A call for Projects for Women!

The International Organization of La Francophonie is launching its “La Francophonie avec elle” fund, intended to help women in vulnerable situations. She calls on non-profit organizations to submit funded projects to her.

We now know more about the “La Francophonie avec elle” fund, the principle of which was unveiled at the recent general assembly of the International Organization of La Francophonie. The OIF is launching a call for projects which it will finance.

The general objective of the Fund is to support actions in the field. Which should allow women and girls in vulnerable situations in the French-speaking space to access economic development, education, health, citizenship and training, with a view to increased resilience.

It aims to finance concrete actions carried out by recognized players in the French-speaking world, particularly in Africa and the Caribbean. Concrete and diverse, since the OIF evokes pell-mell the support of women working in the informal sector to meet their essential and priority needs and those of their families, entrepreneurial assistance, or assistance to activities “doing a relevant use of digital technology”. Not to mention the training allowing women to join the formal sector.

On the other hand, the Fund will finance initiatives aimed at informing women and offering them a platform for expression, in particular on health issues. It will support women in their education and vocational training and in the schooling of their children, in particular the education of girls, by relying on the relevant use of digital technologies.

The grants will be awarded to the selected actors, after submission of their projects in the context of calls for projects designed and launched by the OIF. All supported field actions should be based on the principles developed by the OIF in the area of ​​gender equality and therefore closely involve women in vulnerable situations in the proposed activities.

Very specific conditions!

In order to increase the effectiveness and ownership of the actions and activities supported, the beneficiaries must actively participate in their own development, be encouraged in particular to be a force of proposals, and commit to devote the additional resources generated by their support and their training in the schooling of their children, in particular their daughters.

The funded projects must be led by recognized non-profit organizations and meet various specific conditions. Be headquartered in an OIF member country, have been registered for at least two years in their country, have recent up-to-date activity reports, have a team and governance, etc.

Of course, the applicant organizations will have to prove their capacity to manage a budget corresponding to their project.

In addition to the elements raised, project activities must generate income and be accompanied by short-term training. They must contribute to the achievement of at least one United Nations sustainable development objective. No subsidy will be granted to a project already in progress.

Results in October!

For the sake of inclusion and in accordance with the “Leave no one behind” principle, adopted by the United Nations in the 2030 agenda, special attention will be paid to projects targeting the most vulnerable women, in particular those with disabilities, or at the head of single-parent families.

Now launched, the call for projects will be closed on August 28, 2020. The results will be known in October. The projects will be supported for a financial allocation for an amount ranging from 15,000 to 80,000 euros (9.8 to 52.5 million CFA francs). The funding provided by the OIF may not represent more than 80% of the total amount of the proposed project.

Women are a major lever for crisis mitigation, through their constant commitment to their families and their relevant response to their essential needs, explains the brochure presenting the call for projects.

As solidarity and the improvement of the condition of women, in particular their access to economic autonomy, being at the heart of its objectives, the OIF “wishes to mobilize its forces, both human and financial, as quickly as possible in the service of concrete actions to support these women in vulnerable situations”.

Reference: https://www.francophonie.org/