Anon 6 Uganda Request for Application (RFA) for CBO partners in Eastern Uganda (Tororo & Busia districts)

Purpose of Project
The Ipas Africa Alliance Project aims to enhance bodily autonomy, agency, and the enjoyment of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) among adolescent girls and young women. This initiative achieves its goals by sub-granting funds and providing technical support to grassroots community-based organizations (CBOs) and local groups. Additionally, it strengthens grassroots movements that advocate for SRHR, employing a positive, human rights-based approach to increase self-efficacy and agency among adolescents and young people. Through this approach, the project seeks to shift attitudes and behaviors toward greater support for adolescent SRHR, including improved access to comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), contraception, and safe abortion care.
By empowering local organizations, the Ipas Africa Alliance Project fosters resilient, community-led movements that champion SRHR, challenge harmful social norms, and drive sustainable, lasting change. This community-centered strategy ensures that those most affected by SRHR issues take leadership roles in the movement, creating solutions that are both contextually relevant and deeply rooted in their lived experiences. For the sub-awardees, the grant facilitates the development of SRHR strategies and solutions tailored to the specific needs and realities of their communities, ensuring interventions are both locally grounded and impactful.
The intended Project Activities and outcomes:
Inception Activities:
1)Conduct one non-residential 1-day inception meeting in both Tororo & Busia districts involving both CBOs (TDYAN & ASHWA) and other key project stakeholders (District technical staff, political/law enforcement leaders & key coalition representatives). This activity will bring together 2 representatives from CBOs, 6 district technical staff (CAO, ACAO, DCDO, Probation officer, DHO/ADHO), 5 political leaders (these include the RDC) and 2 representatives of law enforcement (1 police representative & the magistrate). In Tororo, the meeting will have 25 participants including Ipas staff and in Busia, the meeting will involve 25 participants including Ipas staff.
OUTCOME 8 (1): Local grassroots coalitions are empowered and equipped to engage in sustained advocacy, successfully mobilizing communities and influencing policymakers to dismantle harmful norms and institutional barriers to SRHR.
Key Activities:
1.Provide flexible grants to 2 CBOs and 2 grassroots networks/movements in Uganda.
i.Conduct a participatory organizational capacity assessment (OCA) for each CBO to assess and address their organizational capacity needs. Through this process we will jointly identify specific areas where capacity building is required, such as organizational governance, financial management, advocacy skills, resource mobilization, and networking strategies. This activity will involve 2 staff from Ipas office Kampala and the key activity outcome will be developing a targeted capacity-building plan to address the identified needs. This will include training programs/workshops, and mentoring opportunities focused on addressing internal organizational capacity gaps, network building, collaboration, strategic planning, and advocacy techniques specifically tailored to SRHR.
ii. Facilitate the implementation of the developed Capacity Building Plan (CBP).
This capacity building plan (CBP) will include but not limited to the following activities:
a)Conduct a 2days capacity building of 40 participants from grassroots organizations (CBOs)/coalition members and local advocates in each of the districts (Tororo and Busia) to ensure they develop capacity in craft compelling counter-narratives to anti-rights messaging, including through storytelling, data-driven arguments, and human rights framing and resource mobilization by providing training on fundraising techniques, grant proposal writing, and establishing partnerships with donors that prioritize SRHR issues.
b)Facilitate organization and conducting of three (3) one day quarterly platforms for knowledge sharing and learning among grassroots CBOs/coalitions of 40 participants (20per dist.). Share relevant information about national policy processes, including policy proposals, legislation, and decision-making mechanisms. Provide guidance on how to access public documents and engage in consultations. This will be done through virtual or physical meetings where CBOs can exchange experiences, share best practices, and learn from one another.
c)Facilitate peer learning and mentoring within the network by pairing experienced CBOs with those who are new or less experienced. This will foster knowledge transfer, provide guidance, and create opportunities for mutual support and collaboration.
d)Organize two networking events (1 per district) that bring together 60 participants (30/dist.) from grassroots CBOs working in the SRHR sector. These events will provide opportunities for CBOs to establish connections, build relationships, and explore potential collaborations.
OUTCOME 9 (2): Policymakers and institutions at the sub-national levels are actively engaged in dialogue with grassroots coalitions, leading to increased support for adolescent SRHR services, and the implementation of bylaws that protect girls from early pregnancy.
Key Activities:
iii.Sub-grant to 2 CBOs (TDYAN & ASHWA) and 2 grassroots networks/movements to play a crucial role in advocating for SRHR, challenge harmful norms, counter anti-rights narratives, and foster deeper, more sustainable impact.
e)Facilitate TDYAN/ASHWA and the respective Coalitions to conduct sensitization workshops targeting key stakeholders and public education campaigns on the newly enacted bylaws in Tororo and Busia Districts, Uganda.
f)Facilitate TDYAN/ASHWA and the respective Coalitions to conduct dialogues with various institutions and key stakeholders playing a key role in the implementation of the bye laws including the judiciary, police, local councils, Parish Chiefs, health workers and Para legal/social workers, and sensitize them on the new bylaws and establishing common grounds for their implementation.
g)Facilitate TDYAN/ASHWA and the respective platforms to organize dialogue and engagements between local grassroots organizations/networks and policymakers at the sub-national level. This will include organizing policy forums, roundtable discussions, and meetings where grassroots voices can be heard and accounted for.
h)Facilitate TDYAN/ASHWA to conduct targeted advocacy meetings with influential policymakers, and institutions such as the District Committee on Adolescent Health (DICAH) to encourage the adoption of policies that promote adolescent SRHR and the effective implementation of existing bylaws.
i)Facilitate TDYAN/ASHWA to capacity build, but also support grassroots SRHR coalitions and networks to conduct budget advocacy for increased budgets for effective implementation of SRH services and the new bylaws.
j)Support the grassroots coalitions to establish robust community monitoring and accountability mechanisms to ensure that SRH services are responsive and effective. This includes following up of SRHR cases (Rape, defilement & aggravated defilement) to a logical conclusion.
Please refer to the attached Grant application narrative.