RFI 72065620 USAID ADVANCING GIRLS EDUCATION-USAID AGE.pdf

SOLICITATION TYPE: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

RFI NUMBER: RFI- 72065620 – USAID ADVANCING GIRLS

EDUCATION (USAID AGE)

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM NAME: USAID ADVANCING GIRLS EDUCATION

ISSUANCE DATE: OCTOBER 13, 2020

DUE DATE: OCTOBER 28, 2020; 05:00 PM (MAPUTO

TIME)

TO: ALL INTERESTED PARTIES

Dear Potential Offeror/Applicant, Thank you for your interest in USAID/Mozambique’s Advancing Girls Education activity. The purpose of this communication is to obtain industry comment on the attached DRAFT Statement of Objective (SOO). To that end, information obtained through this RFI will be held in confidence and will not be disclosed to the public unless specifically requested by responding sources.

This Request for Information (RFI) relates to an activity design with the preliminary title of “Advancing Girls Education”. The purpose of this RFI is to:

1. Obtain details concerning interest in USAID’s anticipated requirements; and

2. Obtain public comments on the Questions to inform the design process.

This Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for planning and information seeking purposes. This RFI is open for comments from any interested US and Non-US Organizations.

This is not a solicitation/funding opportunity or a call for proposals/applications. Please do not submit proposals, resumes or promotional materials, as they will be discarded.

In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 15.209(c), the following clause is incorporated into this RFI:

“FAR 52.215-3 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION OR SOLICITATION FOR PLANNING

PURPOSES (OCT 1997)

(a) The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this solicitation or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in subsection 31.205-18, Bid and proposal costs, of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

(b) Although “proposal” and “offeror” are used in this Request for Information, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal.

(c) This solicitation is issued for the purpose of gathering information and comments to the SOO

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

USAID AGE

Draft attached to this document.

NOTICE: THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. The RFI is solely issued to gather information for planning purposes as an attempt to identify capabilities of potential contractors and to gain feedback on the draft Statement of Objectives (SOO).

Therefore, respondents are advised that any information submitted may be used to inform the development of the anticipated Statement of Objectives (SOO).

All submissions shall be made by the closing date and time noted on page 1 of this notice. Only submission via email is required; no hard copy delivery will be accepted. E-mail submissions shall be sent to Mr. Jean-Jacques Badiane, at jbadiane@usaid.gov and Ms. Judite Caetano, at jcaetano@usaid.gov.

Interested parties shall prepare their submission in English and shall address the information requested below. All submissions must include Section I “Cover Page”, Section II

“Comments/Questions” and Section III “Capability Statements” (applicable to U.S. Small Businesses only). Submissions shall use only 8.5 inch by 11-inch paper, single-spaced pages for all narrative documents and each page numbered consecutively. Interested parties must use Times New Roman font 11 or a similar size typeset and should be provided in MS Word or PDF format.

I. Cover Page with Business Information (1 page)

▪ Organization/firm: name, address, contact information.

▪ Point of Contact(s): name, title, phone number, address, e-mail address.

▪ Statement of self-certification of business size and socio-economic status of the Organization/firm.

II. Comments/Questions (2 Page Limit)

Comments and Questions not to exceed two (2) pages will be accepted from all interested parties regarding the Draft Statement of Objectives and possible forthcoming solicitation. This is not a formal solicitation Q&A period; therefore, the government will not be providing responses. All comments and questions will merely serve to inform the government on current market trends and further refine the Statement of Objectives. Comments may include but are not limited to feedback on the Draft Statement of Objectives requirements, recommendations on contract type, anticipated demand in beneficiary geographic areas, NAICS code designation, other market considerations, etc.

In order to maximize potential, USAID is seeking to receive feedback on the project approach, including opportunities and potential pitfalls, and individual or institutional perspectives on programs, policies, research, data, activities, and/or development approaches that might be useful for the project design, including past successes and failures, opportunities to leverage existing efforts and resources, gaps that need to be addressed, and sectoral and geographic focus.

Please ensure that comments are concise and specific to the information within this RFI. While mailto:jbadiane@usaid.gov mailto:jcaetano@usaid.gov we welcome any comments you may have, we ask that if you choose to respond, that you answer the following questions to assist USAID:

I. Input requested

To gather information, the Mission is interested in the following topics and specific questions related to the above background:

A. Relevance

1. Given decentralization reforms in the government administration that will also affect the education sector, and lessons learned from the sector’s current implementation of reforms, are the interventions proposed aligned to effectively deliver education services benefitting girls?

2. How can national stakeholders play an adequate role in the design and implementation to ensure national ownership of the interventions?

B. Effectiveness

1. To what extent are the activities likely to contribute to improving and expanding access to quality education for girls and women, lead to safer learning environments and ensuring that content, teaching practices, learning processes and environment are gender sensitive/responsive and/or gender transformative?

2. Beyond the current behavior change approaches to end school dropout of girls in Mozambique, what other complementary interventions could be deployed to encourage sustained use of sanitation facilities in schools? Which behavior change approaches have potential for scaleup in the context of low population density and a large geographic area like rural Mozambique?

C. Efficiency

1. Do the project interventions make the best use of financial and human resources?

2. How can activities coordinate between the different education sector efforts aimed at supporting girls and women’s education? Is there duplication in the different activities as proposed with other donor programs? If so, how can this be avoided?

E. Sustainability.

1. Are sustainability concerns adequately addressed in activity design? How can civil society and the private sector promote the expansion of education services for girls and ensuring sustainable and resilient education practices?

2. How can this activity be taken forward independently by government, civil society, and other development partners after the completion of the project?

III. Capability Statements (4 Page Limit)

Small Businesses and firms having the skills and capabilities necessary to perform this work should submit a response of no more than four (4) pages in length. This should include possible partnering arrangements and indicate where expertise or experience is attributable to the prime versus a sub/partner. Capabilities/Qualifications must be written to provide clear and unambiguous evidence to substantiate the capacity to fulfill this requirement. If interested firms are only able to perform some or one of the posted components, they should indicate that in their response to this notice and describe the areas of expertise for which they can perform.

The page limitation includes any attachments. The Government will not review any information, including attachments, more than the four (4) pages, unless otherwise stated in this section.

We look forward to your responses to this Request for Information.

Sincerely, Jean-Jacques Badiane

Contracting Officer

DRAFT STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

1. Overview

USAID/Mozambique intends to design a specific activity that will provide access to quality education and improve learning outcomes in Mozambique, with a focus on schools with low enrollment of girls. This activity will seek to materialize the USAID Mozambique Mission’s Human Capacity strategic goal, which aims to support the achievement of “Healthier and Better

Educated Mozambicans, Especially the Young and Vulnerable.” In this sense, the Mission has targeted three intermediate results (IR) toad the Human Capacity strategy’s goal.

IR1- Girls are Safe and Supported to Learn and Transition

IR2- Girls Champion their Learning and Know about Sexual and Reproductive Education

IR3- Educators have the Skills and Behaviors to Increase Girls' Learning

The main goal of the USAID Advancing Girls’ Education (AGE) activity will be to increase safety of girls in school through mobilizing communities and to expand girls’ access to quality education and improve learning outcomes for girls in upper primary and secondary grades. .The activity will contribute to the achievement of results under each one of the above IRs. The project will support the Government of the Republic of Mozambique’s (GRM) efforts to improve the quality of education in Mozambique. USAID AGE responds to the Ministry of Education and Human Development’s (MINEDH) education sector strategic needs and ensures sustained impact and cost-effective implementation, adopting a local-based model which effectively collaborates and ensures capacity development and transfer of responsibilities to local government institutions for sustainability and continuity, while maintaining effective partnership and consultations with MINEDH’s central institutions.

2. Description of USAID AGE

Advancing Girls Education (AGE) will support the implementation of Mozambique’s strategy of school-based reform in local communities by helping to improve learning outcomes. The activity will contribute to the three priorities of the GRM as described in the Plano Quinquenal do

Governo (PQG) 2020 – 2024 including the Education Sector Strategic Plan, namely, promoting an inclusive, effective and efficient education system that guarantees the acquisition of the competences required in terms of knowledge, skills, management and attitudes that respond to human development needs.

Implementers will be expected to adopt strategies based on successful implementation elsewhere, particularly innovative evidence-based strategies to improve girls education. USAID AGE will work collaboratively with MINEDH and donor partners to implement this program and complement the efforts from other players in the sector. USAID AGE will provide evidence-based services for improved availability of teaching and learning materials, integrating the implementation approach to MINEDH processes and strategies. The implementation will, to the extent possible, utilize local government partners, including the provinces and district personnel and institutions, with clear responsibilities and tasks set to reduce costs and increase ownership.

In addition, USAID AGE will collaborate with local organizations for successful implementation to further build capacity and ensure continuity.

Through this Request for Information (RFI), the Mission intends to gather information about the potential service providers in terms of education services and capacity building and institutional development. The Mission is interested in developing innovative teacher training mechanisms that improve the educational attainment of Mozambicans where children are provided with quality education services necessary for their improved welfare and individual self-reliance.

3. Development Challenge

The challenges girls face in accessing school reflect and are reinforced by inequitable gender norms

Gaps in girls’ access to education exist against a backdrop of larger societal gender inequalities, including a lack of value placed on girls’ education and earning potential relative to their male siblings and peers, systemic and structural barriers to girls’ schooling, sexual abuse, gender-based violence (GBV), and harmful traditional practices affecting girls. Girls, especially in the

Center and North, are often kept from school by their parents’ dismissal of the value of education, or concern about girls’ safety. The large populations living in Zambezia and Nampula also present the highest rates of child marriage, so the largest absolute number of married girls live in these provinces. Many families in Mozambique move about in their search for fertile land for agriculture, resulting in an average of 15 to 20 kilometers walking distance between girls and the nearest school, as colleagues from the Ministry of Education and Human Development

(MINEDH) noted. Lack of access to transportation, family fear of and risk for violence during transit to school, and the additional time and workload requirements in domestic work for daughters and young wives all compound to reduce girls’ enrollment and retention.

Puberty and menstruation complicate girls’ schooling

Social customs combined with lack of sanitary supplies and limited access to water and hygiene in schools keep girls out of school during their monthly menstruation. Menarche, and the onset of puberty, therefore, coincides with frequent extended absence from school for girls and increases their risk for school drop-out as they fall behind their male peers. The 2016 drought made access to sanitary supplies for menstrual hygiene a greater challenge: the traditionally used absorbent plant material is now scarcer, and as food and cash reserves in households have dwindled women’s ability to purchase menstrual rags has been limited1. As a result, many girls and women have now resorted to using other, harsher, plant matter or packed sand to catch their menstrual blood.

Education stakeholders highlighted that puberty and menarche also frequently coincide with increased risk for child, early and forced marriage, which in turn contributes to lower enrollment for girls. Once married, girls are expected to focus on their role in the household, and further schooling is seen as an unnecessary cost, or even a threat to the household hierarchy if girls are more educated than their spouses. Marriage also increases girls’ and young women’s risk for

1 CARE. Hope dries up? Women and Girls coping with Drought and Climate Change in Mozambique [Internet].

CARE International; 2016 [cited 2019 Jan 16]. Available from:

https://primarysources.brillonline.com/browse/climate-change-and-law-collection/hope-dries-up-women-and-girls-coping-with-drought-and-climate-change-in-mozambique;cccc013420160134006 early or unintended pregnancy, which until recently resulted in their exclusion from formal schooling as a matter of practice.

Lack of women in leadership positions in schools and school management committees

Education stakeholders highlighted the importance of the low numbers of women in positions of leadership on school management committees and other educational institutions. It should be noted that women in communities are often part of the selection of the community leadership, though they seldom elect other women to these positions because they are also influenced by patriarchal social norms. They observed that in schools that are not in urban or peri-urban areas, finding safe and appropriate housing can be difficult for women leaders and teachers. In addition, some female teachers are reluctant to take up positions such as school director, pedagogical director, and so on because of the frequent lack of support from the community.

Sexual violence in and around schools is a fear and a reality

Violence is also a factor in keeping girls from schools, as the risk of sexual abuse and GBV in and on the way to school is a key consideration for families. Four out of every five girls in

Mozambique report that they have experienced some form of violence in the past 12 months, and there are no systemic mechanisms to combat physical violence in the school setting. Most schools have a gender focal point and a cantinho/corner where students can obtain assistance, but more research needs to be done to determine how effective these are in responding to sexual violence in schools. Sexual harassment and violence are rampant in schools, not only among students and peers but also frequently perpetrated by teachers and other authority figures, and long distances and use of public transportation early in the morning or late at night can also mean that girls face the risk of sexual harassment or assault on their way to or from school (Gender

Links and other civil society). Addressing violence in schools can have immediate impact on girls’ access to education: the Stop Violence Against Girls in Schools (SVAGS) project has reported improved educational outcomes for girls as a result of their initiatives2. MINEDH and its partners developed a campaign called Zero Tolerance for Abuse and Sexual Harassment in

Schools which raised community awareness of the issue.

A lack of accountability reinforces a sexual double standard and undermines school quality

Gender inequalities and social norms prize girls’ virginity and hold girls and young women responsible for sexual violence or other assaults they may experience3. As a consequence, families often isolate daughters in order to “protect” them and preserve their social status and marriageability; and survivors of domestic or other sexual violence may refuse to report to police, families, health providers, and others, as several civil society KIIs stated because they put more stock on their local authorities (i.e., elders, community tribunals) to solve the problem according to the community’s norms. For those who do report experience of sexual assault or

2 Parkes J, Heslop J. Stop violence against girls in schools: A cross-country analysis of change in

Ghana, Kenya, and Mozambique [Internet]. ActionAid International; 2013 [cited 2017 Feb 28].

Available from: http://eprints.ioe.ac.uk/18913/1/svags_review_final.pdf 3 Osório C, Silva TC e. Entre a denúncia e o silêncio: análise da aplicação da lei contra a violência doméstica (2009-

2015). Maputo: WLSA; 2016.

UNICEF. Avaliação dos gabinetes modelo de atendimento à mulher e criança. Relatório Final. Maputo: UNICEF;

2010.

other violence, victim-blaming and failure to maintain confidentiality remain a reality often at the hands of both men and women.

Lack of access to water

Globally, women and girls spend 200 million hours every day collecting water. Water supply and sanitation in Mozambique is characterized by low levels of access to an at least basic water source (estimated to be 47% in 2015), low levels of access to at least basic sanitation (estimated to be 24% in 2015) and mostly poor service quality. Geographic disparities also exist, with services generally weaker in northern provinces. For example, in the southern province of Maputo, about 87.1% of the population access safe water and 70.1% access and use improved sanitation compared to the northern province of Zambézia, one of the country’s most populous provinces, where only 30.6% access safe water and 13.0% access and use improved sanitation.

WASH in schools and at health facilities remains unknown. Frequent natural disasters, which are being exacerbated by climate change, are also a huge challenge. They continue to have a devastating impact on millions of Mozambicans4. This responsibility contributes to significant time poverty among many of the world’s poorest women and girls, preventing them from going to work or school, from starting or growing businesses, and from engaging in social activities.

For adolescent girls and female teachers, improved WASH in schools is critical. Providing latrines in schools, including facilities for menstrual hygiene management (MHM), improves the overall learning environment and may improve girls’ enrollment, attendance, and success at school5.

The conselhos de escola could play a much stronger role but need to be empowered

The conselhos de escola or school councils have enormous potential for improving school quality and mediating between social factors in the community and the schools themselves.

Comprising teachers, principals, parent representatives, school staff and students of both sexes, they could be an important accountability mechanism. As in other bodies where women are well represented, they may not participate fully without encouragement6. Broader weaknesses in the conselhos include that while their membership is set by MINEDH, some members may be appointed, which violates the rules.

At the level of primary education, rural parents and community leaders are strongly involved in school affairs because the schools are nearby7. Urban parents are more involved in school councils and even participate in decision-making (e.g., in Maputo City, Nampula and Quelimane), but they are not involved in monitoring the school administration. Rural parents are rarely active in secondary school councils since these schools are located in urban areas and are therefore far away.

The relationships of parents and conselhos with teachers and school directors can be conflictual.

Although community members are meant to participate, the school principals hold all the power, 4 UNICEF, WASH situation in Mozambique report, 2016.

5 USAID, Gender Equality and Female Empowerment in WASH.

6 Basílio A. Papel do Conselho de Escola no sistema educativo moçambicano: um estudo de caso. [Internet].

Universidade Católica Portuguesa; 2014. Available from:

https://repositorio.ucp.pt/bitstream/10400.14/14907/1/FINAL_REVISTA_Papel%2 7 Sanchez. PSIA II-Follow up Study of Primary Education and Baseline Study of Secondary Education, Mozambique. World Bank; 2007.

since they convene the meetings. The case study conducted by Basílio (2014) found that the principal in one school had not convened management nor the community for more than two years8.

4. Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

Promoting gender equality and advancing the status of women and girls is vital to achieving

USAID’s development objectives. Gender equality and female empowerment is a core USAID Development Objective and is a mandatory consideration for all USAID programming per the

USAID Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy. Gender inequality is prevalent in Mozambique and is often reinforced by tradition, beliefs, and attitudes, (e.g. gender-based violence as a cultural norm) which in turn creates barriers to health access and better education.

All proposed interventions under Advancing Girls Education will be designed using a gender lens and demonstrate gender-transformative and sensitive approaches at the individual, community, structural, social, and political levels. Interventions should support implementation of activities focusing on (1) increasing gender equity in education and health programs and services; and (2) girls/women aged 10-24 who are in school, pregnant and/or otherwise vulnerable or at risk of dropping out of school.

The applicant is expected to provide an overview of the geographic area in which the project will be implemented and how the program will address identified gender gaps. Advancing Girls Education activity responds to the growing body of evidence that education affects every aspect of human growth and development. In Mozambique, with an overall literacy rate of 47%, female literacy (28 %) lags far behind that of males (60%). The population is mostly young, with 46.6% of people between 0 and 14 years old, 50.1% of the age group 15-64 years old and 3.3% from 65 years old onwards. High illiteracy rates for boys and girls, lack of access to health and WASH including undernutrition hinders all aspects of development. This age structure reveals the need for significant investment in young people's education.9

There is significant variation in the ratio of girls’ and boys’ school enrollment across the provinces. Table 1 shows the number of girls divided by the number of boys at each of the two primary and two secondary levels, and how these figures have evolved from 2000 to 2014 to 2018. In those instances where the figures exceed 1, this indicates that girls are attending school in greater numbers than boys. This occurrence is limited to the provinces of Inhambane, Gaza, Maputo Province and Maputo City in 2014 and 2018 and is most marked in higher secondary education. A number less than 1 shows that fewer girls are attending; for example, Zambézia lags behind the other provinces in the extent to which girls’ enrollment matches that of boys’.

Research shows that sociocultural values and traditions affect girls’ schooling in the North more than in the South. It is common to drop out of school after initiation rites in the North and

Central part of the country. Early marriage for girls also affects school access and completion, 8 Basílio A. Papel do Conselho de Escola no sistema educativo moçambicano: um estudo de caso. [Internet].

Universidade Católica Portuguesa; 2014. Available from:

https://repositorio.ucp.pt/bitstream/10400.14/14907/1/FINAL_REVISTA_Papel%2

USAID.GOV GENDER ASSESSMENT FOR COUNTRY DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION STRATEGY | 73

0do%20Conselho%20de% 9 Education Sector Strategic Plan, 2020-2029.

and this practice is more common in rural areas and in the center and north of the country10.

Child marriage (occurring before age 18) is especially high in the provinces of Niassa, Cabo

Delgado and Manica. United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund’s (UNICEF) data shows that in Niassa, nearly a quarter of girls were married before the age of fifteen. An additional obstacle for children, especially for rural girls, is the official language of instruction, which they may not speak11. In spite of improving gender parity in enrollment, poor learning achievements as measured by low primary school completion rates, falling pass rates in exams, and lower scores on standardized tests suggest that although girls may be going to school in greater numbers, they may not be advancing in terms of literacy or knowledge12.

Table 1. Gender parity in public enrollment across provinces by level of education, 2000-2018

Over 70% of women of reproductive age (and over 30% of men) in Nampula and Zambezia, the most populated provinces, cannot read. According to MINEDH (2019c), Zambezia and Nampula provinces have 39% of the total. Despite the efforts made in recent decades, Mozambique has a high rate of illiteracy among people aged 15 and over. The 2017 Census data estimates that, in this age group, 39% of the Mozambican population cannot read or write - this rate being 49.4% for women and 27.2% for men (ESSP, 2020-2029). UNICEF (2015), found that Zambezia and

Nampula have the highest number of girls forced into adolescent unions. In these provinces, over 95,525 (Zambezia) and 129,604 (Nampula) girls married before the age of 18 respectively over

10 UNICEF. Casamento Prematuro e Gravidez na Adolescência em Moçambique: Resumos de Análises. Maputo;

2015.

11 Silva G. Educação e Género em Moçambique. Porto: Centro de Estudos Africanos da Universidade do Porto;

2007.

12 Situation Analysis of Children in Mozambique 2014. Maputo, Moçambique: UNICEF; 2014.

the past years. IBIS (2015) found that parents/guardians are more willing to finance the costs associated with initiation rites than to invest in education. A World Bank study of 201613 revealed that, in the provinces of Zambézia and Nampula, the main constraint was the cost of school supplies. Families must be able to afford and be willing to pay school fees to provide education to young girls and boys. However, girls’ risks long dangerous walks to school14.

Despite the policy of free primary education, economic vulnerability remains an important factor that has been affecting education, particularly to girls15.

USAID has invested in promoting early grade reading through the Aprender a Ler and Vamos Ler! Programs as well as through partnerships with the Peace Corps and Mozambican NGOs, namely Eu Leio, UATAF-AFC (Associação de Fortalecimento Comunitário), and Ajuda de

Desenvolvimento de Povo para Povo (ADPP).16 ADPP focuses particularly on closing the gender gap in primary and secondary school attendance by training teachers, school council members, and community leaders in gender-responsive pedagogy, gender-based violence prevention, child protection, and mentoring as well as through improving school infrastructure and addressing enabling social conditions.17

Summary

The Advancing Girls Education (AGE) activity is a 5-year project that focuses on girls in grades

7-12. AGE will target barriers that are known as major bottlenecks affecting girls’ education in

Mozambique such as early marriages, underage pregnancies, teachers and students’ absenteeism, limited financial resources from the guardians’ side and poor school facilities that affect school attendance, learning outcomes, completion and transition. Though these barriers also affect boys, girls are severely affected due to gender stereotypes, social norms and traditional beliefs. The project goal is to improve girls’ transition and completion of secondary education as a prerequisite to better livelihoods.

5. Geographic Focus and Operations

In line with USAID/Mozambique’s geographic focus and in order to achieve meaningful and sustainable impact, this activity will be implemented in the provinces of Zambézia and Nampula.

The alignment with the prime strategic objective of the MINEDH to promote the gradual expansion of equitable access to education, prioritizing districts with lower learning indicators in

Education18 was the criteria for determining the geographic focus. The presence of other

USAID/donor activities and of USAID provincial advisors was also used as criteria for determining the geographic focus of this activity. A landscape analysis of the donor ecosystem identified four major donors currently funding education activities across Mozambique. Major donors include USAID, UNICEF, ADRA and World Vision. According to the analysis, USAID

13 Systematic Country Diagnostic Report, 2016.

14 Let Girls Learn, President Barack Obama Initiative.

15 Soverano et al 2016, in Duarte &Dias (2016).

16 USAID. Basic Education [Internet]. Maputo: USAID; 2018 [cited 2019 Apr 10]. Available from:

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1869/Education_Sector_Briefer.pdf 17 USAID. Basic Education [Internet]. Maputo: USAID; 2018 [cited 2019 Apr 10]. Available from:

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1869/Education_Sector_Briefer.pdf 18 Education Sector Strategic Plan – 2020-2029.

and UNICEF are presently the two donors supporting Education, WASH and gender equality activities across Zambézia and Nampula. Therefore, the applicant will need to ensure close coordination of activities to prevent any duplication of efforts.

6. Youth

USAID is committed to ensuring the integration of youth considerations into its activities. Youth is a cross-cutting issue identified in the USAID/Mozambique’s CDCS, and youth is a key focus group of the Mission. In order to advance USAID/Mozambique’s focus on youth programming, adolescents and youth are priority populations to be reached and engaged by this activity. This goes beyond targeting for service delivery and should include active and meaningful engagement to complete all levels of education with skills to compete in the labor market including and planning for self-employment. To achieve these objectives, this activity is rooted in a Positive

Youth Development (PYD) approach, which is based on the belief that, “given guidance and support from caring adults, all youth (ages 10-29) can grow up healthy and productive, making positive contributions to their families, schools, and communities.” This activity should intentionally focus on developing competencies and behaviors that support pro-social attitudes, a clear and positive personal identity, and positive belief in the future. Interventions should encourage youth leadership and experiential learning, as well as adult approachability and champions. Services and opportunities should be designed to support young people in developing a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and empowerment. For many, the PYD approach is a paradigm shift in the way that they think about youth, education, employment, leadership, health and environment and its resources. The activity will include concrete and practical approaches that will not only address the challenges that youth face to accomplish the academic activity results, but will also involve and support young people in the decision-making, management and leadership of this activity including implementation of best practices resulting from this activity. At the inception of this agreement, the Recipient should develop a Youth

Action Plan, reflective of USAID’s Youth in Development Policy, to ensure that appropriate strategies and approaches are used that meaningfully and promptly engage adolescents and youth in their primary education goal and this activity. Systematic monitoring of gender and youth integration should be an integral part of the monitoring, evaluation, and learning plan. In order to advance USAID/Mozambique’s focus on youth programming, this activity will place emphasis and resources on assisting the GRM to reach youth more effectively, asking the following questions: (1) How should the activity increase opportunities for constructive youth participation in economic, political, and social life? and (2) How will youth specifically be prioritized within this activity, and how should Applicants consider integrating a youth development approach?

7. Theory of Change:

If school environment is safe and gender equality in education, early marriage, and GBV at school and at home are effectively monitored, and school councils, parents/guardians and local leaders and girls and boys are sensitized on the importance of gender equality in education, prevention of GBV, early unions and pregnancy, and trained to recognize the signs of GBV and sexual harassment and understand the systems and processes for reporting it and protecting victims, then learning opportunities and outcomes for girls will increase.

This assumes that once parents/guardians, school and the community are familiar with girls' rights and the advantages of respecting those rights and keeping girls in school, they will act in the best interests of girls. It also assumes that both men and women, boys and girls, must be involved for changes through an effective and sustainable project that will transform a generation of girls capable to fight for their rights at all levels.

1) Improve girls’ retention, and performance in upper primary and secondary schools in

Zambézia and Nampula target districts.

2) At upper primary level, transform the learning environment by ensuring good use of existing water and sanitation facilities in target schools including latrines management towards improving the health status of girls and boys at the same time foster retention and academic achievements. This will be done in close partnership and collaboration with school councils and community members, including local organizations working in education, health and WASH.

3) At the secondary level, school councils will ensure girls stay in school and safe from violence. Through operational youth clubs, girls and boys in secondary school will participate in lectures on health, nutrition and manage menstruation hygiene including prevention of early pregnancy and HIV/AIDS in coordination with health units. At the same school, teachers will be trained to deliver messages aiming to improve gender bias, prevent HIV/AIDS, GBV and early pregnancy, and manage menstruation hygiene.

4) Mentorship to community members will be provided to sensitize girls to adhere to contraceptive methods, oversee girls and boy’s nutrition especially young mothers while providing social and moral support for them to stay in school.

8 Performance objectives:

The proposed activity will deliver evidence-based services focusing on the following three main areas of intervention:

1) Increasing school safety, learning outcomes, and transition of girls in Grades 7-12

2) Improving Girls’ Sexual and Reproductive Education

3) Strengthening educator professional development

8. 1 Performance indicators: The above objectives will support the attainment of the following performance indicators:

Indicator Frequency of reporting Data source

Increased feeling of safety in their physical environment Reduced rates of

_________ (i.e. bullying, psychological distress, interpersonal violence, gender-based violence, abuse etc.)

Once a year

Official reports from

Implementing Partner(s) that include results from primary data collection and analysis using national assessments

Increased feeling of psychological safety in their environment

Once a year Official reports from

Implementing Partner(s) that include results from primary data collection and analysis using national assessments

Number of youth at risk of violence trained in social or leadership skills through United States Government

(USG) assisted programs.

Once a year

Official reports from

Implementing Partner(s) that include results from primary data collection and analysis using national assessments

Number of laws, policies, or procedures adopted and implemented with United

States Government (USG) assistance designed to promote and improve youth participation at the regional, national, or local level.

Once a year

Official reports from

Implementing Partner(s) that include results from primary data collection and analysis using national assessments

Number of youth who report increased self-efficacy at the conclusion of the

United States Government (USG) assisted training/ programming.

Once a year

Official reports from

Implementing Partner(s) that include results from primary data collection and analysis using national assessments

Number of youth who participate in civil society activities following social or leadership skills training or initiatives from United States Government (USG) assisted programs

Once a year

Official reports from

Implementing Partner(s) that include results from primary data collection and analysis using national assessments

Number of learners in secondary schools or equivalent non-school based settings reached with USG education assistance

Annual

• Official Government Records

• Official reports from

Implementing Partner(s)

Number of educators who complete professional development activities with

USG assistance

Annual Official reports from

Implementing Partner(s)

Number of education administrators and officials who complete professional development activities with USG assistance

Annual Official reports from

Implementing Partner(s)

Number of primary or secondary textbooks and other teaching and learning materials (TLMs) that are inclusively representative provided with USG assistance

Annual Official reports from

Implementing Partner(s)