Information Sessions for the Call for Proposals, April 2019
Introduction
Following the successful implementation and lessons learnt from Phases I and II of the Civil Society Fund (CSF), implemented from 2006 up to 2018, the European Union (EU) continued its support to Ethiopian civil society as a reflection of its conviction that a genuinely independent, pluralistic and vibrant civil society is central to a country’s development and stability, to ensuring democracy and human rights, building inclusive societies and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The EU-supported Civil Society Fund (CSF) Phase III started implementation in December 2018 by establishing a Technical Assistance Unit (TAU). A major task of the TAU has been its support to the EU Delegation in Ethiopia in launching the Call for Proposals for Large Grants (2019).
The global objective of this call for proposals is to increase the participation of citizens and CSOs in the development and democratization process of the country. In line with the objectives and priority areas of this call, three lots were identified for the CSOs to apply for, namely:
Lot 1: Democratic Governance and Rule of Law
Lot 2: Service Delivery and Community Engagement. and
Lot 3: Gender equality, women’s and girls’ empowerment and protection
The call was published in the EU and CSF-III websites and in the daily Newspaper, Addis Zemen, on 8 April 2019.
Information Sessions
Information sessions were held in various locations with relatively high concentration s of CSOs throughout in the country. The European Delegation to Ethiopia (EUD) and TAU for CSF-III held the sessions on April 11 2019, in Addis Ababa, April 12 in Mekelle and Bahir Dar, April 15 in Assossa and Gambella, April 17 in Dire Dawa and Hawassa, and April 18 in Semera.
The objectives of the Information Sessions were:
- To introduce potential applicants to the CfP, in particular, its Guidelines
- To outline the overall application and evaluation process
- To provide advice on how to prepare the Concept Note
- To introduce the Logical Framework Approach and other relevant PCM tools
- To advise on where to find additional information and technical resources.
The TAU conducted the information sessions in line with the planned schedule (Annex I). The two TAU teams, Andrew Neill and Mesfin Degaga in TAU-I and Beruk Kabtamu and Yinebeb Girma in TAU-II, were also joined by Mulugeta Tassew in the Addis Ababa, Mekele and Dire Dawa sessions, along with Melete Gebre Giorgis in the Addis Ababa session, both from the EUD. In addition to making introductory remarks, Mulugeta Tassew’s presence in Mekele and Dire Dawa contributed in responding to questions raised by participants in these locations. Each member of the TAU team participated in the presentations which were made in two parts: Procedures to follow (45 minutes) and Preparation and submission of the Concept Notes (30 minutes). Once presentations are made, there was a Q&A session taking, depending on the number of participants and their questions, from 45 to 90 minutes.
The CSOs in different locations came to the sessions in response to the invitation indicated in the publishing of the Call, and the facilitation support of the CSOs in the regions that helped with coordination and logistics.
Results
The TAU concludes that the objectives of the sessions have been achieved, based on the analysis of the evaluations and reactions by the participants.
- The CSOs have been introduced to the Call for Proposals, with emphasis on its guidelines. Detailed presentations and explanations were given on the main contents of the guidelines.
- The participants were taken through the overall application & evaluation process. Clarifications were given based on the participants’ questions.
- Potential applicants were given guidance on how to prepare and submit competitive Concept Notes with an explanation on basic technical and procedural steps to consider in preparing their Concept Notes. They were introduced to the Logical Framework Approach and other relevant PCM tools.
- Clear guidance on where to find additional information and technical resources during the application process was given.
