SMALL GRANTS TO SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE USING THE SHARED INCIDENT DATABASECall for Proposals The Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) and its partners Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) and El Centro de Orientación e Investigación Integral (COIN), were successful in the submission of a proposal to the Global Fund and have received a grant which will bring together organizations with complementary mandates, technical expertise and constituencies in an harmonized approach to leverage and support the effort of communities, civil society actors governments and technical partners in advancing the regional HIV response. This project provides a unique opportunity to institutionalize partnerships between civil society and governments to achieve and sustain effective programmes that meet the needs of key populations (KPs) and diminish the HIV epidemic. The project seeks to achieve the following objectives: - To reduce structural barriers to key population services including stigma and discrimination and gender-based violence
- To improve knowledge generation and use of strategic information on key populations for decision-making and advocacy by communities and other stakeholders
- To increase domestic resources for effective key population programming
- To mobilize resources for key population organizations
Gender-Based Violence ( GBV) is well recognized as a violation of human rights and also now as a public health issue – one that dangerously intersects with the HIV and AIDS epidemic. According to the Caribbean Men’s Internet Survey in 2014, approximately one in six adult women surveyed in the Dominican Republic and Haiti said they had recently experienced intimate partner violence. In Cuba, about 7% of adult women reported similar experiences. Research indicates that experiencing violence and trauma is associated with an increased risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This risk is due to both physical exposure to HIV during the violent or traumatic event and the mental burdens that may result from violence or trauma, which can interfere with one’s ability to protect oneself consistently from HIV transmission. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), recognizes gender-based violence (GBV) as violence that is directed towards women, girls, gender non-conforming people and sexual minorities because they are women, gender non-conforming and/or sexual minorities. It includes acts that cause physical, mental or sexual harm or suffering, threats of such acts, coercion and other deprivations of social, physical and emotional needs. GBV usually occurs when one does not meet societal stereotypical gender expectations as well as when one is in a relationship with uneven power dynamics. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are more often at risk as they are seen as not meeting society stereotypical gender expectations and this gives rise to most of the violence they are subjected to. The stigma associated with same-sex relationships or being gender non-conforming is exacerbated by GBV in many Caribbean countries. Indeed, men who have sex with men (MSM) throughout the region experienced intimidation, verbal abuse and violence because of their sexuality. The Shared Incident Database (SID) is an online platform that different Civil Society Organisations around the English, Spanish, French and Dutch speaking Caribbean can document incidents of human rights violations, especially committed against disenfranchised individuals. It is the first regional civil society-led human rights monitoring mechanism that records, analyses and exchanges information on rights violations. It facilitates comprehensive data collection through standardized intake procedures, which enhance the capacity of CSOs to document rights breaches, and enables data sharing to support redress. SID hopes to advance Human rights from a public health perspective; strengthen collaborative decision-making and action on HR and Public Health advocacy; Broker between Civil Society and the State; and facilitate constructive engagement with policy, public health and legal decision-makers. FUNDING PRIORITIES/ AREAS OF INTEREST As part of this project, CVC is pleased to announce funding for small grants to support the documenting strategic human rights information, especially around GBV and HIV and AIDS using the SID and related support services. CVC will support grant applications which fall under the following general areas: - Support for data entry (including converting existing supporting documentation into an online database)
- Advocacy initiatives to address reporting on GBV & HIV and AIDS discrimination, which includes but not limited to awareness building, key stakeholder sensitization sessions
- Client support to facilitate redress
- Support for costs directly related to the human rights violation documentation and support services
ULTIMATE OUTCOME Proposals should support the following outcome: - Increased documentation of human rights violations and gender-based violence by marginalized and vulnerable rights-holders, including women and girls
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago with a record of tackling human rights issues especially around GBV and HIV and AIDS. NB: Successful applicants are required to become members of the Shared Incident Database if they aren’t already members. FUNDING LIMIT
Each organization may apply for an award of a maximum of US$7,500 to support project-related costs for up to six (6) months. Allocation for salaries, stipends, incentives and overheads should not exceed 40% of the total budget for the grant. REVIEW PROCESS All proposals will be considered and reviewed by a committee, which will take into account the organization’s past grant performance and proposal for strengthening or expanding its current work. Project proposals will be reviewed and scored against the criteria outlined below: - Relevance: Are objectives based on good evidence as to which kinds of intervention are most effective? Does the project target a clear population or sub-population? (e.g. transgender sex workers, as opposed to sex workers in general)
- Efficiency: Are available financial and other resources (including collaboration and resource-sharing with partners and volunteer contributions of labour, expertise and material) being used to good advantage? Does the project use resources creatively and get the biggest “bang for the buck?”
- Sustainability: Does the proposal identify how the project’s outcomes/outputs will be sustained in the future, beyond CVC support?
- Rights-focused: Is the project rights-based? Does it promote the human rights of vulnerable groups? Does it make reference to the international human rights framework?
- Leverage: Will this grant result in outside support or government buy-in?
- Strength of plan and measurable outcomes: Does the proposal have a clearly defined plan of action with measurable outcomes for success?
- Documentation: Does this proposal include a reasonable plan for communicating the project’s successes and the lessons learned?
- Partnerships/Collaborations: Does the project reflect collaboration between multiple groups, especially those with different levels of capacity and expertise including government?
Please include subject line – “SID Mini-Grant Application – (country you are applying for).” For example, “SID Mini-Grant Application – Guyana‟. SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS
Please submit all applications to programms@cvccoalition.org Click here for proposal template Click here for budget template All applications must be received no later than February 7, 2020. CONFIDENTIALITY AND COMMUNICATIONS CVC respects the privacy of the applicant and is committed to protecting from disclosure any confidential or proprietary information contained in a submitted proposal. While we will make every effort to ensure confidentiality in these situations, CVC, cannot guarantee complete confidentiality and/or be held liable for the disclosure of information that may cause harm to individuals or groups associated with funded projects. Groups should be aware that information provided carries the risk of being shared through open dialogue about funding priorities, peer review processes, and communications about the project, decisions, and reported outcomes. Submission of a funding application is deemed to indicate the applicant’s understanding and acceptance of these risks. REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS CVC seeks to support quality and accountable programmes. Therefore, all organizations funded through this grant-process will be required to provide monthly, mid-term and final reports, and will be required to utilize the community web-based M&E platform and database designed by CVC specifically for its partners. Organizations should be able and ready to document appropriate financial and accounting controls, including measures to prevent duplicated use or misappropriation of funds. CVC/COIN will provide close technical support and financial oversight of all mini-grants awarded. | 