The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund is calling for proposals.

VISION

The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund strives to change the way society treats its children and youth.

MISSION

To give voice and dignity to the African child by building a rights-based movement.

INTRODUCTION

The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (Fund) was established in 1995 as a global development organisation positioned to address problems affecting children and youth in particular, and South African communities in general.

The Fund’s objective is to strive to build sustained community structures beyond providing funding support to partners.
In terms of the new five year strategy for the period 2016 – 2021, the Fund has identified three intervention programmes that it will focus on:
Child Survival and Development, Child Safety and Protection and Youth Leadership.

The Youth Leadership is still under development and when the process is completed further communication will be sent to the public. Where appropriate, these programmes will integrate models for economic strengthening and sustainable livelihoods on sites of implementation.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)The FUND invites concepts from suitable organizations to support and implement programmes in line with two RFP segments of the three programmes outlined above.
SEGMENT 1 – Child Survival and DevelopmentThis will facilitate care systems so that they can respond to the needs of children under-3 to better ensure their survival and development. Objectives of the child survival and development programme are:
  • To improve the quality of services delivered.
  • To provide greater access to health care services and accountability.
  • To offer more specialised services and career progression.
  • To increase community awareness of ways of combating malnutrition, providing good nutrition and providing cost-effective solutions.
  • To create an early-warning system through monitoring systems
Care systems, sustainable funding models and community awareness are necessary to address broad causes and drivers of poor child survival and development for the first 1000 days of a child. The FUND will implement this programme by facilitating three mutually supportive components which include community health workers, mobile health clinics and monitoring services.
Outcomes of this programme are:
  • Improved quality of services through an increase in the quality and number of CHWs, and mobile health clinics.
  • Increased community awareness in good nutrition and providing cost-effective solutions to address malnutrition.
  • Early-warning system created through monitoring and data collection.
  • Increased corporate understanding of child survival and protection.
The top five (5) worst-affected districts are:
  • Eastern Cape (OR Tambo, Alfred Nzo and Joe Gqabi),
  • Kwazulu Natal (Zululand)
  • Northern Cape (John Taolo).
SEGMENT 2 – Child Safety and ProtectionThis will address the Child Safety and Protection of children and youth, with a focus on abuse in schools. Child abuse ranges from emotional and psychological abuse such as bullying, corporal punishment, and sexual abuse.
Objectives of the child safety and protection programme are:
  • To promote healthy relationships between educators, learners and parents.
  • To support schools in creating a safer environment for learning and teaching.
  • To support initiatives that intend to create safety nets for children in and out of school at different levels.
  • To ensure that perpetrators of bullying, sexual abuse, corporal punishment are brought to book.
  • To ensure that relevant authorities act swiftly on issues of abuse against children.
The high incidences of violence within the schools affect the delivery of education which leads to high drop-out rates among children. It has been proved that violence is perpetrated by different people in schools and the community. The Fund envisages offering support to organisations that are critical in bringing safety in schools, as well as providing various services to break the circle of violence and promote a conducive environment for learning and teaching.
Expected outcomes of the programme are:
  • Safety nets and blue prints safety in schools created in Schools.
  • Increased detection and conviction of perpetrators of sexual abuse, corporal punishment in schools.
  • Increased accountability by duty bearers in supporting survivors of sexual and corporal punishment.
  • Decreases incidences of bullying in schools through alternative behavioural support methods.
In the first year of implementation, segment 2 targets youths in schools between the ages of 7-22 in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and Gauteng.
Eligibility
Only credible organisations, working in communities and/or schools, who meet requirements listed below will be eligible and are required to provide:
  • Articles of Association or the Constitution.
  • Registration Certificate.
  • Tax Exemption Number.
Review Criteria
Eligible organisations will be assessed, reviewed and evaluated according to the following criteria:
  • They should contribute to outcomes of the segment/s which they choose to apply for, and should show how they will achieve their objectives.
  • Structures and processes should show how they will work with target groups.
  • Show prior experience or future plans in identifying and creating partnerships in the programmes they choose to apply for.
  • Demonstrate transparency, good governance structures, and accountability to both communities and other partners.
  • Demonstrate learning, sharing, and information collection.
Selection Process
Proposals should be submitted at this LINK or the downloadable Word document should be submitted to childprotection@nmcf.co.za for Child Safety and Protection submissions, or childsurvival@nmcf.co.za for Child Survival and Development submissions. Submission dates are from 24 June 2016 to 22 July 2016.
Eligible organisations meeting the above criteria will be presented to the FUND’s Grants Review Committee and Board Development Committee, in August 2016.