devinitorg/iati-policy-markers huggingface dataset:
Academic performance of disadvantaged girls in Sierra Leone Over the past decade the Government of Sierra Leone has undertaken steps to improve access to and quality of education. They have recently revised the structure of the system to extend secondary school and create a 3-6-3-4-4 system: 3 years of pre-school; 6 at primary; 3 at junior secondary school; 4 at senior secondary school and 4 at tertiary level. However, students’ performance in examinations remains one of the lowest in West Africa, in part due to the civil war and the resultant loss of a skilled labour force. A gender imbalance between girls and boys education has been identified both in terms of access and underperformance, especially access to STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) for girls, which is extremely low.   This application will identify the barriers facing female students in studying STEM subjects at secondary school. It will look at the barriers facing girls entering junior secondary schools and moving from junior through to senior secondary schools. It also aims to provide a space to girls to voice their own views and engage the community in issues of girls’ education
Breaking the cycle of poverty by improving & develop fishing community Somalia’s extremely rich fishery resources are heavily under-exploited due to the consequences of political instability and to limited skills, equipment and market infrastructure in the local fishing communities. Youth and women are not fully involved in the fishing sector and the know-how from the older generation risks being dispersed. This situation severely limits the chances of generating sustainable income and employment, in a context of poverty and vulnerability.    The Project will carry out research and consultation within coastal communities involved in artisanal fishing, in order to generate much-needed data on fisheries’ potential and challenges, from the points of view of both supply and demand. The information will be used to design business models and organisational arrangements that would allow the local communities to fish, process and trade within their region in a more efficient and equitable manner.     Local communities will therefore access crucial information that will enable them to plan appropriate support for sustainable economic activities. The outcomes of the research will be shared with potential donors, investors, local government and other key stakeholders, in order to mobilise resources for a fully-fledged project in this sector as well as to inform and improve local policy on fisheries development.
Elton John Aids Foundation Every year, over 110,000 babies are born to HIV-positive mothers in Tanzania. Without intervention, nearly half of these children will die before their second birthday. Many HIV infections in infants can be prevented if HIV-positive pregnant women and their infants receive all of the recommended drugs at the right time. Tanzania has had a national programme for Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) since 2000. Though most HIV-positive women go through some of the processes to prevent HIV transmission, many positive women and their infants do not complete the full course of recommended drugs and interventions. This project aims to reduce the number of infants born with HIV by strengthening the demand for health services by pregnant women and testing an alternative PMTCT drug regimen (preliminary studies show it to be more effective than the current regimen used). It will work in two of Dar-es-Salaam's three municipalities. Health workers based in communities will encourage all pregnant women to learn their HIV status, attend antenatal care four times, and deliver their babies in health facilities. Women who fall out of the system will be followed up. This will improve maternal and child outcomes for all women, but importantly it will increase the likelihood that HIV-positive pregnant women and their infants get the full course of drugs to prevent HIV transmission. This will result in fewer infants infected with HIV. The project will compare the new drug regimen with the current regimen and provide evidence to influence Tanzania's national PMTCT policy and protocols.
Calories and Household Incomes from Potatoes Sub-sector (CHIPS) The project will respond to growing urban demand in Tanzania for processed potato products by increasing the supply of good quality potatoes, facilitating investment in processing, and building collaboration in the supply chain so that each part upgrades with confidence and coordination.  The project will form business groups of 20,000 smallholder farmers, 1,500 small retailers and 13,500 vendors (30% women) of potato products around lead firms. Their incomes will double over four years. Project funds will build capacity, remove barriers to efficiency and profitability, provide co-finance and facilitation and manage MEL. Business groups will co-invest because of growing supply and demand.
Elimu Bora 80 community-based satellite preschools will be set up with communities and local government support across some of the most remote and marginalised areas of Zanzibar and Tanzania. Working closely with local government at all stages, this project will help to create a scalable approach which can be replicated by the government. Teachers will be selected from the community and trained alongside School Management Committees to ensure preschools have the best support. Grants will be offered to communities to develop their preschools (Zanzibar only). Lessons from the project will seek to influence at policy and practice level across both Zanzibar and the mainland.
Increasing Access to Healthcare in the Kambia District The health system in Sierra Leone is still recovering from the effects of the civil war.  Free health care for pregnant women and children under five years was introduced in 2010.  However the community-based strategy for maternal and child health is not being implemented.  Maternal and child mortality rates are still above the 2015 MDG target, and Kambia district indicators are significantly higher than the national average.   This project will pilot a Community Health Education project in three communities in Kambia district. The project will test the assumption that community health workers can improve the links between public health facilities and remote communities and thereby contribute to reducing the high rates of maternal and child illness and death in Kambia district. Communities will know more about basic health messages, and the importance of timely health care.  The project will increase the number of pregnant women and children accessing free primary health care services.  Local communities will hold their health facilities to account through a range of health user groups and ante-natal groups.
Research on Strategies for Tackling Ritual Child Abuse in DRC We plan to conduct a need assessment of street children stigmatised as witches in 4 most deprived boroughs in Kinshasa DRC to inform a proposed self management project which seeks to bring hope to abused children, promote children's rights and stand-up against ritual child abuse. The assesment will address the needs of these children, , those who deliver services to them and the mapping of resources providing solutions. War, instability and poverty has changed the family dynamic in the DRC. Increasingly children have been used as scapegoats when things go wrong. For example, currently some 14,000 young people accused as witches are living on the streets in DRC's Kinshasa There is little social welfare or effective laws /policies and no protection services for child in general in DRC. This research project will: - recruit and train 10 volunteers on participatory consultative research techniques to obtain the views and experiences of street children accused of withcraft; - document attitudes towards children and witchcraft in families, local organisations, churches and schools. Activities will include: workshops, group discussions and face -to-face interviews with local people The result will be a written report into work and its impact with recommendations on future action .
Protecting The Right To Have Access To Adequate Housing As people move to the cities in search of a better life, the worldwide number of slum dwellers has risen to 828 million. In South Africa this trend is accelerating, driving up the price of land and forcing people into substandard high cost housing. The government has committed to polices that would deliver adequate housing and support urban economic development. But many policies are not implemented and of those that are, a large majority are enforced without consultation with the communities involved. As a result poor, vulnerable and marginalised communities continue to face a substantial challenge in realising their right to housing. Those living in informal housing face threats of eviction and suffer from a lack of basic services such as water and sanitation. This project will support South African urban slum communities to secure adequate housing and basic services. Through legal training, advice and action individuals and communities will be able to challenge exploitative landlords and unfulfilled government responsibilities. This project will help them access affordable housing with secure tenure, and adequate basic services. It will also give them the confidence and skills they need to lobby for secure housing.
Assessment of housing conditions and other socioeconomic determinants of Tubercu Uganda’s rapid urban population growth has led to the development of densely populated and poorly planned urban slum settlements. The sub-standard living conditions in these areas lead to high levels of ill health, and are particularly conducive to the transmission of TB which is also fuelled by the high prevalence of HIV. Uganda is classified as a high TB burden country but TB is under funded and also under-researched particularly in urban slum settlements. There is a considerable lack of reliable data on TB needs in these slum communities to inform the development of effective strategies to address TB prevention, diagnosis, and treatment programs to tackle the root causes of the spread of TB and its close linkages with HIV/AIDS. In order to address this gap a NA is proposed in 3 urban slum project sites in Uganda to map services and gaps, analyse facility level data on TB incidence and explore socio-economic factors affecting its spread. The approach employed will have a strong community empowerment focus, working to build capacity and motivation amongst community members to take control of and address their own health needs. The proposed research sites differ significantly, lending interesting comparisons to the NA.
Transform Africa Organisational Development 2011 Transform Africa promotes the effectiveness of local organisations in Africa and works in partnership with them to empower poor communities to find lasting solutions to poverty through economic and social transformation processes. One of its core values is to lead by example and spearhead creative approaches to develop the capacity of its partners and ensure that all development initiatives are genuinely driven by the local communities and organisations that serve them. While it has been engaged in the capacity building of its partners for a long time, a recent independent assessment identifies some weaknesses in its strategic planning, governance, advocacy and lobbying, fundraising, and monitoring and evaluation. In these areas it seeks support through a tailored organisation development programme. Gaining excellence in these areas will not only raise its profile and credibility with funding bodies, but will enable it to contribute to knowledge and learning about the role of Diaspora groups within the UK to drive change in developing countries.
Big Issue Lagos: Empowering, informing and training slum-dwellers Nigeria’s capital Lagos, is home to some of the world’s largest slums. Poverty is rife and there is a severe lack of employment, training and education for people on the margins of society. In addition, slum-dwellers/homeless people have limited access to information about their rights and limited ways of making their voices heard. This project will build the capacity of two local organisations to establish another business - Big Issue Lagos. The street paper will provide quality and independent editorial content covering issues of social justice and community interest and acting as a platform for the unheard voices of local slum-dwellers/homeless people. This will provide employment for vendors who buy magazines at a reduced cost and sell at a profit. Appropriate vendor training will be provided to slum-dwellers/ homeless people. During the project period the Big Issue will empower and increase the incomes of hundreds of slum-dwellers/homeless people. It will strengthen civil society and improve the rights of slum-dwellers/homeless people, providing a platform to leverage partners’ work and raise additional policy issues.
Shared Interest Organisational Development Phase 1 SIF is the charitable arm of fair trade lender SISL. SIF’s capacity building projects enable producers to build sustainable businesses that provide secure livelihoods. It began with small projects and attracted grants of £235,000 for a project in Rwanda and £502,000 for a project in Swaziland. Positioned for growth, SIF has a unique opportunity to build on the track-record of major grant management and project impact built up over the past 3 years. To consolidate this position and move forward, the organisation recognises the need to review its current situation, build on the lessons learned, and move the organisation on to its next stage of development. SIF plans to undertake an organisational assessment, focusing on leadership, strategy, structure and governance, including SIF’s relationship with SISL. The aim is to provide information, from which SIF can increase the benefit derived from the relationship with SISL; ensure appropriate, efficient and effective governance; align structure with strategy; and as a result streamline processes and communications. By developing this clarity, alignment and improved internal processes SIF aims to increase its ability to run projects efficiently, fundraise effectively and communicate clearly; benefiting producers with increased capability in planning, research opportunities, fundraising, and implementing new projects.
Promoting Inclusive Education for Disabled Children in Uganda Using a 'Child-to- Up to 98% of disabled children in Africa are out of school; this project aims to address this imbalance through high quality inclusive education for disabled children, with directed attention to disabled girls. Despite rights enshrined in international legislation, meaningful child participation is rare.  This project, based in three districts of northern Uganda, will use an innovative child-to-child approach, supporting all children to understand, discuss and take action on issues that impact their lives and protect themselves from harm. It will also work through parent support groups, in twenty five schools, nine of which have been the focus of a successful three year pilot project.
Identifying market opportunities for Small Scale Farmers in Zambia The problem: 80% of Zambians depend on land for their livelihood. Of these, 60% are farmers with less than 3 hectares of land. These small-scale farmers generally produce limited quantities of vegetables and fruit but have great difficulty in accessing profitable markets for this produce and remain in poverty. International experience shows that farmers who grow and market horticultural products earn more income than cereal or pulse growers. However, for this potential to be realised, these growers need ready and efficient access to markets. For Zambian small-scale farmers, this is particularly difficult: barriers include scale of operation, insufficient knowledge of standards and related skills. What we will do: Identify market opportunities for fresh produce suited to Zambia's agronomic conditions. Evaluate farmers' capacities to grow these crops and to develop sustainable businesses to link the farmers to identified markets. Evaluate target communities commitment and buy-in to participate in interventions linking them to identified markets. Establish commitment of integrators to source from identified communities and explore sustainable procurement and business models. The result: Delivery of a business plan linking farmers to identified markets and provide for capacity building interventions to strengthen the farmers' participation in the supply chain.
Improving the Quality of Basic Education in Northern Ghana In Ghana primary school enrolment averages 85%, but over-stressed state infrastructure has resulted in declining literacy rates. The Northern Region is the poorest in Ghana, and has the lowest literacy rate. Learners here receive 30% less education resources per pupil than southern counterparts, and the Basic Education Certificate pass rate in many districts is in single figures and falling: for example, the pass rate in the Chereponi district fell from 9% to 6.5% between 2009 and 2011. Four key challenges hinder literacy competencies of children in lower primary: most children belong to minority language groups and start school with no English - taught in English by poorly or untrained teachers with few resources, these children struggle to learn; most learning is by rote – activity and child-centred learning is deeper and often quicker, therefore effecting better outcomes; teachers have no on-the-job training and inadequate support - they lack motivation and absenteeism is a major problem; the position of women and girls in education is problematic, and challenging the inherent sexism implicit in teaching methods is an important to create an environment where girls can flourish. This project will introduce sustainable changes to the teaching methods used in lower primary, creating a basis for better learning for children as they progress through school. The project combines the introduction of mother-tongue, gender sensitive, child-centred teaching methods matched with appropriate resource materials, and strengthening on-going training and teacher supervision. As a result of project activities, 47,000 children will receive quality basic education; and 460 schools across 11 districts will have the capacity and support to deliver improved quality education on an on-going basis. Some 82,500 additional children will benefit in the year following the project if strongly planned and supported local uptake occurs.
Green-growth income initiatives for forest people The proposal will result in a research report informing a proposed new initiative around Metemma forest, Ethiopia. The objective of the initiative is to increase incomes, stabilize livelihoods & generate employment for the poorest rural & forest-dependent communities in this area. The initiative will promote & professionalize the production, processing, enterprise & market development of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) - gum, resin and incense. Surnarma & SET have significant experience of similar work (community based forest management delivering both conservation & poverty reduction goals) & have been invited to work in Metemma because of their previous success elsewhere.
Providing quality primary education to 9,000 out-of-school children (8-11, 60% g Just 37% of girls in South Sudan go to school. 6% complete primary education. Schools are far away, with few women teachers and of poor quality. Girls often end up married or pregnant very early. They live at constant risk of conflict. The project will set up 300 one-room community schools. The poorest and most at-risk children aged 8-11 (60% girls) will do three years of education and successfully move into the government system. Staff will train and support local women as teachers so they are more confident and earn their own livelihood. School Management Committees and parents’ forums will protect children better from harm.
Next Steps in AFD''s Development for International Work  (UK) This project is designed to assist the development of a small NGO set up by immigrants from Congo-Brazzaville. The agency began by providing supplementary schooling to young Congolese, and has extended this service to other immigrant groups in East London. In addition to these activities it now supports education projects in five regions of Congo, recently funded through the CGI Education programme, but does all this with only one part-time co-ordinator based in London, and a Programme Manager in Congo. AFD is therefore facing challenges relating to sourcing funding, project management, monitoring and evaluation, and advocacy. It has a committed Board of trustees in the UK but they lack appropriate skills and knowledge as well as experience in international development work. This proposal therefore aims to develop the skills of the agency's trustees, staff and volunteers through a series of tailor-made training sessions, supported by mentoring and peer learning visits to similar organisations in the UK.
HIV+ Survivors Integration Project (SIP) Many women in membership of AVEGA and SM bear the multiple stigmas of being a survivor, of being raped during the genocide and of being HIV+. They will be provided with wraparound support including home-based care, counselling, nutritional supplements, legal aid, IGAs, and access to health clinics that offer a “safe space” to seek treatment. Such holistic support has already been proven to be effective through the DFID-funded CTP. This project will herald a final phase of that project, building on the lessons learnt, to: ...empower economically active HIV+ women survivors to build livelihoods to better support themselves and their own dependents ...strengthen home-based care and enforce the legal rights of older HIV+ women survivors ...improve the life prospects of dependents of HIV+ women survivors, mainly orphans of the genocide and children born of rape, through improved access to education and HIV prevention. In delivering these benefits, the project will strengthen the capacity of AVEGA and SM to manage integrated clinics established under CTP to beyond the project duration. In opening the clinics to non-survivors, it will facilitate reconciliation through a sustainable model of shared service provision, and generate additional revenue through increased patient numbers.
Bridging the Gaps: Strengthening Mental Health Support for Children and Young Pe IsraAID are proposing to set up mobile child friendly spaces (CFS) so they can deliver health and wellbeing activities to underserved children in refugee camp and settlement areas; strengthen the capacity of children as agents of their own protection by mentoring and building the capacity of child champions focused on public speaking, child rights and mental health; strengthen the capacity of parents, caregivers and community members to respond to child protection issues; raise awareness of the availability of mental health services; and refer patients experiencing mental health issues to services which can help, in Turkana county.