FOA-ILAB-24-30_Cambodia.docx

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of International Labor Affairs

Program Office:

OCFT

Notice of Availability of Funds and Funding Opportunity Announcement for: Increasing Responsiveness of Cambodian Organizations of Persons with Disabilities and their Key Stakeholders to Labor Exploitation and Barriers that Impede Access to Decent Work

Announcement Type:

Funding Opportunity Number: FOA-ILAB-24-30

Assistance Listing Number: 17.401

Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is 09/25/2024. Applications must be received no later than 11:59 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.

Award decisions are expected to be made between 09/30/2024 and 12/31/2024.

The Department will make its best efforts to make award decisions within this timeframe, but please be aware that there are a variety of circumstances that may result in a later or earlier than expected award decision.

To apply: Submit applications via https://www.grants.gov/ in response to this funding opportunity number.

Please refer to Section IV for application submission instructions.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL, or the Department), announces the availability of approximately $3,000,000 total costs (subject to the availability of Federal funds) for 1 cooperative agreement(s) to fund a technical assistance project(s) in Cambodia to increase the responsiveness of Cambodian Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and their key stakeholders to labor exploitation and barriers that impede access to decent work.

The duration of the project will be 54 months from the effective date of the award.

Eligible applicants include any commercial, international, educational, or non-profit organizations, including any faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, or public international organizations (PIOs). Please see section III of this funding opportunity announcement for complete eligibility requirements.

The project-level objective is increased responsiveness of Cambodian Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and their key stakeholders (1) to labor exploitation and barriers that impede access to decent work. (2)

· Outcome 1: Increased understanding of the linkage between disability and vulnerability to child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking and of barriers that impede access to decent work for persons with disabilities.

· Outcome 2: Increased coordination and partnerships between/among OPDs and their key stakeholders to address the prevalence of child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking among persons with disabilities and barriers that impede their access to decent work.

· Outcome 3: Increased implementation of sustainable interventions by OPDs and their key stakeholders that address the linkage between disability and vulnerability to child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking and barriers that impede access to decent work.

The applicant must propose strategies that are based on a disability inclusion and equity analysis to identify potential barriers and challenges, which increase vulnerability to labor exploitation for persons with disabilities and hinder their access to decent work. The analysis must take into consideration the needs of persons with disabilities within marginalized and underrepresented groups (see Requirements Across Technical Proposal section). Projects are encouraged to incorporate strategies that address intersectional discrimination, based on assessed needs.

Persons with disabilities are part of every group and may experience increased discrimination due to intersections with disability and other facets of their identity (e.g. gender). (3) Applicants should seek to propose strategies that are sustainable and describe how they will be sustained after the project ends. Applicants must propose geographic locations for project interventions, including the number of provinces and municipalities for project implementation. The choice of target locations must be supported by factors, such as high vulnerability to child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking, and barriers that hinder access to decent work. Emphasizing a disability inclusive development approach, applicants’ proposals must demonstrate equitable participation and integration of local Cambodian OPDs early, often, and throughout the project cycle in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project. (4)(5)(6) Where relevant to the applicant's proposed strategy as it relates to children or adults with disabilities, Applicants should support and promote protective and nurturing family care, as well as home and community-based support services, and avoid approaches that would strengthen or perpetuate institutions and other residential care settings that contribute to the segregation of persons with disabilities from society. For more information, please see the following CRPD (Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) Committee guidelines on deinstitutionalization.

Applicants must propose a strategy that is guided by the provisions set forth in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. (7) The strategy should adopt an inclusive development approach with a focus on OPDs/persons with disabilities (see USAID’s help guide on inclusive development).

Strategies must be guided by the following principles:

· “Nothing About Us Without Us”, activities should be led by, or have strong support from and participation by OPDs. Proposals must substantively involve local organizations, focus on activities at the local and community level, and include awards or sub-awards to local organizations. Program proposals must address and support the specific needs of persons with disabilities. The Applicant must demonstrate how they will meaningfully involve persons with disabilities in the design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of the project. Proposals must include sub-awarding or sub- contracting mechanisms that provide, at minimum, 30% of total direct costs to OPDs. (8)(9)

· Collective Action: Every effort should be made in program design to bring disability groups together for collective action. Work with local OPDs must not be focused exclusively on one or a few types of disabilities. Safety and security should be integrated throughout all activities in the project. (10)

· “Do No Harm”: measures (e.g., trauma informed approaches) must be taken to ensure that efforts do not put any marginalized and/or underrepresented individual at increased risk of harm nor contribute to inequities, exclusion, discrimination, vulnerability, stigmatization, or violence towards programming design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. (11) ILAB/OCFT works to reduce child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking worldwide and to safeguard dignity at work, including through a focus on the most vulnerable populations and communities. In addition to promoting racial and gender equity, ILAB is committed to advancing the labor rights of persons with disabilities, including by promoting their access to decent work and supporting their active participation and inclusion in programming and activities that advance their well-being.

Table of Contents

A. PROGRAM PURPOSE

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

ILAB leads the U.S. Government’s (USG) efforts to improve working conditions and fight labor exploitation around the world. ILAB's mission is to strengthen global labor standards, enforce labor commitments among trading partners, promote racial and gender equity, and combat international child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. ILAB’s Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking (OCFT) works to eliminate child labor, forced labor and human trafficking through international research, policy engagement, and technical cooperation. See ILAB’s webpage for additional information: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab. ILAB’s Knowledge Portal contains detailed information on OCFT’s technical assistance projects, including evaluations, lessons learned, project-produced resources, and good practices: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/ilab-knowledge-portal.

This FOA solicits applications to implement 1 project(s) with the objective to increase responsiveness of Cambodian Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and their key stakeholders to labor exploitation and barriers that impede access to decent work.

The project-level objective is increased responsiveness of Cambodian Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and their key stakeholders (1) to labor exploitation and barriers that impede access to decent work. (2)

· Outcome 1: Increased understanding of the linkage between disability and vulnerability to child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking and of barriers that impede access to decent work for persons with disabilities.

· Outcome 2: Increased coordination and partnerships between/among OPDs and their key stakeholders to address the prevalence of child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking among persons with disabilities and barriers that impede their access to decent work.

· Outcome 3: Increased implementation of sustainable interventions by OPDs and their key stakeholders that address the linkage between disability and vulnerability to child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking and barriers that impede access to decent work.

The applicant must propose strategies that are based on a disability inclusion and equity analysis to identify potential barriers and challenges, which increase vulnerability to labor exploitation for persons with disabilities and hinder their access to decent work. The analysis must take into consideration the needs of persons with disabilities within marginalized and underrepresented groups (see Requirements Across Technical Proposal section). Projects are encouraged to incorporate strategies that address intersectional discrimination, based on assessed needs.

Persons with disabilities are part of every group and may experience increased discrimination due to intersections with disability and other facets of their identity (e.g. gender). (3) Applicants should seek to propose strategies that are sustainable and describe how they will be sustained after the project ends. Applicants must propose geographic locations for project interventions, including the number of provinces and municipalities for project implementation. The choice of target locations must be supported by factors, such as high vulnerability to child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking, and barriers that hinder access to decent work. Emphasizing a disability inclusive development approach, applicants’ proposals must demonstrate equitable participation and integration of local Cambodian OPDs early, often, and throughout the project cycle in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project. (4)(5)(6) Where relevant to the applicant's proposed strategy as it relates to children or adults with disabilities, Applicants should support and promote protective and nurturing family care, as well as home and community-based support services, and avoid approaches that would strengthen or perpetuate institutions and other residential care settings that contribute to the segregation of persons with disabilities from society. For more information, please see the following CRPD (Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) Committee guidelines on deinstitutionalization.

Applicants must propose a strategy that is guided by the provisions set forth in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. (7) The strategy should adopt an inclusive development approach with a focus on OPDs/persons with disabilities (see USAID’s help guide on inclusive development).

Strategies must be guided by the following principles:

· “Nothing About Us Without Us”, activities should be led by, or have strong support from and participation by OPDs. Proposals must substantively involve local organizations, focus on activities at the local and community level, and include awards or sub-awards to local organizations. Program proposals must address and support the specific needs of persons with disabilities. The Applicant must demonstrate how they will meaningfully involve persons with disabilities in the design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of the project. Proposals must include sub-awarding or sub- contracting mechanisms that provide, at minimum, 30% of total direct costs to OPDs. (8)(9)

· Collective Action: Every effort should be made in program design to bring disability groups together for collective action. Work with local OPDs must not be focused exclusively on one or a few types of disabilities. Safety and security should be integrated throughout all activities in the project. (10)

· “Do No Harm”: measures (e.g., trauma informed approaches) must be taken to ensure that efforts do not put any marginalized and/or underrepresented individual at increased risk of harm nor contribute to inequities, exclusion, discrimination, vulnerability, stigmatization, or violence towards programming design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. (11) ILAB/OCFT works to reduce child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking worldwide and to safeguard dignity at work, including through a focus on the most vulnerable populations and communities. In addition to promoting racial and gender equity, ILAB is committed to advancing the labor rights of persons with disabilities, including by promoting their access to decent work and supporting their active participation and inclusion in programming and activities that advance their well-being.

This announcement is for the award of 1 new cooperative agreement(s) with the specific project objective 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 Department of Labor Appropriations Act, 2024, PL 118-47, Division D, Title I.

C. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Cambodia is frequently cited as having one of the highest rates of persons living with disabilities worldwide.(12)(13) Based on the 2019 General Population Census, nearly five percent of or approximately 700,000 Cambodians have disabilities(14) (65 percent of which live in rural areas and roughly 15,000 are institutionalized).(15) Causes of disabilities include birth defects, accidents (traffic and work related, gunshots), illness, congenital diseases, landmines, unexploded ordnance and old age. (16)(17) Cambodians with disabilities experience a multitude of exclusionary challenges and barriers (especially in rural and remote areas) which hinder access to decent work, prevent economic empowerment and increase vulnerability to child labor and forced labor.(18)(19)(20)(21)(22) This includes widespread discrimination, negative societal attitudes; lack of access to information, education, skills development and employment; inaccessible physical infrastructure; an absence of inclusive services and public policies; and a lack of knowledge of disability rights for children and adults with disabilities, and their families.(23) Discrimination and vulnerability are magnified among children, women and girls with disabilities and persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, persons with sight impairment and especially among persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, which further impedes access to education and employment.(24) While data on labor exploitation among persons with disabilities is very limited, available evidence indicates that Cambodians with disabilities, including children, may engage in forced begging as a result of trafficking.(25)(26)(27)(28) In addition, disabilities can be acquired due to poor working conditions and exploitation. Children working in brick kilns are frequently injured, requiring upper limb amputations (below the shoulder and occasionally below the elbow).(29) Furthermore, having a household member with a disability, including as a result of injury or illness, can drive family members (children and adults) into exploitative labor in order to sustain their households due to a loss of income or increased expenses such as medical care.(30)(31) The Government of Cambodia has taken several actions to support the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities. Examples include: quotas for the recruitment of persons with disabilities in the public (two percent) and private sectors (one percent), the ratification of the CRPD, the adoption of the Law on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (currently being further amended(32)), the National Disability Strategic Plan 2019- 2023 (NDSP) and National Employment Policy 2015-2025.(33)(34) However, poor enforcement, deficient implementation and a general lack of comprehension of disability inclusion concepts remain, impeding progress towards realizing full and equal rights for Cambodians with disabilities.(35) In 2019, the Cambodian Disabled Persons Organization conducted a survey of 4,304 persons with disabilities.(36) Over 60 percent of persons interviewed were living below the poverty line and needed to travel 50 percent further to receive basic services. More than 60 percent of children with disabilities were unable to attend school.(37) Costs incurred to provide care for family members with disabilities further exacerbates household impoverishment, leading to a poverty rate of 34 percent. According to figures based on the 2019 General Population Census, 61 percent of Cambodians ages five years and up without disabilities were employed; in comparison, only 32 percent of persons with severe disabilities were employed.(38) Moreover, most persons with disabilities work in informal sector or are self-employed.(39) Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) are managed by and for persons with disabilities, which seek to advance their rights by raising awareness in society and advocating for their equal rights as citizens.(40) Cambodia has a vigorous disability movement, which includes the Cambodian Disabled Persons Organization (the primary body that promotes the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities at national and sub-national levels) and its vast network of members, comprising of 75 OPDs and 11 Women with Disabilities Forums from across the country.(41) While these organizations have been at the forefront of advocacy in Cambodia, they lack resources. OPDs need strengthened organizational, technical, and leadership capacity and skills to effectively advocate and monitor progress towards preventing labor exploitation, promoting decent work, and achieving disability rights.(42) In particular, OPDs have limited knowledge on child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. They have worked sparingly on issues related to employment, training, labor exploitation and access to decent work for persons with disabilities. Additionally, OPDs have had limited engagement with unions or labor rights organizations.

Persons with disabilities and OPDs face additional challenges in accessing information on labor exploitation and access to decent work. There is a severe lack of assistive services. For example, visually impaired persons lack adapted assistive technology to foster access to Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Hearing impaired persons rarely have access to deaf services including sign language. There are only 20 trained sign language interpreters in all of Cambodia.

More efforts are needed to combat labor exploitation of Cambodians with disabilities, ensure their access to decent work and empowerment through inclusion.(43)(44) Given the general data limitations regarding exploitative labor of persons with disabilities, more research is required to better understand the scope of exploitation and worker rights violations which can inform impactful interventions.(45)(46)(47) Preventing child labor, forced labor and human trafficking through access to decent work can only be attained through education and employment that is inclusive and accessible.(48) Addressing discrimination and stigma is necessary to facilitate access to decent work.(49) More investment is needed to improve the organizational, technical and leadership capacities of OPDs, particularly those composed of unrepresented groups that work in rural areas.(50) OPDs must be consulted by stakeholders as an important source of knowledge, expertise and experience on rights-based disability inclusive approaches to promote decent work and prevent labor exploitation. OPDs play a significant role, representing the voice of persons with disabilities themselves.

A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

II. AWARD INFORMATION

Funding will be provided in the form of a cooperative agreement. Approximately $3,000,000 total costs is expected to be available to fund approximately 1 (one) award(s). Applicants may apply for a ceiling amount of up to $3,000,000 total costs. Awards made under this announcement are subject to the availability of federal funds. In the event that additional funds become available, USDOL reserves the right to increase the amount of an award or to use such funds to select additional recipients from applications submitted in response to this announcement.

In addition to its normal consultative role as grantor, ILAB’s substantial involvement in program activities may focus on elements that are essential to meet program requirements and ensure achievement of program objectives and outcomes. ILAB’s involvement may include, but not be limited to:

· Liaising with in-country USG officials and host country governments on matters related to the project.

· Collaborating substantially on the project strategy and implementation, as well as the development of the project document package.

· Collaborating substantially on the development and implementation of the monitoring and evaluation plan and all of its components.

· Providing highly specialized input on the technical definitions and concepts of workers’ rights, international labor standards, occupational safety and health (OSH), industrial relations, social dialogue, collective bargaining, freedom of association, acceptable conditions of work, stakeholder compliance, non-discrimination, labor courts, labor administration, labor inspection, labor law and judicial reform, legal and policy frameworks, child labor, forced labor, human trafficking, and effective enforcement, among others.

· Being substantially and actively involved in designing research, service provision, and/or capacity building activities jointly with the recipient.

· Reviewing and providing input on project’s planning for sustainability and collaborating to promote sustainability of project efforts, including through replication of good practices.

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The required period of performance is 54 months from the effective date of the award. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities. Only allowable costs incurred during the period of performance may be charged to the federal award (2 CFR 200.1 Period of performance).

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

· U.S. organizations:

· Nonprofits, including any faith-based organizations or community-based organizations

· Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education

· Private Institutions of Higher Education

· Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

· Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities

· Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions

· Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)

· Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSIs)

· Minority Serving Institutions

· Native American tribal organizations (Federally recognized)

· For-Profit organizations

· Non-U.S. organizations:

· Non-U.S. Entities, including PIOs, as described in 2 CFR 200.1.

Applicants selected for award, including PIOs, must abide by DOL's requirements in the term and conditions of the award, in alignment with U.S. appropriation laws and applicable U.S. regulations.

Applicants do not need previous experience managing federal awards, but they must speak persuasively about their ability to leverage other previous experience and bring it to scale in support of a large federal investment.

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 a USDOL award.

· Foreign governments and entities that are agencies of, or operated by or for, a foreign state or government are not eligible to apply. However, they may be eligible to participate as a subrecipient in certain instances, subject to USDOL approval. NOTE: If an exception to this subrecipient eligibility criterion might be appropriate, the application must include a detailed justification for the possible exception. USDOL funds are not intended to duplicate existing foreign government efforts or substitute for activities for which such governments have already assumed responsibility. USDOL will make eligibility decisions on a case-by-case basis after receiving the application.

Eligible applicants for this FOA also include Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs).

B. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

This program does not require cost sharing or matching funds. Including such funds is not one of the application screening criteria and applications that include any form of cost sharing or match will not receive additional consideration during the review process. Instead, the agency considers any resources contributed to the project beyond the funds provided by the agency as leveraged resources. Section IV.B.2 provides more information on leveraged resources.

C. OTHER INFORMATION

1. Application Screening Criteria

Use the following checklist as a guide when preparing the 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. It is recommended to use this checklist to ensure that the application contains all required items. If the application does not meet all of the screening criteria, the application will not move forward to the merit review process.

The components of the application are saved in any of the specified formats and are not corrupt. (USDOL will attempt to open documents, but will not troubleshoot any problems related to opening files)

Section IV.B.3.b

· Abstract

· Work Plan

· Sustainability Strategy Template

· Relevant Grant and/or Contract Experience

· Evidence of Country Presence, if applicable

· Project Management Organizational Chart

· Disability, Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (DGESI) analysis

· Letter(s) of signed support from local OPDs they wish to partner with for the purpose of the project. Such letters should demonstrate significant involvement of OPDs in the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the project.

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 by the deadline will be accepted. If the most recent application is disqualified for any reason, USDOL 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 needed to apply for funding. Applicants should note that it includes hyperlinks to external forms and resources. 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 attachments; and (2) a Cost Proposal, including the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance and related forms identified as follows. It is the applicant’s 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 Applicants should use their technical expertise to propose how to meet the requirements of the FOA and must provide justification for their choices based on evidence (see definition in Appendix B), analysis of contextual opportunities and constraints, and available resources within the requirements of the FOA. Applicants must include specific citations to the evidence used to support their proposed project strategy. If there is limited evidence to support the proposed intervention(s), applicants may propose to pilot an innovative approach but must include and describe a plan for monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of the intervention(s).

All pages of the application must be numbered. All required documents (including attachments) must be submitted in English. Any additional documentation submitted that is not required or specifically requested under this announcement will not be considered during the merit review process.

Technical Proposals must be no more than 50 single-sided, double-spaced pages (8.5 x 11 inches with 1-inch 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 12-point. The Cover Page, Acronyms List, Table of Contents, required attachments to the Technical Proposal, and the Cost Proposal do not count toward the page limit and do not have any spacing restrictions. Different fonts and font sizes may be used for tables, text boxes, and graphics. However, it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that they are legible and meet electronic submission requirements. Documents which cannot be read or accessed by the Department will not be considered during the merit review process. Please see section IV.B.3. for the file format requirements for electronic submissions.

The following instructions provide all 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, Application Review Information. Applicants must use the same section headers identified in this FOA for each section of the Technical Proposal:

a. Abstract (Executive Summary) Applicants must submit as an attachment an abstract summarizing the proposed project including, but not limited to, the project objective, proposed outcomes, sub-outcomes (if included in this FOA), outputs, and activities. The abstract should describe the proposed project in plain language and include the following sections:

1) Applicant’s Name and Title for the Project. The applicant’s name and title for the proposed project.

2) Purpose. A brief description of the purpose for the award, including a description of the geographic area to be served (if applicable), population(s) to be served (if applicable), number and description of individuals, groups and institutions to be served (if applicable), and the funding level requested.

3) Activities to be Performed. A brief description of award specific activities and other deliverables.

4) Expected Outcomes. The project objective, proposed outcomes, sub-outcomes (if included in this FOA), and outputs.

5) Intended Beneficiaries. Intended beneficiary(ies) or recipient(s) of the project activities.

6) Subrecipient Activities. If sub-awards are proposed, then specify the activities to be provided and the name of each proposed sub-awardee, if known.

The abstract is limited to two double-spaced single sided 8.5 x 11-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) Problem Analysis (up to 7 points) Applicants will be evaluated based on their degree of understanding of the scope and nature of the problem that forms the basis of the project design. Applicants must describe 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/or legal factors contributing to the problem. This information must be supported by relevant empirical data, including citations. Applicants must identify significant gaps in laws, policies, programs and coordination efforts that contribute to the identified problem and that need to be addressed by the project. The problem analysis should draw from insights obtained from their Disability, Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (DGESI) analysis (described in the Project Design section below).

2) Project Design (up to 43 points)

a) Project Strategy and Sustainability Strategy (up to 38 points) The applicant's Project Strategy and Sustainability section will be evaluated based on its responsiveness to the unmet need described in its Problem Analysis.

The project-level objective is increasing responsiveness of Cambodian Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and their key stakeholders to labor exploitation and barriers that impede access to decent work.

In support of achieving the objective, the project should be designed to achieve the following outcomes and sub-outcomes, if required:

Outcome 1: Increased understanding of the linkage between disability and vulnerability to child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking and of barriers that impede access to decent work for persons with disabilities.

Outcome 2: Increased coordination and partnerships between/among OPDs and their key stakeholders to address the prevalence of child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking among persons with disabilities and barriers that impede their access to decent work.

Outcome 3: Increased implementation of sustainable interventions by OPDs and their key stakeholders that address the linkage between disability and vulnerability to child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking and barriers that impede access to decent work.

For the Disability, Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (DGESI) analysis, applicants must consider barriers faced by persons with disabilities, particularly from marginalized and underrepresented groups, that the project might address for equitable inclusion, meaningful involvement, and equal benefit. Applicants must consider and describe what kinds of barriers would have to be overcome and what factors would need to be true to overcome the barriers. Factors that applicants should consider include but are not limited to: Time and Space; Accessibility; Knowledge, Beliefs and Perceptions; Practices and Participation; Power and Decision-making; Knowledge and Education; Employment and Decent Work and Income; Legal Rights and Status; and Access to Assets. (See USAID’s Guide on How to Integrate Disability into Gender Assessments and Analyses, inclusion of disability assessment and analyses section and Annex A: Disability and Gender). The DGESI analysis should be submitted as a separate attachment. (Maximum 4 pages. This does not count against the Technical Narrative page limit.)

The applicant's Project Strategy and Sustainability Strategy section will be evaluated based on responsiveness to unmet needs described in the Problem Analysis. Each applicant’s proposal will be assessed based on how well the DGESI analysis informed the design of the overall project.

Proposed project strategies must be focused on identified geographic areas. Applicants must specify the provinces and municipalities selected and provide evidence-based reasoning for their selection.

Outcome 1: Increased understanding of the linkage between disability and vulnerability to child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking and of barriers that impede access to decent work for persons with disabilities. For Outcome 1, applicants must propose a strategy and describe how they will work with and support key stakeholders to design and implement disability inclusive research to examine the link between disability and vulnerability to child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking and barriers that impede access to decent work. This research must also consider vulnerability to labor exploitation as a result of disability in the household unit. The purpose of this research is to inform project activities and to expand the knowledge base of OPDs, their key stakeholders and broader public concerning labor exploitation and decent work barriers in support of future interventions.

Applicants must:

· Explain how they will fill research gaps to examine the link between disability and child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking and of barriers that impede access to decent work in Cambodia for persons with disabilities.

· Propose an inclusive research design strategy that uses a valid methodology that draws upon science and indigenous knowledge.

· Give examples of knowledge products proposed as project deliverables and means for their dissemination, so that they are accessible to persons with disabilities.

· Describe methods for measuring change in knowledge and behavior change in areas of project implementation.

· Outline plans to use the results to increase general understanding of the linkage between disability and vulnerability to child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking and of barriers that impede access to decent work for persons with disabilities and to promote use of the results to inform effective action.

Outcome 2: Increased coordination and partnerships between/among OPDs and their key stakeholders to address the prevalence of child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking among persons with disabilities and barriers that impede their access to decent work.

For Outcome 2, applicants will focus on putting learning from Outcome 1 into practice. Applicants must describe their strategy for establishing formal partnerships and strengthening coordination between/among OPDs and key stakeholders to address child labor, forced labor, and or/human trafficking and barriers that impede access to decent work. Key stakeholders that the project should consider engaging with include: worker organizations, employer organizations, service providers, persons with disabilities, legal assistance organizations, educators, government agencies, the private sector and international disability networks (e.g., International Disability Alliance, Valuable 500).

Applicants must:

1. Give illustrative examples of the types of OPDs that the project would support.

2. Detail the project strategy to increase coordination and expand partnerships between OPDs.

3. Explain the project strategy to establish sustainable partnerships between OPDs and key stakeholders.

4. Give illustrative examples of how the project will strengthen coordination between OPDs and key stakeholders.

5. Outline how the project strategy will ensure that those most vulnerable to labor exploitation, such as marginalized groups, are included in the process in a meaningful way.

Some illustrative examples of possible activities include:

· Enhancing communication between OPDs and worker and employer organizations to ensure the needs of workers with disabilities are addressed.

· Training on disability awareness provided to schools, employers, unions, and apprenticeships in support of disability inclusion.

· Convening OPDs that represent a cross-section of disability types.

· Strengthening coordination between OPDs and the Ministry of Social Affairs to ensure families have access to social protection programs.

· Forging linkages between OPDs and the private sector to ensure that training and skill-development for persons with disabilities respond to business and industry needs.(51)

· Strengthening coordination between OPDs and schools to ensure that schools and school material are accessible to children with disabilities.

· Establishing formal partnership agreements between OPDs and key stakeholders.

Outcome 3: Increased implementation of sustainable interventions by OPDs and their key stakeholders that address the linkage between disability and vulnerability to child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking and barriers that impede access to decent work.

For Outcome 3, applicants will focus on putting learning from Outcome 1 into action while leveraging established coordination and partnerships from Outcome 2.

Applicants must describe their strategy for locally driven disability inclusive development that bolsters the resiliency of local communities in order to protect persons with disabilities (including persons with acquired disabilities) from child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking, and address barriers to decent work. Applicants must describe how they will strengthen the technical and organizational capacity of OPDs to address the link between disability and vulnerability to child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking and of barriers that impede access to decent work for persons with disabilities. In addition, applicants must explain how the project will expand the capacity of key stakeholders to be more disability inclusive in their approach, including but not limited to: increased comprehension of disability inclusion concepts, engagement/consultation with OPDs and ability to address the needs and priorities of persons with disabilities to advance worker rights and access to decent work. Applicants should propose sustainable interventions that address vulnerability to child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking due to a disability in the household. The applicant should identify and determine how to integrate disability inclusion into labor-related plans, policies and programs in target communities, and as needed, propose relevant ways to support local organizing and action in this area. It should also describe how local disability inclusion initiatives will be appropriately resourced in terms of technical capacity and financing.

Applicants must:

1. Describe how they will strengthen the organizational and technical capacity of OPDs to address the link between disability and vulnerability to child labor, forced labor and/or human trafficking and barriers that impede access to decent work.

2. Describe their strategy to integrate disability inclusion into labor-related plans, policies, and programs in target communities.

3. Give illustrative examples of the types of local community interventions that the project would support and how they differ between rural and urban localities.

4. Describe how they will focus efforts on the most marginalized and vulnerable groups of persons with disabilities to labor exploitation, including persons with disabilities from rural areas and other individuals from marginalized groups not typically included in disability focused programming, building on the problem analysis.

5. Outline how they will support monitoring led by OPDs to advance accountability and transparency of project activities to ensure rights-based and equitable outcomes for vulnerable and marginalized populations.

Some illustrative examples of possible activities include:

· Ensuring the rights of workers with disabilities are included in worker organizations.

· Increasing access to information (e.g., accessible information and communications technology, including text to speech in Khmer; training to ensure that persons with disabilities have the skills to fully leverage the potential of digital technologies; assisted services such as sign language instruction).(52)

· Promoting access by persons with disabilities to apprenticeships, internships, and other proven skills development interventions, especially those that have previously been restricted by policy or practice to job-seekers without disabilities or that have not been available in the open labor market.(53)

· Promoting access of persons with disabilities to social protection programs, savings programs, microfinance or microcredit programs, bank loans, and other forms of financial credit, especially as an intervention to catalyze business start-up.(54)

· Developing tools and resources to overcome barriers to educational access for students with disabilities (e.g. assistive technology).

· Creating advocacy campaigns leveraging partnerships to advance the objective of the project.

Final decisions for community initiatives must be made post award in consultation with target communities and will be subject to DOL approval.

Applicants must propose a strategy to engage local communities in a meaningful assessment and co-design process upon award.

Applicants are encouraged to suggest additional outcomes they deem necessary to achieve the project-level objective and a rationale for how they contribute to the achievement of the project-level objective. Applicants must demonstrate how their proposed strategy will address gaps and potential barriers identified in the problem analysis and disability and gender equity and inclusion analysis.

Requirements Across Technical Proposal Applicants must propose a strategy to achieve the project-level objective and expected outcomes stated above. Applicants may suggest additional outcomes they deem necessary to achieve the project-level objective and a rationale for how they contribute to the achievement of the project’s overall objective. One or more existing outcomes may be revised during the project validation process post-award in consultation with ILAB. A subsequent amendment to the cooperative agreement will formally reflect the incorporation of revised outcomes, if appropriate. Applicants must describe all major areas of project intervention. In describing project interventions, applicants are expected to describe the project’s proposed theory of change, i.e. how activities and outputs should logically lead to the project’s expected outcomes and objective in an interrelated and holistic manner. Applicants must demonstrate how their proposed strategy will address gaps identified in the problem analysis, identify any potential barriers, and describe how the project will work to overcome those barriers. Applicants must provide evidence of the effectiveness of their proposed strategy. If there is limited evidence to support the proposed intervention(s), applicants may propose to pilot an innovative approach but must include and describe a plan for monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of the intervention(s).

In addition, applicants…