STRENGTHENING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR COVID-19 FINANCES, AND VACCINES EQUITABLE ACCESS IN AFRICA 

A project of AHBN with funding from Ford Foundation

To be a sub-grantee in the following countries: Sierra Leone, Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Uganda

The Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN) is a network of organizations and individuals using budget advocacy to improve health service delivery in Africa. AHBN supports advocacy aimed at greater health allocations, complete, timely and efficient health spending, and greater transparency, accountability, and participation in the budgeting process. The network’s ambition is to cover financing issues within the health sector while also giving visibility to sub-sector issues (RMNCAH+N, Immunization, WASH in Healthcare Facilities, COVID-19) as relevant.

BACKGROUND

AHBN is implementing a project to strengthen accountability for COVID-19 finances, and vaccine equitable access in eight African countries (Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Malawi, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zimbabwe) with funding from Ford Foundation.

AHBN will provide catalytic sub-grants to targeted African CSOs in the eight project countries in three cohorts. Sub-grants will be used at the targeted countries’ level to promote accountability for COVID-19 and equitable access recovery. Accountability for COVID-19 funds remains a big challenge as well as inadequate access to public information regarding the government’s COVID-19 spending, and financial support for COVID-19 through global and regional financial institutions and donors. AHBN is pleased to invite interested African Civil Society Organizations who meet the criteria to apply for the grant.

TARGETED COUNTRIES AND GRANT SIZE (COHORT I):  

This request for EoI is for five countries (first cohort), it is open for CSO/NGOs from Sierra Leone, Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Uganda,a grant of $25,000 (grant will be in two tranches of $15,000 in year 1 and $10,000 in year 2) will be awarded to one CSO/NGO per country.

 TIME-FRAME:

The expected time frame to implement this work is from October 2022 to March 2024. There will be quarterly check-ins with organizations and as a group to create a community of practice among selected partners.

GRANT INTERVENTION`S FOCUS

Successful applicants will implement the grant in broad focus areas.

a. Develop and implement action points on advocacy and accountability for COVID-19 and health security

b. Work with coalitions of CSOs, advocates and media at country and regional levels to meaningfully engage, demand and improve accountability and transparency of COVID-19 finances

c. Support health journalists to undertake investigative journalism that promotes COVID-19 vaccine access and equitable distribution

d. Engage in-country liaison of regional and international financing institutions to improve access to information on COVID-19 finances to support advocacy and accountability.

e. Support CSOs coalitions and media to track and report on COVID-19 and health security finances at the country level

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

The EoI should be written in English in a concise language including the following contents:

Brief description of the applicant NGO/CSO: Name of organization, address, organization`s contact information, contact person, her/his contact information, a brief description of the capacity of the organization (staffing, structure, size of operations, experience, if any, managing similar project experiences). 

Country context on COVID-19 financing, accountability and vaccine access: Briefly explain your country`s situation about COVID-19 including the number of cases, financing, accountability mechanisms, vaccine access and coverage. What are the domestic and international funding available? What are the role of CSOs and media? What are the key barriers to financing and accountability of COVID-19 interventions, vaccine access and equity in your country? (Provide key evidence/examples). Which barriers will you address with this grant and why? 

Describe how the grant will contribute to strengthening accountability for COVID-19 and equitable access to vaccines in your country: This includes; the specific grant objective(s), the approach/methodology for implementing the intervention, the targeted stakeholders (government agencies, international donors/partners, bilateral agencies), and allies (coalitions of CSOs, youth groups, media, health professional bodies, private sector and partners) to be involved in the implementation. 

Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation Plan: Outline major indicators to measure the impact of the intervention in achieving the grant’s objective(s), and explain how learning and best practice will be documented and utilized. 

Sustainability: Describe how the grant`s learning and best approaches will be sustained beyond the project period and who are the targeted stakeholders at the national and sub-national level to utilize the experience and the results of the grant to achieve a wide-scale improvement in addressing accountability for COVID-19 and vaccine equitable access. 

Budget information: Financial proposal should be within the grant amount ($25,000). A simple budget template supplied by AHBN should be used (download the budget template here). The budget should focus on resources needed for technical activities, training, meetings, media support and personnel.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

AHBN seek to engage indigenous African CSOs/NGOs who MUST.

a) Not be an International Non-Government Organization

b) Hold valid government registration for business operations and maintain an office in the country

c) Have a minimum of 2 years of experience in advocacy and accountability on COVID-19 financing or health security

d) Have a presence, experience, and goodwill working with related COVID-19 Technical Working Groups and Committees at the country and regional level

e) Have experience working and building trust with a coalition of CSOs, media, government agencies, international donors/partners, bilateral agencies

f) Have a functional organizational structure to implement project activities 

1. SUBMISSION AND DEADLINE

I. Application for this EoI should be submitted via the online form provided by AHBN, any form of submission will not be considered. (click here to apply)

II. Application must be fully filled and submitted no later than September 7th 2022, 11:59pm (West African Time) GMT+1

III. Any request for explanation or questions should be submitted by email to salisu.musa@africahbn.org and info@africahbn.org no later than August 26th 2022, 11:59pm GMT+1