The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kampala (EKN) is soliciting interested parties to submit concept notes (CN) that will lead to the development of the final project proposal.

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kampala (EKN) aspires to develop and finance a program that will enable women, men, adolescents and youth achieve their Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights.

Funding Information

Maximum 20 million Euros for 4 Years. The final proposal is allowed an Inception period of up to six months, to allow for establishment of governance and implementation strategies, building strategies with local governments, introductions at the community level and conducting the baseline.

Activity Alignment with Dutch and Gou Policies and Priorities

Alignment with NL policies 

This activity will contribute to these strategic policies and results: The SRHR results of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs Directorate of Social Development and MASC of the Embassy:

• better information and greater freedom of choice for young people about their sexuality;
• Improved access to SRH and HIV/AIDS medicines and commodities:
• Better public and private health care for family planning, pregnancies and childbirth
• Sexual and reproductive rights of all people, including those belonging to marginalized groups, are institutionally respected & protected.
• The Global Health Strategy of the Netherlands: Strengthening resilient health systems including community health systems.
• The Netherlands Feminist Foreign Policy: addressing structural barriers for women/girls in accessing sexual and reproductive health services and education; transforming negative social norms that perpetuate gender inequality and sexual gender based violence.

Alignment with GOU policies

Uganda in its vision 2040, aspires to transition from a predominantly low income to a competitive upper middle income country with a per capita income of USD 9,500. Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world, with nearly half aged below 15 years. Adolescents and young people constitute over 60% of the population ( 48% is 0-14 years, 20.25% is 15-24yrs). Creating a critical mass of healthy and productive human capital, out of this population age structure is pivotal for this vision aspiration and economic growth, and this calls for:

Changing the current population age structure into one that is predominantly of working age group.

Improving primary and secondary education completion by adolescents and young people, through among other strategies addressing the SRHR and negative social norms related barriers, hindering retention and completion at both primary and secondary education level. A 2021 survey by the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) revealed that of the 10–14 year-old age cohort, 40% reported schools as places where they experienced physical violence, of which 17% was sexual. Between 4% and 19% of girls who dropped out of school cited pregnancy as the reason.

Improving sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls, preventing/responding to sexual and gender based violence including changing social norms and harmful practices that perpetuate gender inequality. Violence against women and girls jeopardize human capital development, drains national resources through the costs of response services, loss of productivity and at worst loss of lives, which ultimately hinder progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal targets.

Reduce vulnerability and gender equality, and change negative social norms that impacts women/girls sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Outline of the New Activity 

• Activity target group 
• Primary target group
• Adolescents and young people (10-24 yrs).
• Within the Adolescent and Young people, special focus will be given to two marginalized groups: Youth NEETS (not in education, employment or trainingincluding survivors of teenage pregnancies), Youth living with Disability (PWDs).
• Women in reproductive age (25-49 yrs).
• Secondary target group
• Men, Community leaders, Political, religious and cultural leaders and community groups.
• District local governments and lower Local (subcounty and Parish) governments, particularly Health, Education and community development (Gender) departments.
• Results to be achieved by activity 
• The overall goal of this activity is to improve Sexual Reproductive Health and Social wellbeing of adolescents, youth, and women.
• The results indicators mentioned below may be slightly adjusted (renamed) before the final proposal writing starts
• Long-term outcomes/Impact level results 
• Activity contributes to these higher level results:
• Reduction in Maternal Mortality Ratio.
• Reduction in unmet need for contraceptives
• Reduction in Total Fertility Rate
• Reduction in SGBV and child marriage
• Reduction teenage pregnancies
• Reduction in HIV infection among adolescents especially girls.
• Short-term/Intermediate outcomes 
• Health Systems Strengthening
• Increased use of modern contraceptives methods.
• Improved client satisfaction with quality of services.
• Reduced stockouts at health facilities.
• Increased number/coverage of youth friendly health facilities.

# of (adolescents, youth/young adults, women of reproductive age, including PWDs) provided with Sexual and Reproductive services (Maternal Health, Family planning, HPV/Cervical Cancer screening, HPV vaccination for adolescent girls, HIV, Post Abortion Care, Post SGBV care).

• # of Couple Years of Protection.
• # of maternal deaths averted.
• # of unsafe abortions averted.
• # of unintended pregnancies averted.
• # of health facilities that adopt and implement youth-friendly SRH and HIV/AIDS services.

Education systems strengthening

• Improved retention and completion in targeted schools.
• Reduction in school absenteeism in targeted schools.
• Positive change in norms and values that perpetuates gender inequality and gender based violence within school setting.
• Comprehensive response to SGBV, SRHR information/Education and social norms change 
• Reduction in tolerance and social acceptance of SGBV.
• Acceptance of adolescent sexuality (or at least their needs)
• Change in norms that perpetuate SGBV (including child marriage)
• # of (adolescents, youth/young adults, women of reproductive age, men, including PWDs), directly reached with SRHR/SGBV information, education and social norms transformation.
• # of individuals (including youth, women of reproductive age, PWDs and survivors of teenage pregnancies) economically empowered.

Governance and accountability mechanism for social services 

Functional mechanism for good governance and accountability for social service delivery, at the district, subcounty, parish and community level (including health facilities and schools).

Geographical scope of the activity. 

To build on the achievements and structures developed/strengthened by the Netherlands financed ANSWER programme (implemented by UNFPA and its partners), this activity will target West Nile Region. Furthermore, to strengthen impact /results of this activity, the Netherlands Embassy recommends a district wide approach (i.e. targeting a whole district with an integrated package of interventions). This means the final selection of districts to be targeted (4-6) will depend on presence of other development partner activities and nature of their interventions, and district status against key SRHR indicators (UDHS 2022). The CN will indicate a maximum of 10 districts in the West Nile Region, proposed to be targeted by the applicant.

Major Features/Strategies/ Approaches of the Activity

Activity builds on already tested and evidence based strategies in general and from the Answer program. It will be multisectoral, leveraging the roles and contributions of health, education and Gender/Community development sectors in promoting social and Human Capital Development

Central in this activity is improving Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (ASRHR), Maternal Health, Prevention of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV). Systems strengthening is core in the strategies, but only a limited extent of investments in hardware is allowable, therefore innovative financing mechanisms are recommended, to make available needed finances for the hardware related intervention.

The CN, will elaborate how the activity shall:

Using a Health Systems Strengthening approach (HSS), support establishment of climate and epidemic resilient health systems (Government owned Health Center IV, Health Center III and Community level Systems), for sustainable delivery of quality and rights based, adolescent and disability responsive sexual and reproductive health services.

Using an SRHR/Education nexus approach and education systems strengthening approach, to tackle the gender/SRHR related barriers affecting retention and completion in primary and secondary school level.

Strengthen and improve access to rights and needs based SRHR information for young people (in and out of school).

Support and facilitate a comprehensive response to SGBV i.e. access to post SGBV healthcare; psychosocial support; economic opportunities and access to justice. It is important to note this activity will not directly invest in interventions to improve access to justice, neither in justice systems strengthening. It is therefore required that the concept will elaborate how the activity will secure accessto justice servicesfor the SGBV survivors in the activity geographic areas.

Mobilize and target youth, households and communities to increase demand and utilization of sexual and reproductive health services; transform gender and social norms that perpetuate gender inequality and SGBV; promote positive masculinity among boys and men; stimulate community activism against sexual and gender based violence (including child marriage).

Cross Cutting Issues and their Intergration 

Meaningful youth participation, inclusion, gender equality, climate and digitalization are cross cutting issues to be integrated in the activity. The CN will elaborate how:

Meaningful Youth Participation will be strengthened in the activity.

Inclusion and diversity will be strengthened in the activity, and inclusion of marginalized and vulnerable groups including (but not limited) to Youth NEETs (Youth not in Education, Training or Employment, survivors of teenage pregnancies) and Persons living with disability, will be secured.

Climate change adaptation and mitigation will be strengthened in the activity and its interventions. How activity will address impact of climate change on service delivery and utilization. What approaches will be undertaken to reduce effects of activity on climate.

Digitalization will be leveraged in the activity.

A human Rights based approach will be promoted and strengthened.

The activity will operationalize a Gender Transformative approach.

Source: https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/web/uganda/w/call-for-concept-notes-protecting-srhr-in-west-nile-region-