Location: Myanmar
Deadline: Monday, 29 July 2013
Description
Shae Thot Project Local Partner Initiative Call for Expressions of Interest (EOIs)
EOI Title: Shae Thot Local Partner Initiative Grants
EOI Number: ST.LPI.02
Deadline for Submission: Monday, 29 July 2013, 5pm Myanmar/Burma Time.
Important Note: Applicants are instructed NOT to submit superfluous materials such as photos, news articles or other attachments that are not requested in the EOI. Any additional materials will not be reviewed.
Applicants MUST submit using this template. Submissions made in another form will not be accepted.
Type directly into text boxes. The boxes will expand to fit your input, but please adhere to the 8-page limit.
Instructions: An application form is attached. Please answer each question as best as you can. We are happy to answer any questions about the application process, but we cannot offer advice about your specific proposal. The deadline for submitting questions about this call for expressions of interest is 5:00 pm July 12, 2013. Answers to questions will be sent to all potential applicants by July 16, 2013. Questions should be sent by email to shaethot@pactworld.org. Applicants are requested to state intent to apply to this solicitation by July 12, 2013, so that answers to questions can be sent out to all interested applicants. Electronic copy submission of Expressions of Interest is required and should be sent to: shaethot@pactworld.org. Submissions must be received by the due date or they will not be considered. Expressions of Interests should be submitted in the English language. A Burmese version in addition to an English copy will also be accepted. Please be aware that the English version will take precedence should a conflict between the versions occur. Although funding has been provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), all responsibility for the administration and communication of the grants will be handled by Pact. Grantees should not contact USAID. All questions, submissions, and matters related to this solicitation should be addressed to Pact at shaethot@pactworld.org.
I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Description of the Shae Thot Project Shae Thot is a five-year project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is implemented by a consortium consisting of Pact, Marie Stopes International, UNHABITAT, Pact Global Microfinance Fund, and CESVI. The overall goal of the project is to reduce suffering and death among the people of Burma, and the specific project objectives include:
1.Decrease maternal, newborn and child mortality;
2. Improve household-level food security;
3. Increase access to sufficient quantities of safe water, potable water, and improved hygiene; and
4. Strengthen social and community institutions for development1.
To achieve these objectives, the project consists of four integrated components: maternal and child health; livelihoods and food security; water, sanitation, and hygiene; and institutional strengthening.
Shae Thot's approach and methodology for all project implementation support is informed by four guiding principles.
1. Inclusive and Participatory Decision Making;
2. Transparent and Accountable Community Planning, Implementation, and Monitoring;
3. Community-Based and Local Solutions; and
4. Flexibility.
Purpose of the LPI Grants solicitation #ST.LPI.02
The purpose of this solicitation is to recruit approximately 5 local partners to enhance the Shae Thot project's current programming. The application process is in two steps, beginning first with an Expression of Interest. (see Section III for the EOI template). Successful applicants from the EOI phase will then be asked to prepare a full proposal. Pact will offer an intensive proposal writing workshop for organizations invited to submit a full proposal. Applicants are permitted to submit more than one application.
The areas of interest for this solicitation include, but are not limited to, maternal and child health; livelihoods and food security; water, sanitation, and hygiene; and conflict mitigation and peacebuilding. Geographically, Pact's priority is in Kayah State; Pact will also consider project activities in the Dry Zone as explained in Section II, Areas of Interest. In addition to monetary support, Pact will provide technical and organizational capacity development for the selected partners. Pact is internationally known as a leader in developing capacity and will utilize a range of capacity development tools to identify needs and, in partnership with the grantee, develop plans to build their capacity and provide institutional support to do so. The duration of the awards will be a minimum of 1 year to a maximum of 2 years. Pact has committed a total of USD $1,000,000 to the Local Partner Initiative. Pact expects to award one to two larger grants, up to a total of USD $250,000, and 2-4 smaller grants. Awards will be made in US Dollars. While Pact expects to award multiple grants, Pact reserves the right to award fewer or none at all.
'Institutions' refer to formal or informal groups from the community level, such as Village Development Committees (VDCs), community-based organizations (CBOs), or informal networks, up to the township or national level including faith-based organizations (FBOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). 1
II. AREAS OF INTEREST
Maternal and Child Health
In Myanmar, mothers and children constitute 60% of the country's total population. A continuum of care for maternal, newborn, and child health has been a priority national health issue, aiming to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4: to reduce child mortality and Goal 5: to improve maternal health by 20152. In urban areas, the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is estimated at 140 per 100,000 live births, while in rural areas, it is much higher, with 363 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. The leading direct obstetric cause of maternal deaths is postpartum hemorrhage (31%), followed by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including eclampsia (17%), and abortion-related causes (10%)3. The coverage of antenatal care (ANC) service across the country was 79.8% in 2007. About one-third of pregnant mothers made only one to two ANC visits, rather than the recommended four ANC visits. Mothers in remote regions lack health care facilities and are likely not to take any ANC4. About two-thirds of maternal deaths occur during childbirth and within the first 24 hours after delivery. Four out of every five deliveries occur at home, and 90% of maternal deaths in Myanmar occur at home or on the way to healthcare facility. Thus, timely access to professional services, skilled care and available emergency obstetric services are crucial5. In 2007, the proportion of deliveries attended by skilled birth attendants was only 64%. Therefore, it is still necessary to deploy more skilled birth attendants (SBAs) or train more auxiliary midwives who can serve under-reached populations to help achieve better pregnancy outcomes6. For children under five years of age, 73% of under-five deaths occurred during infancy (0-11 months) and the proportion of deaths was higher in the first month of life as well as disproportionately higher in rural areas (87%) compared to that of urban areas (13%). The main causes of neonatal mortality in Myanmar are prematurity and low birth weight (30.9%), sepsis (25.5%) and birth asphyxia (24.5%). Immediate and effective professional care before, during and after delivery can make the difference between life and death for both women and their newborns7. In order to contribute reaching MDG Goal 4 and 5 targets, the Shae Thot project seeks to improve maternal, newborn and child health by directly addressing these fundamental causes of poor MCH through a combined community-based and clinical model implemented by Pact and MSI in the Dry Zone (Mandalay, Magway, Sagaing divisions), Yangon division and Kayah state. The Shae Thot project complements the government of Myanmar's 'Making Pregnancy Safer' initiative, providing opportunity for dialogue and a window for engagement. Kayah State MMR is 132 per 100,000 live births in Myanmar's Hilly Regions (Shan, Kachin, Kayin, Chin, and Kayah). These states represent populations of ethnic minorities and national races, with distinct languages, and where development indicators, such as low literacy rates, indicate that overall human development is lower than national level average. The limited availability and access to comprehensive reproductive health (RH) services such as birth spacing and MNCH services, lack of information and awareness in communities on RH issues, adverse effects of some traditional practices, and low literacy rates are all Health in Myanmar (2011), Ministry of Health, Myanmar Nationwide Cause Specific Maternal Mortality Survey (2004-2005), DOH/ UNICEF 4 Report in situation analysis of population and development (2010), UNFPAUnder 5 mortality survey (2003), DOH/ UNICEF factors contributing to a significantly higher MMR in remote areas8. Through the Shae Thot project Pact is currently building community capacity by forming mothers' networks, which meet weekly to learn and discuss maternal and child related illnesses, hygiene and nutrition, and developing Change Agent committee to lead activities around strengthening health-seeking behaviors, home diagnosis and treatment of common childhood illnesses and facilitating emergency referral in Bawlakhae and Phar Saung Townships. Therefore, the potential opportunity identified to operate in Kayah region would be provision of mobile outreach clinics in order to link between Pact's community-based interventions and a core package of reproductive health service provision site. Dry Zone The highest MMR (449 per 100,000 live births) in Myanmar is in the Dry Zone regions (Magway, Sagaing, and Mandalay). The high rate is likely due to low utilization or lack of access to primary health care services. Along with a high rate of maternal deaths, the majority of neonatal deaths (88%) occur at home in the Dry Zone regions9. Through the Shae Thot project Pact has been operating in Magway, Mandalay, and Sagaing regions utilizing a community-based model, and training community health workers. Mobile clinical services are provided by Shae Thot project partner MSI in Magway (Magway, Aunglan, and Yenanchaung Townships), Mandalay (Myingyan Township), and Sagaing (Monywa and Pale Townships). Pact is seeking one or more partners to bridge the gap in clinical and reproductive health services of community and facility based care. Reaching underserved populations and providing a core package of reproductive health services through mobile outreach clinics would be an approach to fill this gap in townships where MSI is not operating. In addition, in townships where MSI is operating but Pact's community based model is not operating, applicants may seek to implement community-based intervention and training to community health workers on maternal and child health related illnesses, hygiene, and nutrition to strengthen health seeking behaviors, home based care, and facilitating emergency referral in order to provide a link between communities and government-provided health services. In summary, potential programming opportunities could include the examples below. Applicants are not required to focus on these areas, and Pact welcomes proposals outside of the opportunities/activities that address the technical issues discussed above:
- Providing mobile clinics to visit targeted villages at least once every six weeks to offer family planning services, diagnosis, and treatment of sexually transmitted infection, antenatal care, skilled delivery assistance, emergency obstetric referral, and postnatal care in townships where MSI is not operating.
- Providing community-based programming in order to raise awareness of maternal and child health issues and improve health-seeking behavior, together with supporting emergency referral in townships where Pact is not operating its MCH model.
Report in situation analysis of population and development (2010), UNFPA
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