Secretary?s War Widows Program

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Secretary?s War Widows Program, Approximately $5,000,000 available. The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) and the Secretary?s Office of Global Women?s Issues (S/GWI) announce a Request for Proposals (RFP) from organizations interested in submitting proposals to address the need for sustainable job creation and expanded access to economic opportunity for widows in Iraq, particularly marginalized widows living in poverty. Per the United States National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, the Department of State recognizes that women?s economic participation is a critical component of stabilization and reconstruction of countries emerging from conflict. The Department is deeply committed to ensuring women are able to participate as equal partners in accessing and unleashing economic opportunity through its programs and diplomatic engagement, recognizing women?s unique role in promoting peace, stability and self-reliance. To address the economic needs of women in Iraq, DRL and S/GWI announce an open competition for assistance from the U.S. Department of State?s Fiscal Year 2011 Economic Support Funds (ESF) from organizations interested in submitting proposals for projects that focus on job creation, expanding access to economic opportunity and economic social protection for widows and female heads of household in Iraq. Organizations should 1) have a demonstrated technical capacity to successfully accomplish economic development initiatives in Iraq; 2) demonstrate how their proposed projects would sustainably provide employment and economic empowerment of women in a manner not duplicative of other prior or currently planned programs in the country; 3) provide measurable outcomes across each activity of the proposed program. Applicants are also highly encouraged to identify local private sector partners and NGOs that specialize in economic development in Iraq for segments of their proposed wor k plan. Projects should support and strengthen project implementation and sustainability through buy-in and partnerships with the Government of Iraq and local communities. Proposals should demonstrate awareness of cultural sensitivities and address initiatives to ensure safety of participants. Proposals that request less than the award floor ($500,000) or more than the award ceiling ($1,000,000) will be deemed technically ineligible.

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