Revised RFI- Sierra Leone Design-Final version_signed.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

Request For Information (RFI) No. 72063624RFI00001

Activity Title: Mitigation of FGM and Child Marriage Practices in the North and South of Sierra Leone

Date of Issue: September 17, 2024

Closing Date & Time October 14, 2024 at 4:00 PM GMT

Submission must be emailed to: conakryoaa@usaid.gov

Posting Websites https://www.grants.gov https://www.sam.gov https://www.usaid.gov/sierra-leone

Dear Interested Parties/Respondents:

This is a Request for Information (“RFI”) issued by the U.S. Agency for International Development for conducting market research in response to the questions provided in Attachment B. This request for information is issued solely for the purpose of conducting market research in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10.

The Purpose of the RFI is to gather feedback to strengthen the design of an activity with the preliminary title: Mitigation of FGM and Child Marriage Practices in the North and South of

Sierra Leone under the Sierra Leone Local Works Program (“SLLWP”). The RFI aims to gather information on the impact of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) and Child marriage in rural areas of the Northern and South-Eastern Regions from Local organizations in Sierra Leone.

USAID is seeking feedback from potential local entities that are currently working to mitigate the impact of FGM/C and Child marriage in the Northern and South-Eastern Regions of the

Country. This activity will focus on local engagement, cooperation, and empowering local CSOs and young women and men. Local entities are defined as any entity that:

mailto:conakryoaa@usaid.gov https://www.grants.gov https://www.sam.gov https://www.usaid.gov/sierra-leone

(1) Is legally organized under the laws of Sierra Leone.

(2) Has its principal place of business or operation in Sierra Leone

(3) Is majority-owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Sierra Leone.

(4) Is managed by a governing body the majority of whom are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Sierra Leone.

This is a Request for Information (RFI) and is issued solely for information, research, and planning purposes. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a Request for

Application (RFA). This RFI does not commit the U.S. Government to issue a solicitation.

Furthermore, USAID is not at this time seeking proposals or applications and will not accept unsolicited proposals. If a solicitation is issued, it will be announced on https://www.grants.gov or sam.gov in the coming months. It should be noted that responding to this RFI will not give any advantage to any organizations in any subsequent procurement. Proprietary information should not be sent.

You will receive an electronic confirmation acknowledging receipt of your response. Hard copy responses are not required and are discouraged. Consider the following when preparing your response to the listed questions:

● Please ensure that your organization is aware of the Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting

(FGM/C) and Child marriage (see Attachment A).

● Comments should be concise and specific to the question. Responding to each question is not required. For market research purposes, all organizations are invited to respond to this

RFI, whether or not they currently work with USAID as a prime or sub-awardee engagement. Please consider and respond to the following questions (see Attachment B).

Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI by email attachment on the closing date and time shown on this cover letter to conakryaa@usaid.gov. The subject line of the email must read, “RFI-FGM/C-Name of the Organization”. Please ensure your comments are concise and specific. Responses must at a minimum contain the following:

● Primary point of contact (name, title, phone number, and email address)

● Contact information (telephone, website, and address) of your organization

USAID is in no way obligated to utilize submitted information or issue a solicitation as a result of this RFI. USAID is not obligated to procure any of the services described herein, nor should the release of this request be construed as such a commitment on the part of USAID.

Thank you for your interest in USAID programs.

Sincerely, Mark Poubelle Contracting/Agreement Officer

ATTACHMENT A

Purpose

USAID is gathering information to identify local entities currently working to serve communities in the Northern and South-Eastern regions of Sierra Leone on issues of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), and Child marriage; the program is also gathering a broad range of ideas or suggestions from local actors related to the problem of FGM/C and Child marriage in the North and South-Eastern regions.

Background

Sierra Leone has one of the highest rates of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) in the world, with the most recent Demographic Health Survey (DHS 2019) reporting a national prevalence of 83%. Given such a high rate, one of the highest globally, the practice appears to be broadly accepted in rural Sierra Leonean societies.

The practice remains a highly sensitive and political topic, and the strongest support for its continuation comes from women. As a strong social norm and cultural identity marker, it is enforced by community pressure, with the benefit of ‘social acceptance’. The practice is further considered to preserve a girl’s virginity and approximately half of the adult population believes the practice to be a religious requirement. It is performed among all ethnic and religious groups, in urban and rural areas, and among all education levels and social classes. Given the high prevalence rate across the regions in the Country, urgent action therefore needs to be taken to curb the practice and protect the rights of women and young girls.

On a similar note, Child marriage is also a very big concern in the Country. The 2019 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey (SLDHS) found that 30% of girls in the country marry before their 18th birthday, and 9% marry before they are 15. The survey also found that the age at which women marry increases with their educational level, with women who have more than secondary or higher education marrying five years later than those with no education. For example, the median age of marriage for women aged 25–49 with no education is 16.4, while the median age for those with higher education is 21.4

As mentioned inter alia, 83% of women and girls in Sierra Leone have undergone FGM/C. It is worth mentioning that FGM/C is a central step in the initiation process to women’s all powerful secret society. This practice is considered to be a signal for a girl’s readiness for marriage.

Sending girls to be initiated into the Bondo Society, and therefore to undergo FGM/C, is said to help protect a girl’s virginity and ensure they will remain faithful to their husband. The experience of Bondo is regarded as necessary preparation for marriage and families reportedly marry off their daughters after they take part in Bondo, sometimes at very tender ages

The practice of Child marriage is prevalent in almost all the districts of the Country but particularly in Moyamba and Bo, in the South, and Koinadugu, Tonkolili, Kambia, and Portloko in the North. It is driven by the belief that girls are somehow inferior to boys. Many parents see little value in investing in a girl's education since they believe that they will end their education at some point and eventually join another family through marriage.

While gender inequality is a root cause of Child marriage in both stable and crisis contexts, often in times of crisis, families see Child marriage as a way to cope with greater economic hardship and to protect girls from increased violence.

This practice is a serious challenge in Sierra Leone, with the rural areas been the hardest hit.

According to UNICEF in 2020, around 800,000 girls were married in Sierra Leone, half before turning 15. It is fueled by the high adolescent pregnancy rate where, tragically, pregnancy complications are the leading cause of death for girls aged 15-19. There is therefore the need to take proactive steps to ensure that the prevalence rate of Child marriage is mitigated.

Program parameters.

Some initial parameters have been defined by USAID, including:

● Focus on the regions of North and South-East (Prefectures of Portloko, Kambia, Tonkolili, Kenema, Moyamba and Bo).

● Involve both local government and local Civil Society Organisations in the mitigation of the prevalence of FGM/C and Child marriage in Sierra Leone.

● Require participation of women, men, girls, boys, and community stakeholders in all activities..

● Involve both local government and local Civil Society in the promotion of the human rights of young women and girls and protection of their dignity.

● Understand the cultural context and perceptions surrounding FGM/C and Child marriage in the communities and manifest respect for local customs and traditions for effective engagement and acceptance.

ATTACHMENT B

RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS

USAID seeks written responses in English to the following questions and information, using the provided worksheet. Please note that responses to all questions is not a requirement.

A. Contact Information

Please submit responses via email as requested in the cover page of this notice using the following subject title: “RFI: Female Genital Mutilation Awareness Activity”. Responses should be no more than 5 pages.

1. Organization name and address

2. Point of contact name and contact email/phone

3. Legal registration status in Sierra Leone

4. Statement of capabilities, including technical and staffing resources and an organizational chart, describing your organization’s ability to execute the proposed activity:

● What technical expertise does your organization possess that is relevant to the scope of this RFI?

● Explain your organization’s local presence and understanding of the context of the communities mentioned above.

B. Areas of expertise and presence in the proposed geographic regions

1. Describe the potential geographic reach of your organization and provide the number of provinces and/or districts as relevant.

2. Provide examples of how your organization has introduced innovative approaches or solutions in its programs, if any.

3. Describe how your organization uses innovative approaches to support community led development. In other words, how does your organization incorporate local interests or priorities into its activities?

4. How does your organization create opportunities for local people to take the lead in their own development activities?

5. Describe your experience overseeing the implementation of FGM/C and Child marriage related activities/programs. Specifically, how has your organization worked to strengthen local organizations, associations, and communities in the work on FGM/C and or Child marriage?

6. A table that contains a list of up to three past or current projects/activities that details your organization’s experience of performing efforts related to the description above.

Sample format below:

Name of Activity Years (From) Years (To) USD Value of the activity

Brief

Description

C. Ideas for reducing/mitigating the prevalence of FGM/C and Child marriage in the North and South-Eastern regions.

● What are the most effective ways to support the mitigation of FGM/C and Child marriage in communities, particularly in rural communities?

● How could young women and girls be included in efforts to reduce FGM/C and Child marriage? How could their voices and opinions be heard without putting them in harm's way?

● How could a sense of shared group identity that crosses ethnic, gender and religious lines be fostered?

● What would you recommend that USAID should include in this type of program to support the efforts of local actors and at the same time do no harm?

[END OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION]