guairá.

Project beneficiaries identified and assisted to help obtain identity documents (birth registration and identity cédulas) for eligibility for education and social protection programs and CODENI registration.

Project beneficiaries referred to Abrazo, Tekoporá or other social protection programs.

Beneficiary children's work status monitored in partnership with CODENI and the community.

Support improved multi-agency coordination to reduce WFCL. Applicants must propose assistance to a variety of stakeholders to develop WFCL coordination plans, policies, and monitoring systems. The focus should be on urban work and agriculture, including in sugarcane production, in the Department of Guairá.

Technical assistance and training to address WFCL given to GOP agencies and municipalities for strategic planning, development of annual operating plans and budgets, coordination strategies, and implementation of a joint child labor monitoring system.

Technical assistance and training provided to develop joint monitoring system among government, private sector, and civil society to address WFCL and protect children and adolescents in the Department of Guairá.

Develop an integrated data sharing system (registro único) to eliminate the WFCL and protect children and adolescents in the Department of Guairá. Applicants must propose strategies to provide assistance and training to facilitate data sharing that would contribute to comprehensively monitoring and protecting children and households vulnerable to WFCL. The project must propose strategies that foster ownership and sustainability of these systems.

Technical assistance and training provided for development of integrated social protection data sharing system and a complementary community-based monitoring system.10 Information shared and exchanges of good practices conducted with other countries that have integrated data systems (e.g., Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador).

10 Data should include but is not limited to children and adolescents working informally, number of children and adolescents registered in CODENI, number of children registered in school, number of hours worked by children and adolescents, effect of work hours on school performance. The database can include information from the annual census of families conducted by organic sugar mills that buy from small family-based producers.

Provide education services and programs. Applicants must propose strategies that incorporate the following activities listed below to assist in expanding educational opportunities in the Department of Guairá. A special focus should be given to rural adolescent girls. Applicants must describe how the proposed educational strategies address the WFCL.

Models for innovative school enrichment and afterschool activities piloted for children in project areas of intervention.

Models for accelerated education piloted for children who have dropped out of school or are behind in school because of work.

Supplies and materials for school enrichment, afterschool activities, and accelerated education programs provided.

Transportation options in project areas assessed and if needed, related support provided to project beneficiaries.

Provide employment and training services to improve the livelihoods of households vulnerable to the WFCL. Applicants must propose strategies that incorporate the activities listed below to assist with the improvement of livelihoods in the Department of Guairá. A special focus should be given to rural females, including rural adolescent girls. Applicants must describe how the proposed strategies address the WFCL.

Training and technical assistance provided to MTESS on how to carry out market research on employment needs.

Market assessment conducted to determine areas of employment needed in target areas.

Assessment of educational level, aptitudes and employment skills of adolescent and adult project beneficiaries conducted, including with a focus on female adolescents.

Adolescents and adults (particularly rural females) in project areas trained in required literacy, numeracy and other skills and referred to existing Servicio Nacional de Promoción Profesional (SNPP) training programs.11

Pilot vocational training programs (particularly for rural females) developed through market research and tested for future accreditation by SINAFOCAL (Sistema Nacional de Formación y Capacitación Laboral or National Vocational Institute).12

Transportation options in target areas assessed and if needed, related support provided to project beneficiaries.

Entrepreneurship and financial literacy training provided for beneficiaries, who are referred to GOP livelihood and credit programs.

OBJECTIVE 2: Labor laws enforced and working conditions improved in the Department of Guairá. Applicants must propose strategies to build the capacity of MTESS to conduct effective labor inspections and improve labor law compliance and working conditions in the Department of Guairá. Project components to help MTESS’ capacity to conduct labor inspections should focus on child/adolescent labor and minimum wage and hours. Activities

11 This project should complement the IDB-supported “New Employment Opportunities for Youth” project that seeks to boost the employability of vulnerable youth ages 16 to 29. The expected outcome is to broaden the scope and quality of training programs and employment systems for young people in the city of Asunción and in Caaguazú, San Pedro, Paraguarí, Guairá, and Central departments. Project partners include the MTESS and Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises Ministry. See http://www.youthneo.org/Portals/13/Images/NEO/SW_Recursos/c6d4a039-1ad4-446a-9fab- 15501c8022ba_NEO-PARAGUAY%20PR-M1031%20DM%20(eng).pdf 12 The programs for rural females can include non-traditional occupations.

such as trainings, developing protocols and a database, should be conducted at the national level and applied in the Department of Guairá. The project should gather and disseminate lessons learned and results from project implementation in the Department of Guairá that can be replicated by the MTESS in other parts of the country. The project must include at a minimum the following outputs and activities:

Strengthen capacity for labor law enforcement and compliance. Applicants must propose strategies that incorporate the activities listed below that lead to improved labor law enforcement and compliance.

Current labor inspection mechanisms assessed to identify gaps and develop recommendations to strengthen the labor inspectorate in areas including planning, monitoring, and evaluating the work of the labor inspectorate. The assessment should identify the specific technical assistance needed that will lead to an increase in the number of violations identified and remedied, and an increase in the application and collection of fines assessed as appropriate.

Training on best practices in MTESS staff onboarding and human resource management provided, particularly for new labor inspectors.

Ongoing technical assistance provided to MTESS in strategic planning and annual operational planning, and monitoring and evaluation of labor inspections.

Technical assistance provided for the development and/or revision of general labor inspection protocols, manuals, and inspection forms to generally cover a range of labor issues, as needed, in addition to the development of specific labor inspection protocols, manuals, inspection forms, and interview procedures that are focused on the following areas13:

Child labor Forced Labor Wage and Hour Violations Paraguayan Labor Law International Labor Standards

All inspectors trained, both in the classroom and in the field, in new labor inspection protocols and processes, as part of assisting with the establishment of a permanent training program.14

Selected inspectors trained to specialize in wage and hour violations and in child and adolescent labor violations.

Strengthen and expand labor law enforcement information systems. Applicants must propose strategies that incorporate the following activities that lead to an increase in MTESS efficiency.

Information sharing and exchanges organized with other countries that have successful labor law enforcement information systems.

Technical assistance provided on project-supplied software and information technology applications for labor inspection.

Technical assistance and training provided for the establishment in the MTESS of an electronic information system for the registration and analysis of labor inspection data that

13 The Applicant should propose a plan to complement and not duplicate planned activities to be conducted through other USDOL-supported efforts.

14 Given the planned increase in the number of inspectors, it will be necessary to provide training for the newly recruited staff, as well as for existing inspectors on labor laws and regulations and any new procedures, tools, and methodologies developed for better preventing, identifying, sanctioning and remedying violations of labor law. Training should also include interview procedures and techniques. A mentoring program between senior inspectors and newly hired inspectors should also be considered.

will lead to an increase in the number of comprehensive targeted and directed inspections that follow best practice methodologies and guidelines for labor law enforcement.15

Analysis of labor complaint and labor inspection data conducted to propose legislation (proyectos de ley) to improve labor rights and working conditions.

Develop mechanisms for labor law compliance and enforcement to protect vulnerable children.

Applicants must propose strategies that incorporate the following activities that would strengthen labor law enforcement and protection of vulnerable children among various government institutions.

Technical assistance and training provided to develop a system to make publically available information on citations and penalties issued to employers for child labor infractions.

Written guidelines, training and technical legal assistance assessed and provided as needed for prosecutors, children's judges, court clerks, Defensores de la Niñez and other members of the judiciary16 regarding:

How to apply International Conventions on child labor ratified by Paraguay.17 The meaning and interpretation of Paraguay's hazardous labor list.

How to cite international legal instruments (Conventions) in legal opinions.

Technical assistance and training provided to develop a computerized system to monitor if judges are applying legal training received regarding the WFCL.

Support and build capacity for CODENI’s registration of working adolescents, including domestic laborers, and their reporting to MTESS. Applicants must propose strategies that incorporate the activities listed below to strengthen CODENI’s capacity and improve coordination to better protect working adolescents.

Technical assistance and training provided to strengthen CODENI’s capacity to implement its responsibilities and legal obligations under the Code for Children and Adolescents, with regards to the registration of adolescent workers 14-17.18

Assessment of existing databases among government ministries and technical assistance and training provided to set up a unified adolescent workers' registry in the Department of Guairá, including adolescent domestic laborers.19

Technical assistance and training provided to set up improved coordination and operational protocols between CODENI and the MTESS to conduct timely MTESS labor inspections in the case of labor law violations against adolescents.

5) CMEP Agreement and M&E Capacity Statement

15 This information system will allow for the systematic, centralized, and uniform collection and management of labor law compliance-related information, including violations found, sanctions imposed, and case status. Such a tool will facilitate the tracking of labor complaints and will drive policy-making, budgetary decisions, and strategic labor law enforcement, such as planning future targeted inspections by industry and violation. It will also allow the MTESS to generate statistics on sanctions imposed for labor law violations and publish on the MTESS website.

16 The Applicant should propose a plan to complement and not duplicate planned activities to be conducted through other USDOL-funded projects. For example, the CLEAR project may be providing training on the hazardous list and light work. The GAP 11 project may be providing trainings to the Judiciary on international conventions on child labor and forced labor. For a list of USDOL programs in Paraguay, see: http://www.dol.gov/ilab/map/countries/paraguay.htm.

17 Paraguay has ratified all key international conventions concerning child labor and ILO Convention 189 on Domestic Work.

18 CODENI is required to register working adolescents and to report the registration of these adolescents within 72 hours.

19 The registry could include wages paid and whether social security contributions are being made. It can draw upon experiences of the model of formalization of young workers that was implemented in Tobatí.

The Comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (CMEP) is a tool to integrate and guide the project’s monitoring, evaluating, and reporting on project progress toward achieving intended results and outcomes. It is also intended to serve as a management tool and facilitate managing for results. Applicants must confirm in their proposal their commitment to collaborate with DOL-funded External M&E Experts and DOL in developing the project’s CMEP. Applicants must also describe their commitment to M&E and their capacity and approach to deliver the M&E requirements described in this FOA. These requirements include baseline and follow-up surveys (for further information on survey requirements, please see the sample MPG), the CMEP, development and implementation of a Direct Beneficiary Monitoring System (DBMS), collaboration on externally conducted midterm and final evaluations, and performance reporting.

Applicants may use their own staff, a partner organization, or a sub-contractor to carry out these activities (or components of these activities), except for baseline and follow-up surveys, which must use a sub-contractor (projects may not use their own staff). Applicants must describe in the capacity statement how they will carry out these activities and ensure high quality data and deliverables. Applicants also should briefly address how they will safeguard all project data, particularly any personal data on beneficiaries.

The M&E capacity statement also must include the Applicant’s strategy and methodology for monitoring the project’s direct beneficiaries, including the education and work status of…