RFI Adolescent- 72038823RFI00003 -signed.pdf

Posting Date: Oct 26, 2022 Issued by: USAID/Bangladesh Issued Through: Office of Acquisition and Assistance Reference Number: 72038823RFI00003 Response Due Date: Nov 16, 2022 Closing time: 16:30 Hours Local Bangladesh Time Notice Type: Request for Information

Subject: USAID/Bangladesh Request for Information on USAID’s Accelerating Reductions in Adolescent Childbearing.

To: All Interested Respondents/Parties

Pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 15.201(e), the United States Government, represented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Bangladesh, is publishing this Request for Information (RFI) in order to obtain information, opinions, and recommendations from all interested public and private parties with respect to the reductions in adolescent childbearing and related factors in Bangladesh.

This RFI is issued solely for gathering information and innovative ideas for new design planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Applications (RFA)/Request for Proposals (RFP).

Responses to this RFI are not applications/proposals and will not in any way be deemed to form any binding agreement with the RFI issuing authority. Responses to this RFI are strictly voluntary, and USAID will not pay respondents for information provided in response to this RFI. Responses to this RFI will not be returned, and respondents will not be notified of the result of the review. This RFI will not be construed as a commitment by the U.S. Government to issue any solicitation and/or award any other instruments. Respondents are solely responsible for bearing all expenses associated with preparation and submission of a response to this RFI.

It is a potential applicant’s responsibility to monitor the government point of entry, i.e.

https://beta.sam.gov and/or https://www.grants.gov/ for the release of any further information related to this activity. It should be noted that responding to this RFI will not give any advantage to any organization in any subsequent procurement. USAID/Bangladesh will not provide answers to any questions submitted in response to this RFI.

Overview

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development, is requesting information and comments on the attached Concept note for the activity entitled Accelerating Reductions in Adolescent Childbearing Activity. The final Concept note/Program Description/Statement of Work or Objective will be incorporated into a subsequent Request for Application/Proposal for the applicant’s/offeror’s technical response, subject to USAID’s determination.

USAID/Bangladesh anticipates awarding a five-year activity (selection of instrument is TBD) to accelerate reductions in adolescent marriage and childbearing. The Accelerating Reductions in Adolescent Childbearing Activity aims to increase the ability of adolescents to exercise their right

Request for Information (RFI) No. 72038823RFI00003 USAID/Bangladesh’s Accelerating Reductions in adolescent Childbearing Activity

U.S. Agency for International Development U.S. Embassy Tel: (880-2) 885-5500 Madani Avenue, Baridhara Fax: (880-2) 882-3648 Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh www.usaid.gov/bd to delay marriage and avoid early childbearing; strengthen social support to delay marriage and avoid early childbearing; strengthen essential services for adolescents and their families; and institutionalize effective solutions.

RFI Submission:

All types of organizations and parties are strongly encouraged to provide information or comments by the closing date and time noted on page 1. Submission via email is required; phone calls or hard copy delivery will not be accepted. E-mail submission shall be sent to amuyama@usaid.gov and jfarjana@usaid.gov. The email subject line should read: “Response to Request for Information No.

72038823RFI00003”

Respondents shall use only size 12 Times New Roman font or similar size typeset, 8.5 by 11 inch paper, and single-spaced pages for all narrative documents, with each page numbered consecutively.

Respondents must limit submissions to no more than 5 pages. If the respondent cares to include relevant reports, those reports may be included, preferably as embedded links. The submission can be in English or Bangla. Please do not submit applications, proposals, or resumes as they will be discarded. All information provided will become the property of USAID, will not be returned, and will not be released publicly. Submissions will not be acknowledged, nor will a response to information or comments be made. USAID reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for USAID’s own purposes. Proprietary information must not be sent.

As a reminder, USAID/Bangladesh is not requesting applications at this time. A solicitation may or may not be issued at a later date. In preparing a formal solicitation, USAID/Bangladesh reserves the right to incorporate, or not to incorporate, any and all comments into the RFA/RFP.

Thank you for your interest in USAID/Bangladesh activities, and we look forward to your interest.

Sincerely, Ananciata Muyama Contracting and Agreement Officer USAID/Bangladesh http://www.usaid.gov/bd mailto:amuyama@usaid.gov

U.S. Agency for International Development U.S. Embassy Tel: (880-2) 885-5500 Madani Avenue, Baridhara Fax: (880-2) 882-3648 Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh www.usaid.gov/bd

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: “Requesting Comments and feedbacks” to the concept for a new program.

(End of provision)

• Attachment 1: Draft Concept Note

• Attachment 2: Information Requested

U.S. Agency for International Development U.S. Embassy Tel: (880-2) 885-5500

Attachment 1: DRAFT CONCEPT NOTE

I. BACKGROUND

In Bangladesh, adolescent childbearing remains stubbornly high, with limited progress over the last decade.1 Bangladesh reports the highest adolescent fertility rate in South Asia with nearly one-third of girls having given birth by age 18.2 Adolescent motherhood is interconnected with early marriage and low rates of voluntary family planning (FP) use.3 Among women 20-24 years old, the median age at marriage is 17.3, the median age at first sex is 17.6, and the median age at first birth is 19.5 – demonstrating the rapid pathway from marriage to early childbearing among adolescent girls in Bangladesh.4 The prevalence of early childbearing varies significantly across divisions and various socioeconomic strata. The proportion of young women who have begun childbearing is lowest in Sylhet (14%) and highest in Rajshahi (33%).5

A lack of progress in curbing adolescent childbearing will jeopardize Bangladesh’s ability to achieve its development goals and represents a fundamental violation of human rights. The World Bank reports that, Girls who give birth before adulthood are likely to bear increased health risks and adverse economic impacts for the rest of their lives. Pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death among adolescent girls aged 15-19. More than half of the abortions that occur among adolescent girls are unsafe.

They also face higher health risks than adult mothers aged 20-24, including complications from childbirth contributing to maternal mortality, low baby birthweight, and severe neonatal conditions.

Teenage mothers are less likely to continue going to school, which prevents them from realizing their full potential and finding better economic opportunities, and often results in reduced lifetime earnings.

Adolescent pregnancy can also affect future generations, for example daughters of teenage mothers are at a greater risk of teenage pregnancy themselves, perpetuating intergenerational cycles of poverty.

Adolescent pregnancy is generally not a result of deliberate choice, but rather stems from the lack of choices when it comes to marriage and contraceptive use.” -World Bank, 2022

The drivers influencing early childbearing and interlinked issues of child marriage and FP in Bangladesh cut across levels of the socio-ecological framework (as defined in the USAID-supported High Impact Practice [HIP] on Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) and were mapped to FP by USAID-supported Youth

1 Islam MM, Islam M.K, Hasan MS, Hossain MB (2017) Adolescent motherhood in Bangladesh: Trends and determinants. PLoS ONE 12(11): e0188294.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0188294 2 National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT), and ICF. 2020. Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2017-18. Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Rockville, Maryland, USA: NIPORT and ICF.

3 Islam MM, Islam M.K, Hasan MS, Hossain MB (2017) Adolescent motherhood in Bangladesh: Trends and determinants. PLoS ONE 12(11): e0188294.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0188294 4 National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT), and ICF. 2020. Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2017-18. Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Rockville, Maryland, USA: NIPORT and ICF 5 National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT), and ICF. 2020. Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2017-18. Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Rockville, Maryland, USA: NIPORT and ICF.

http://www.usaid.gov/bd https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-pregnancy https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-pregnancy https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-pregnancy https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(13)70179-7/fulltext https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7720849/#:%7E:text=Controlling%20for%20an%20extensive%20set,educational%20attainment%20of%20young%20women.&text=Having%20a%20child%20before%20age%2018%2C%20however%2C%20has%20a%20significant,of%20schooling%20by%201.2%20years.

https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/16978/831670v20REVIS00Box385190B00PUBLIC0.pdf?sequence=5&isAllowed=y https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Girlhood_not_motherhood_final_web.pdf https://genderdata.worldbank.org/data-stories/adolescent-fertility/

U.S. Agency for International Development U.S. Embassy Tel: (880-2) 885-5500 Madani Avenue, Baridhara Fax: (880-2) 882-3648 Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh www.usaid.gov/bd

Power).6,7 At the individual level, girls have limited information on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and rights. Girls report feeling a lack of agency or self-efficacy to influence decisions around marriage and childbirth.8,9 Married girls have little power in household decisions, including those related to fertility, which are primarily made by husbands and mothers-in-law.10,11 Social norms reinforce pressure from family for girls to quickly become pregnant,12,13 and young mothers are often encouraged to quickly grow their families, resulting in higher rates of closely-spaced second pregnancies among mothers ages 15-19 compared to older women.14

At the community level, norms related to marriage, child bearing, SRH and FP, gender roles, and the status of women and girls reinforce expectations for early marriage and childbearing, including perpetuating rumors of infidelity or infertility for girls who wish to delay first birth.15 Further, norms limit adolescent girls’ and young women’s (AGYW) freedom to leave the home to seek FP or other health services, especially without male accompaniment.16

At the systems level, social norms intersect with structural gaps to limit access to quality sexual and reproductive health services, mental health and nutrition particularly for unmarried girls. One-in-seven married female adolescents and one-in-ten unmarried female adolescents had major depressive disorder (MDD). About one-third of female adolescents and one-fifth of male adolescents were nutritionally stunted.17 These huge number of adolescent having MDD has very limited access to mental health services amid having only six (06) child and/or adolescent psychiatrists in Bangladesh (0.01 per 100,000 population)18 Social norms and gaps in systems and services limit educational achievement and inhibit AGYW participation in the workforce.19,20 Notably, 83% of ever married girls discontinued their education

6 High-Impact Practices in Family Planning (HIPs). Social and Behavior Change: A Critical Part of Effective Family Planning Programs. Washington, DC: USAID;

2018 Apr. Available from: https://www.fphighimpactpractices.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SBC_Overview.pdf 7 https://www.youthpower.org/sites/default/files/YouthPower/files/resources/PYD%20MATRIX%20AYRH_final%20edit.pdf 8 R.T. Naved, S. Kalra, A. Talukder, et al. An exploration of social norms that restrict girls’ sexuality and facilitate child marriage in Bangladesh to inform policies and programs. J Adolesc Health, 70 (2022), pp. S17-S21 9 Shahabuddin ASM, Nöstlinger C, Delvaux T, Sarker M, Bardají A, Brouwere VD, et al. (2016) What Influences Adolescent Girls’ Decision-Making Regarding Contraceptive Methods Use and Childbearing? A Qualitative Exploratory Study in Rangpur District, Bangladesh. PLoS ONE 11(6):

e0157664. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0157664 10 Shahabuddin ASM, Nöstlinger C, Delvaux T, Sarker M, Bardají A, Brouwere VD, et al. (2016) What Influences Adolescent Girls’ Decision-Making Regarding Contraceptive Methods Use and Childbearing? A Qualitative Exploratory Study in Rangpur District, Bangladesh. PLoS ONE 11(6):

e0157664. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0157664 11 Shahabuddin ASM, Nöstlinger C, Delvaux T, Sarker M, Bardají A, Brouwere VD, et al. (2016) What Influences Adolescent Girls’ Decision-Making Regarding Contraceptive Methods Use and Childbearing? A Qualitative Exploratory Study in Rangpur District, Bangladesh. PLoS ONE 11(6):

e0157664. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0157664 12 B. K. Sarker et al., “Adolescent Motherhood: Understanding Individual and Community Perspectives to Delay First Birth in Rural Bangladesh,” pp. 1–61, 2017.

13 Noori N, Proctor JL, Efevbera Y, et al. Effect of adolescent pregnancy on child mortality in 46 countries. BMJ Global Health 2022;7:e007681.

14 National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT), and ICF. 2020. Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2017-18. Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Rockville, Maryland, USA: NIPORT and ICF.

15 Samandari, G., Sarker, B.K., Grant, C. et al. Understanding individual, family and community perspectives on delaying early birth among adolescent girls:

findings from a formative evaluation in rural Bangladesh. BMC Women's Health 20, 169 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-020-01044-z 16 J. Molitoris, “Heterogeneous Effects of Birth Spacing on Neonatal Mortality Risks in Bangladesh,” Stud. Fam. Plann., vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 3–21, 2018, doi:

10.1111/sifp.12048.

17 National Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Survey 2019-2020 18 https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/mental-health-atlas-bgd-2020-country-profile 19 Islam MM, Islam M.K, Hasan MS, Hossain MB (2017) Adolescent motherhood in Bangladesh: Trends and determinants. PLoS ONE 12(11): e0188294.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0188294 20 Kamal, S. M. M. (n.d.). Adolescent motherhood in Bangladesh: Evidence from 2007 BDHS data.

http://www.usaid.gov/bd https://www.fphighimpactpractices.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SBC_Overview.pdf https://www.fphighimpactpractices.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SBC_Overview.pdf https://www.youthpower.org/sites/default/files/YouthPower/files/resources/PYD%20MATRIX%20AYRH_final%20edit.pdf

U.S. Agency for International Development U.S. Embassy Tel: (880-2) 885-5500 Madani Avenue, Baridhara Fax: (880-2) 882-3648 Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh www.usaid.gov/bd after marriage,21 and few married girls engage in economic activity (with only 6% of married girls reporting working for cash 22,23) which increases dependency on husbands and further limits girls’ decision-making power. There is promising progress at the policy level. The Prime Minister pledged to eliminate all marriages under the age of 18 by 2041 and Bangladesh launched its first National Plan of Action (NPA) to End Child Marriage in 2018 by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MoWCA)24 and the National Strategy for Adolescent Health 2017-2030 (NSAH) seeks to “address the overall health needs of adolescents by taking a broad and holistic understanding of the concept of health”, including SRHR /adolescent pregnancy and violence against adolescent re Child Marriage amongst the four pillars.25

II. JUSTIFICATION

These realities, and global evidence, underscore the need for early intervention prior to marriage and first pregnancy with very young adolescent (VYA; ages 10-14) boys and girls; and the adults who support their transition from adolescence to adulthood. As VYAs go through puberty, they increasingly experience the constraints and expectations of gender inequality.26,27,28,29,30 Findings from the Global Early Adolescent Study (GEAS) reveal a remarkably consistent global narrative about the importance of gender roles in shaping the transition as children enter adolescence and ultimately adulthood. Girls are portrayed as vulnerable, weak, and in need of protection from boys, who are characterized as dangerous and even violent predators. Girls are increasingly expected to remain in the home to be groomed for the duties of marriage and motherhood. Conversely, boys experience a new level of independence and freedom of mobility, but also heightened expectations to contribute financially to their families. 31,32 The confluence of changes during the very young adolescent period, including rapid brain growth, significant physical and socio-emotional development, and new pressures from gender expectations in general and dynamics and communication within intimate relationships, creates a unique opportunity to shift the trajectory of the

21 National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), and Data for Impact. (2021). Bangladesh Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Survey 2019-20: Final Report. Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Chapel Hill, NC, USA: NIPORT, icddr,b, and Data for Impact.

22 B. K. Sarker et al., “Adolescent Motherhood: Understanding Individual and Community Perspectives to Delay First Birth in Rural Bangladesh,” pp. 1–61, 2017.

23 National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), and Data for Impact. (2021). Bangladesh Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Survey 2019-20: Final Report. Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Chapel Hill, NC, USA: NIPORT, icddr,b, and Data for Impact.

24 UNICEF Bangladesh, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Bangladesh. (2018). A scoping analysis of budget allocations for ending child marriage in Bangladesh.

25 MCH Services Unit, Directorate General of Family Planning (2016). National Strategy for Adolescent Health 2017-2030.

26 Igras SM, Macieira M, Murphy E, Lundgren R. Investing in very young adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health. Glob Public Health. 2014;9(5):555-569.

doi:10.1080/17441692.2014.908230 27 Woog V, Kågesten A. The Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of Very Young Adolescents Aged 10 – 14 in Developing Countries: What Does the Evidence Show? New York, NY; 2017. https://www.guttmacher.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/srh-needs-veryyoung-adolescents-report_0.pdf.

28 McCarthy K, Brady M, Hallman K. Investing When It Counts: Reviewing the Evidence and Charting a Course of Research and Action for Very Young Adolescents. New York, NY; 2016.

29 Blum RW, Mmari K, Moreau C. It Begins at 10: How Gender Expectations Shape Early Adolescence Around the World. J Adolesc Heal. 2017;61(4):S3-S4.

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.07.009 30 Chandra-Mouli V, Plesons M, Adebayo E, et al. Implications of the Global Early Adolescent Study’s Formative Research Findings for Action and for Research. J Adolesc Heal. 2017;61(4, Supplement):S5-S9. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.07.012 31 Lane C, Brundage CL, Kreinin T. Why We Must Invest in Early Adolescence: Early Intervention, Lasting Impact. J Adolesc Health 2017;61(4 Suppl):S10- S11. DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.07.011.

32 McCarthy K, Brady M & Hallman, K. Investing when it counts: Reviewing the evidence and charting a course of research and action for very young adolescents. New York: Population Council, 2016.

U.S. Agency for International Development U.S. Embassy Tel: (880-2) 885-5500 Madani Avenue, Baridhara Fax: (880-2) 882-3648 Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh www.usaid.gov/bd adolescent life course to improve gender attitudes, behaviors, and norms before they are firmly entrenched;

reduce child marriage and very early pregnancy; and lay the foundation for more equitable intimate relationships and future health, including use of contraception to delay and space pregnancies.33,34,35,36

Despite the growing understanding of the importance of programming for VYA, a recent global landscape found only 6% of programs were being implemented in South East Asia. The report identified several promising practices in VYA programming, noting the importance of moving beyond SBC approaches that focus on information-only. The authors recommended approaches that work across the socio-ecological framework with an emphasis on social and gender norms.37

The National Plan of Action to End Child Marriage and the National Strategy for Adolescent Health 2017- 2030 outline four priority areas: SRH, violence, nutrition, and mental health. Given these priorities, many partners and organizations are actively working with adolescents (including VYAs and older adolescents age 15-19) and parents and communities on intersecting issues of child marriage, eary childbearing, and FP. However there are limited programs on adolescent nutrition and none for adolescent mental health and psychosocial support. This award will build on the learning and platforms already in place or underway to accelerate progress toward reducing adolescent childbearing, health and wellbeing and elimination of child marriage.

33 Igras SM, Macieira M, Murphy E, Lundgren R. Investing in very young adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health. Glob Public Health. 2014;9(5):555-569.

doi:10.1080/17441692.2014.908230 34 Woog V, Kågesten A. The Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of Very Young Adolescents Aged 10 – 14 in Developing Countries: What Does the Evidence Show? New York, NY; 2017. https://www.guttmacher.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/srh-needs-veryyoung-adolescents-report_0.pdf 35 McCarthy K, Brady M, Hallman K. Investing When It Counts: Reviewing the Evidence and Charting a Course of Research and Action for Very Young Adolescents. New York, NY; 2016.

36 Lane C, Brundage CL, Kreinin T. Why We Must Invest in Early Adolescence: Early Intervention, Lasting Impact. J Adolesc Heal. 2017;61(4 Suppl):S10-S11.

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.07.011 37 Simon,C. Very young adolescent sexual and reproductive health landscape: Where are we now? Where do we go from here? Save the Children, Washington, DC: 2020.

https://resource-centre-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/VYA+SRH+Landscape+Final+10-30.pdf

U.S. Agency for International Development U.S. Embassy Tel: (880-2) 885-5500 Madani Avenue, Baridhara Fax: (880-2) 882-3648

Illustrative RESULTS FRAMEWORK/LOGIC MODEL

IR1. Increased ability of adolescents to exercise their right to delay marriage and early childbearing.

IR2. Strengthened social support to delay marriage and early childbearing.

IR3. Strengthened essential services for adolescents and their families.

IR4.

Institutionalized effective solutions.

1.1 Increased skills and

competencies among VYA to delay marriage and early childbearing.

2.1 Strengthened

social norms and attitudes within communities that support delayed marriage and childbearing.

3.1 Increased

availability of adolescent-responsive health & nutrition care.

4.1 Improved

program performance through use of collaboration, adaptation, and learning.

1.2 Heightened

aspirations of young girls aged 10 to 14, including roles for women beyond childbearing and marriage.

2.2 Increased

gender-equitable communication among adolescents, within households, schools and in the community.

3.2 Increased

availability of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) for adolescents and their families at community, school and health facilities.

4.2 Strengthened

local organizational capacity to implement and monitor locally defined solutions.

1.3 Increased youth

engagement in civil activities related to elimination of early marriage and childbearing.

2.3 Reduced GBV

within households, schools, and communities.

3.3 Established

partnerships to expand educational and economic opportunities for youth, particularly girls.

4.3 Mobilized

domestic resources to implement effective programs.

3.4 Strengthened

community resilience to mitigate shocks and stressors that lead to child marriage, including economic and poverty factors.

4.4 Strengthened

accountability mechanisms to ensure youth-responsive programming, including in health services.

The overall objective of the award is to accelerate reductions in adolescent marriage and childbearing. This

U.S. Agency for International Development U.S. Embassy Tel: (880-2) 885-5500 Madani Avenue, Baridhara Fax: (880-2) 882-3648 Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh www.usaid.gov/bd would be achieved through four intermediate results: increased the ability of adolescents to exercise their right to delay marriage and early childbearing; strengthened social support to delay marriage and early childbearing; strengthened essential services for adolescents and their families; and institutionalized effective solutions.

IR1. This intermediate result supports investments in age- and stage-appropriate interventions for youth as they navigate the rapid changes of adolescence and is based on key components of Positive Youth Development. Increased ability of adolescents to exercise their right to delay marriage and early childbearing, focuses on effects at the individual level for the target population - adolescents aged 10 to 14, particularly girls. The sub results outline key areas of development such as building awareness of rights related to child marriage and access to SRH, including knowledge of and access to age appropriate SRH information and services. Development of agency among young people to employ their assets and aspirations to make or influence decisions about their lives, to set their own goals, and to act upon those decisions without fear of violence or retribution. Ability to participate in and/or lead the planning, implementation, and monitoring/evaluation of activities, advocacy, policies, and other topics which influence their access to information, education and/or services related to delayed marriage and avoiding unintended pregnancies.

IR2 works at the household and community level to strengthen social support to delay marriage and early childbearing. This intermediate result focuses on social norms related to early marriage and adolescent childbearing, gender-equitable communication, and gender-based violence. Together these create powerful influences that reinforce early marriage and childbearing. In order to achieve the central aim of reducing adolescent child bearing, it is necessary but insufficient to shift norms of child marriage. It will also require attention to gender transformative programming that supports women’s engaging in activities beyond care-giver and mother. The sub-result must demonstrate a shift in norms among men and women as well as adolescents and adults to achieve success.

IR3 works at the systems level to strengthen essential services for adolescents and their families. This intermediate result works with the health and social systems to mitigate insecurities and stressors at the household level that drive child marriage. This IR connects households to key services that address food and economic insecurities. There is a growing body of evidence exploring the relationship between mental health and early marriage, for the individual and the household. This sub result area will work with communities to identify priorities for psychosocial support and mental health services as a prevention of child marriage and as a means of support for child brides. This intermediate result also supports the development of relationships with economic and educational partners that hold the potential to expand opportunities for young people and reduce pressure on households to marry off young girls.

IR4 aims to institutionalize effective solutions. Using collaboration, learning, and adaptation to create models of what works to support communities in reducing early marriage and childbearing and then strengthening local capacities to expand those approaches is the focus of this intermediate result. The result will also work with communities to create accountability mechanisms for long-term monitoring and support domestic resource mobilization to ensure sustainability.

U.S. Agency for International Development U.S. Embassy Tel: (880-2) 885-5500 Madani Avenue, Baridhara Fax: (880-2) 882-3648 Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh www.usaid.gov/bd

Attachment 2: Information Requested

USAID is specifically interested in feedback and comments on the following questions:

This RFI provides an opportunity to review, comment on, and contribute to the enhancement of USAID’s future Accelerating Reductions in adolescent Childbearing Activity around the following questions. Respondents are welcome to address some or all of the questions below:

1. How can USAID programming leverage previous, existing and/or current activities that aim to reduce adolescent childbearing and/or improve the health and wellbeing of adolescents?

2. How can we avoid duplication of effort?

3. USAID would like to partner with communities committed to reducing adolescent pregnancy, what criteria can we use to identify communities where USAID resources would be most effective?

4. How can we support engagement of local organizations (including youth-led and youth-serving organizations) and stakeholders with this work?

5. What aspects of the project could facilitate participation/engagement of young people during planning, implementation and monitoring of this project?

6. What outcomes/impact should USAID and communities expect from this investment? How should USAID evaluate the success of the ARaC program?

7. How could this activity partner with non health sector parties, including but not limited to education, women and child welfare, IT, sports, private sector entities and others?

[End of Request for Information No. 72038823RFI00003]

USAID/Bangladesh's Accelerating Reductions in adolescent Childbearing Activity

U.S. Agency for International Development U.S. Embassy Tel: (880-2) 885-5500

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ইউএসএইড িনে� �ণীত ���েলার আপনার উ�র এবং ম�ব� জানেত িবেশষভােব আ�হীঃ

তথ� �দােনর অনুেরােধর (Request for Information বা RFI) ে�ি�েত �ণীত িনে�র সব�েলা অথবা আপিন �া��� েবাধ কেরন েকবল েস ���েলার উ�র িদেত পােরন। এ ���েলার উ�র িদেত িগেয় ইউএসএইেডর ��ািবত "Accelerating Reductions in Adolescent Childbearing Activity" কায ��ম স�েক� আপনার মূল�ায়ন, ম�ব� এবং সুিচি�ত মতামত এ কায ��মেক আেরা পিরশীিলত করেত সাহায� করবেব।

১। ইউএস-এইড'র ভিবষ�ত কায ��েম িকেশারীেদর (adolescent) িশ� জ� েদবার হারেক কিমেয় আনবার এবং তােদর সাস্েহ�র এবং সািব �ক উ�য়েনর লে�� পূেব � গৃিহত এবং চলমান কায ��েম অ�জ�ত সাফল� এবং অিভ�তােক িক ভােব কােজ লাগােত পাের?

২। ইউএস-এইেডর এ কায ��ম �ণয়নকােল েদেশ চলমান কায ��েম গৃিহত পদে�েপর একই বা সম�প (duplication) েকান পদে�প এিড়েয় েযেত ইউ, এস, এইড িক িক করেত পাের?

৩। িকেশারীেদর গভ�িনয়�ণ (reducing pregnancy) িনেয় সমােজ যারা কাজ করেছন বা করেত �িত�াব� তােদর সােথ অংিশদািরে�র িভি�েত (partnerships) বা কােঁধ কাধঁ িমিলেয় কাজ করেত ইউ এস এইড আ�হী। �� হেলা েকান মানদে�র িভি�েত এ সব অংিশদার িনব �াচন করেল ইউ এস এইেডর স�েদর সেব �া�ম এবং কায �কর ব�বহার হেব?

৪। েদশীয় �িত�ান বা স্হানীয় সংগঠন (local organizations) এবং এ কােজ �াথ �সংি�� ব��� বা �িত�ান (stakeholders) �িলেক (যুব-েনতৃে� এবং যুবকেদর জেন� কাজ করেছ এমন সংগঠন�েলাও এর অ�ভ� ��) স�ৃ� করবার ে�ে� ইউ এস এইড িক ধরেনর সহেযাগীতা বা সাহায� করেত পাের?

৫। এ �কে�র েকান িবষয়�িলর (aspects) পিরক�না, বা�বায়ন এবং মিনটিরং এর ে�ে� যুবকেদর অংশ�হেণর যথাত�তা দাবী কের?

৬। এ �কে� িবিনেয়ােগর ফেল ইউএসএইড এবং তার অংশীদােররা িক ধরেনর সাফল� এবং সমস�ার �নগত পিরবত�ন (outcome/ impact) আশা করেত পাের? আর ইউএস-এইিড এ �কে�র সাফেল�র মূল�ায়ন িক ভােব করেব?

৭। িক ভােব এ কায ��ম সাস্হ�-স�ৃ� নয় এমন খাত�েলা েযমন িশ�া, মিহলা এবং িশ� কল�ান, আই�ট, েখলাধুলাসহ অন�ান� খাত�েলার সােথ অংশীদাির� গেড় ত�লেত পাের?

[End of RFI Questions]