CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (EOI)
For Civil Society Organisations
Based in West Sumatra, Indonesia
Introduction
SNV is an international not-for-profit development organisation, working in 38 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. SNV specializes in supporting the resourcefulness of development actors by developing local capacities, improving performance and services, strengthening governance systems, helping to create access for excluded groups and by making markets work for the poor. Our global team of advisors use their specialist sector and change expertise in Agriculture, Renewable Energy and WASH to facilitate sustainable change in the livelihoods of millions of people living in poverty.
Background
The Netherlands has a long tradition of supporting civil society organisations (CSOs) operating in low- and middle-income countries. CSOs are the voice of citizens at local, national and international level. They can help make government more accountable to citizens and support them in meeting development targets. In doing so, they contribute to greater social cohesion, stronger and more open democracies, a better response to environmental problems, a better business climate, more opportunities for all and less inequality.
Civil society organisations operate at the interface between state, citizens and market. Owing to their independent position and their roots in society, they link and represent the interests of a range of groups. CSOs play a range of different roles, depending on the need, context and the type of organisation. Many local organisations in low- and middle-income countries have become stronger in recent years.
To enable CSOs to effectively voice and contribute to development targets in a dynamic and increasingly global context, the Dutch Ministry of the Foreign Affairs (DGIS) set up a policy framework focusing on strengthening CSOs' capacity for 'lobbying and advocacy'. This role is essential for CSOs to contribute to inclusive growth and development and help reduce inequality.
When strategic partners join forces and coordinate their lobbying and advocacy instruments and methods, their overall effectiveness in a particular sector may be enhanced.
About the Global Partnerships: Evidence Based Advocacy Programme
SNV is looking for CSOs based in West Sumatra to join its Global Partnerships: Evidence Based Advocacy Programme. This five-year project, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS), aims at strengthening capacities of CSOs to advocate for a conducive enabling environment. The programme will be implemented in 6 countries: Burkina-Faso, Honduras, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda and Indonesia. The programme's main goal is to support progress in globally challenging topics related to the Sustainable Development Goals, with a specific focus on inclusion and equity issues. This goal is to be achieved by increasing Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) capacities to participate, contribute and influence strategic debates and policy-making processes.
The specific objectives of the Advocacy programme are determined as follows:
- Increase CSOs capacities in leadership, advocacy, utilisation of data and evidence, sector knowledge and business development
- Improve enabling environment in terms of improved policies, frameworks, regulations, budget allocation, services, inclusive business and accountability/collaborative mechanisms
In Indonesia, the two topics that will be addressed through the programme are Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Food and Nutrition Security (FNS).
About the WASH component of the Global Partnerships: Evidence Based Advocacy Programme
Indonesia has a population of over 255 million people, 39% of which do not have access to improved sanitation (JMP, 2015). It is estimated that 20% of the population still practices open defecation, the majority of these in rural areas, accounting for more than 72 million people. Recently, the Indonesian government has established the target of universal access to sanitation by 2019. STBM (Sanitasis Total Berbasis Masyarakat) is one of the
national programmes designed to support progress towards this target.
STBM is a non-subsidized, demand driven approach that includes lessons from Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) and other hygiene programmes in Indonesia and is currently being implemented nation-wide. STBM promotes community-wide achievement of five hygiene behaviours (pillars): (1) Stop open defecation, (2) Hand washing with soap, (3) Safe handling of drinking water and food, (4) Safe management of solid waste, (5) Safe management of domestic liquid waste. The STBM programme is to be rolled out also at the
school level.
Like many participatory approaches when implemented at scale, the STBM programme faces challenges in terms of quality and equity. Different Local Governments have diverse levels of engagement and investment in sanitation issues, particularly in what concerns non subsidized approaches like STBM.
Often, lack of updated information on how poor sanitation conditions impacts social groups unevenly prevents progress for the more vulnerable groups and especially for women.
In this context, the WASH component of the Global Partnership - Evidence based Advocacy Programme has the following goals:
- Improved sanitation policies & increased investment
- Provide evidence to increase political commitment & public investment in non-subsidized sanitation programmes
- Advocate for the implementation of the existing regulatory and legal framework
- Highlight advantages and opportunities for sanitation business development to promote an enabling environment for sanitation entrepreneurs/sanitation financing institutions
- Increased equity in access to improved sanitation & hygiene
- Mainstream the use of disagreggated data (on wealth, gender, disability, other) for planning and decision-making
- Provide evidence that highlights the issue of Menstrual Hygiene Management to promote enabling policies/regulations, notably in schools
- Improved collaboration and accountability mechanisms with CSOs
- Stimulate inclusion of CSOs in sector reviews, in consultative meetings, etc.
- Encourage increased oversight by local governments of state of affairs regarding sanitation in villages and schools in order to provide better support and encourage citizen engagement
Methodology: support areas for CSO's
Main areas of support to CSOs in the context of the Advocacy programme:
Strengthening of CSO capacities
In each country selected CSOs will participate in a capacity development trajectory that strengthens their capabilities in the field of leadership, use of evidence, thematic knowledge, advocacy and business development. This trajectory will take place during the first two years. After these two years, on the job coaching of CSOs will be continued by qualified SNV advisors to support the implementation of advocacy activities
Evidence creation and dissemination
CSOs will be encouraged and capacitated in making use of evidence and data by contextualising results of research, availing knowledge products and facilitating access to on-line platforms and alliances.
Support to advocacy plans and activities of CSOs
CSOs will be supported in the design and implementation of advocacy plans. Design of these plans will take place during the above-mentioned leadership trajectory. Implementation will start in the first year. CSOs will benefit from support of SNV and knowledge/research institutes we will work with (for example IFPRI for Food and Nutrition security and Resilience) during the implementation of the advocacy plans.
Selection criteria
CSOs' interested in partnering with SNV for the Advocacy programme should be able to meet the following criteria:
- Be based in West Sumatra and be willing to work in the districts of Padang Pariaman and Sijunjung
- Have previous work experience in West Sumatra
- Have previous track record/experience in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and/or promotion of equity and equality and/or implementation of Advocacy activities
- Have experience/interest in coordinating with Local Government and other stakeholders at District/province level to promote advocacy activities in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene sector
- Have experience in working with poor segments of communities
- Have experience/ability to address gender issues
- Be legally registered (formally)
- Have managerial capacity (ability to plan, monitor and co-coordinate activities)
- Have financial capacity (ability to ensure appropriate management of funds)
- Availability to commit with the full length of the programme (5 years)
Duration of the contract:
The duration of the contract is 1 year, renewed up to 5 years.
How CSOs can apply:
Please send your application to procurement.snv@gmail.com by April 15th 2016 with subject: "WASH Advocacy West Sumatra", with the following documents:
- Letter of motivation, explaining the CSOs' interest in joining the programme
- A summary of the CSOs experience/track record that demonstrates it meets the selection criteria
Selected CSOs will be contacted by SNV.
