Search Results for: "The Citizens Foundation"

Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Education Sector Programme

To improve primary and secondary education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by providing up to £283.2million in technical assistance, financial aid and infrastructure which aims to benefit all primary and lower secondary children in the province by 2020.This programme targets primary enrolment specifically girl child enrolment and female literacy which contributes towards Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 5. The programme is directly supporting 257,808 children to gain quality education.

Deepening Democracy in Nigeria 2 (DDIN2)

To strengthen the democratic character of Nigerian political processes and outcomes by providing support to key electoral bodies, other relevant arms of government (such as the Legistaure) and civil society organisations. Credible elections, an efficient legislature and the scrutiny of government performance by an informed society will motivate government to perform better and be more responsive to the needs of citizens.

Accountability in Tanzania Programme (AcT2)

Accountability in Tanzania Phase Two (AcT2) Programme is a five year £38m, innovative and exciting programme whose purpose is to increase the responsiveness and accountability of Government in Tanzania, through a strengthened civil society. AcT2 seeks to support civil society organisations (CSOs) to implement context-specific strategic interventions that will enable them to influence positive change in the attitudes and behaviour of citizens, civil society and government, making government as a whole more responsive and accountable. The second phase started in February 2018 and will end in December 2022. The programme funds mid-to-large sized Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and is managed by KPMG Advisory Limited in Tanzania. The programme works with CSO partners supporting Tanzanian citizens to engage with and hold their government to account. This is crucial to fostering a well-functioning state that acts in the best interests of its people - in tackling corruption, efficient spending of public resources and delivering effective public services. The Tanzanian President has made anti-corruption his top priority. AcT2 partners seeks to deploy different tools and resources to equip citizens to challenge corruption rather than accept it. AcT2 programme underlines the need to bolster groups that can continue to champion pluralism, articulate the demands of citizens, and engage in constructive debate and negotiation with government. As an integrated and cohesive civil society offer, AcT2 enables DFID to deliver greater impact from our wider portfolio priorities in human development and sustainable growth teams and promoting democratic space. It will do this through focusing on governance blockages in these areas, with a focus on promoting accountability and social inclusion, especially focusing on gender, disability and youth/elderly groups. The programme has ambition to deploy different innovative approaches including policy research, advocacy, dialogue, experimentation, and brokering, and it will work with civil society, private sector actors, elected officials and faith-based groups. The four thematic priorities for the programme includes: • Civic Space (sector policy dialogues, media, voice, CS advocacy, human rights) • Social Inclusion (disability, women, girls and youth/elderly) • Anti-Corruption • Climate Change

Programme for Democratic Change

To ensure that citizens, especially women, are more strongly represented in Burma's democratic processes and government is more accountable to its citizens. This will be achieved by: improving electoral processes and integrity in Burma; working to enable better functioning parliaments at Union and sub-national level; building a more transparent, inclusive and responsive civil service; ensuring that justice institutions are more transparent and responsive; and, working towards improving national planning capacity and donor coordination.

AAWAZ Voice and Accountability Programme

AAWAZ project falls within the Voice and Accountability framework of DFID. DAI won the Aawaz bid as the Management Organisation (MO) in collaboration with six core partner organisations belonging to Pakistani civil society as well as a Pakistani and a British think tank. AAWAZ program aims to strengthen the accountability of the Pakistani State to its citizens. The programme has three distinct components: (a) Gender: focusing on enhanced political participation of women and their participation in larger public life without fear of any gender-based violence; (b) Conflict Resolution: by striving to attain social harmony within and across communities through addressing tribal, familial, sectarian, ethnic, faith-based or any other kinds of conflicts; (c) Citizens Engagement: in order to achieve better public service delivery by promoting active and informed participation of citizens and their organized groups, particularly in the areas of health and education at the basic level. The fourth and overarching component is Policy, Advocacy, Research and Results (PARR) facility to synthesise information and findings from Aawaz and to build robust evidence base around community voice and empowerment, social change, policy influence and government reform.

Kenya Devolution Support Programme

The Kenyan Constitution, adopted by referendum in 2010, introduced far reaching devolution to 47 newly-established counties. Hopes are high that devolution will improve accountability and service delivery and contribute to poverty reduction. The purpose of this programme is to build and improve public services for Kenyan citizens, particularly focusing at the county level where poverty exists and where public service delivery is poor. The programme will improve the ability of county governments to better plan, deliver and monitor the delivery of public services. This includes working with county governments to strengthen public financial management systems (e.g. improving accounting, audit and procurement systems) to ensure that public money is effectively spent and can be accounted for. It also includes a focus on critical services for example health. The programme will help county governments to improve planning and allocation of budgets for different sectors.

Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn- Engaged Citizens Pillar

The Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL) is working to support Nigerian governments to become demonstrably better at prioritizing, planning, resourcing, delivering, tracking and accounting for the delivery of public goods and services that respond to the needs of citizens, who are themselves actively engaged in ensuring these. The Engaged Citizens Pillar effectively engages citizens to bring about improvements in service delivery and poverty outcomes by working to ensure that constituencies become increasingly effective at influencing governments on selected service delivery and policy issues for the benefit of a greater number of Nigerians.

Supporting the 2015 – 2016 Electoral Process in the Democratic Republic of Congo

“To empower citizens to demand greater electoral accountability and transparency, this will benefit the people of DRC and will contribute to more transparent and credible general elections through better knowledge of electoral laws and observation of the electoral process

Strengthening Political Participation phase 2

To strengthen locally led election observation and support civil society to demand more accountable politics. It will fund NGOs to reduce political violence and manage peaceful cross-party debate on issues of concern to Bangladeshi citizens - this will include support to local efforts in civic education and representation of women and young people in political institutions. Political parties will receive non-partisan training in the use of evidence in policy-making. An FCO managed fund will strengthen democratic governance in Bangladesh, including support to human rights defenders, independent media and civil society. A DFID managed strategic fund will allow flexible response to emerging priorities prior to 2019 elections in Bangladesh.

Sindh Education Non-State Actors (SENSA) Programme

The Sindh Education Non-State Actors programme (SENSA) will fund a full cycle of primary education for 53,614 (59% girls, 41% boys) of the poorest children in Sindh.This will make a dramatic difference to the lives of 53,614 of the most marginalised, poorest and disadvantaged children in Sindh. SENSA will help educate 2.1% of the total number of out-of-school girls in Sindh and provide hope and opportunity for their families and communities

Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL) - Learning, Evidencing and Advocacy Partnership (LEAP)

Nigeria’s ability to deliver shared growth and poverty reduction, and to tackle problems of insecurity and falling oil prices depends to a large extent on the performance of its public sector and the accountability of government towards citizens. However, they are undermined by a deeply-embedded set of problems that are rooted in Nigeria’s institutions and political economy. PERL has been designed by DFID Nigeria to tackle these problems in an integrated manner through three Pillars. One of the critical problems, which is the focus of the third Pillar, is the weakness of evidence on what is required to deliver public sector reform (PSR) and accountability. Although the broad parameters of Nigeria’s political economy problems are well understood, there is insufficient evidence on what is required to deliver PSR and strengthen public accountability. ICF is providing services to strengthen processes of learning on what works and what does not work in delivering PSR, using these lessons as part of a broader strategy to influence political leaders and national debate on the steps Nigeria would need to take to promote reform. LEAP works to strengthen the evidence base for reform by creating demand for, generating and encouraging the use of evidence to inform discussion and decision-making on public sector reform.

Addressing political corruption and strengthening civic engagement in electoral processes in Ukraine

The 'Electoral and Legal Enhancements through Civic Engagement and Technical Assistance' will provide specialised support to electoral stakeholders in Ukraine in preparation for elections planned in 2019. The support provided will strengthen systems to address political corruption, including in party and campaign financing, to increase the accountability of elected representatives to citizens and increase confidence in electoral processes. The project will also deliver technical assistance and training to the electoral commission to increase transparency and preparedness for electoral administration and will work with marginalised and disenfranchised groups to improve their ability to participate openly in electoral processes.

Networking New Opportunities for Artists in East Africa

Networking New Opportunities for Artists in East Africa aims to stimulate and guide new thinking amongst visual art practitioners working in Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, scoping and developing career pathways that will impact positively on their livelihoods. We aim to contribute to building capacity for high quality visual art activity in the creative economy of the East African Community, meeting EAC and international development goals. To achieve this the network aims to develop dialogue and actions related to specific priorities and opportunities identified in a British Council commissioned report (2013). These priorities were confirmed through discussions between the PI and the report's author and face-to-face discussions with stakeholders, network partners and potential participants and beneficiaries. The network aims to stage three events, two in Uganda and one in Kenya in 2018. These will be collaboratively managed with project partners and Co-I organisations 32 Degrees East, Ugandan Arts Trust, an established arts organisation with a track record of delivering such events; the British Academy in Eastern Africa, with significant experience of interdisciplinary work with artists; and the Fine Art department, Makerere University, a long standing provider of fine art higher education in the EAC with graduating 140 students each year. The network aims to interact with partners and stakeholders with the capacity and appetite to engage with new approaches to artists' development. These include The British Council, funder and policy maker with a high profile for supporting arts organisations and artistic exchange across East Africa; grass roots artists' organisation UCASDR, who reach out to artists and artisans working on the ground in deprived city areas; the National Museums - in Kenya, who have worked with contemporary art, often in collaboration with international organisations and Uganda who wish to work with contemporary artists; The African Arts Trust, a charity supporting African art organisations with extensive experience and networks. Whilst some of these organisations already work together, many do not and the network aims to establish sustainable dialogue between all of them. Network events aim to share knowledge across disciplinary and national boundaries and stimulate further sustainable collaborative research. The workshops aim to move understanding of the issues addressed to new levels of focus and development, considering the impacts on artists' careers of opportunities through: - developing a more sophisticated level of critique for art - partnerships and collaborative practice - public-realm projects in non-traditional gallery settings, using digital technology platforms and other innovative modes of production - mentoring, entrepreneurship skills and on-going professional development - new relationships with audiences and potential markets The project aims to deliver six temporary artworks sited in the public realm and created by East African artists (including artists at an early stage in their careers). In the educational context (Makerere) the network aims to explore how research brings benefits and impacts beyond academia, share research expertise and knowledge of curriculum developments, widespread in the UK but absent in East Africa that support young artists' careers. We aim to sustain activities through structured dissemination, using the web, social media and articles, reaching new audiences and beneficiaries and establishing a foundation for further dialogue, exchange and collaboration. By raising awareness and discussion of these issues and by instigating concrete examples of new opportunities for artists, the network aims to promote amongst policy makers and the public, understanding and appreciation of the value of artists and the visual arts within East African society. This will buildcapacity and contribute to meeting the goals set out in policy and legislation.

Deepening democracy in extremely politically fragile countries: networking for historical, cultural and arts research on Parliaments and people

The goal of this project is to create opportunities for scholars in extremely politically fragile states to undertake research on democracy, public engagement and women's political participation. It is designed to support national researchers to be the main protagonists in all aspects of this project: Objective 1: Develop a network of scholars in politically fragile states interested in research on Parliament, public engagement and women's political participation A new Global Research Network of Parliaments and People will be launched by SOAS/Hansard Society/Leeds University, inviting research institutes, universities, NGOs and parliamentary monitoring organisations and individual researchers from around the world to become members. The priority of this network during 2017-2020 will be to support project partners and researchers in Myanmar and Ethiopia, and neighbouring states, to develop national capacity to undertake historical, ethnographic and cultural research on democracy. In preparation for awarding grants, we will offer training, guidance and mentoring with our project partners - Enlightened Myanmar Research Foundation (Yangon) and Forum for Social Studies (Addis Ababa) - and create links between researchers, arts/media/theatre organisations and policy-makers. To encourage humanities research on democracy and dissemination through the arts, and challenge the dominance of political science, we will also hold workshops in the focus countries and in neighbouring extremely politically fragile states. Objective 2: Develop national capacity by awarding grants to undertake historical, ethnographic and cultural research on Parliament, public engagement and women's political participation We will develop a grant-making mechanism with our project partners awarding grants for research on extremely politically fragile states: (a) of £1,000-5,000 to carry out small projects, hold events, write think pieces or develop larger research proposals, (b) of £5,000-30,000 to do medium sized projects, (c) of £30-100k to undertake or disseminate larger-scale research. Preference will be given to Ethiopia and Myanmar for all grants and then secondarily to neighbouring extremely politically fragile states for small and medium grants. The grants will be for undertaking research, disseminating findings but also working with media outlets, artists, theatres or museums to investigate through arts methodologies and/or to amplify their impact. Objective 3: Establish links between network members (especially grantees) and enable them to compare and synthesise findings, create imaginative outputs and influence donor agencies and other policy-makers/stakeholders To support partners and grantees we will: hold annual meetings to review and plan activities; run research workshops to support researchers and facilitate learning between them (both grantees but also other researchers including those working as staff within both Parliaments); support them to synthesise and disseminate findings (including submitting evidence to the UK's International Development Select Committee and other influential bodies); ensure on-going monitoring and evaluation into work-plans to ensure high quality research but also to provide evidence of this so members can secure future financial support; provide mentoring, training and advice on research methods, analysis and writing up; create links with selected experts in art, theatre, museum exhibitions, radio- and film-making when requested; and facilitate meetings between researchers and policy-makers to debate and adopt researchers' recommendations. We will also support network members by developing a website and on-line digital presence; establish an online forum on Facebook for sharing good practices and reflections; offer an on-line based research technical enquiry service, distance support, and webinars on humanities research and dissemination through the arts.

Rethinking waste and the logics of disposability: Compound 13 Lab

Building Out Vector-borne diseases in sub-Saharan Africa: the BOVA Network

This Network aims to lay the foundation for improving the built environment for vector-borne disease control in sub-Saharan Africa through two objectives: (1) Research on interventions. To support the development of products and approaches to improve the built environment at different scales for vector-borne disease control, including better understanding of the transmission ecology in and around the home and assessing the effectiveness, acceptability, cost and cost effectiveness, feasibility and safety of changes. (2) Building pathways for scaling-up. Explore and recommend mechanisms for building a sustainable pathway for fast-tracking improvements to the built environment in sub-Saharan Africa.

REhabilitation of Vibrio Infested waters of VembanAd Lake: pollution and solution (REVIVAL)

REVIVAL is a project addressing the water quality in Vembanad Lake , the largest water body in Kerala, draining 40% of its surface area and holding 30% of its surface water resource. Some 1.6 million people live around its shores. Its fishing and farming communities follow traditional ways of life; it is a cultural icon of India. Tourism there contributes strongly to state and central revenues. But Vembanad is highly polluted. The inhabitants are not assured of access to water that is safe for drinking and bathing. In this proposal, we will study the risk to public health from biological pollution in the lake. We will examine how pollution affects health, and how it might lower performance in the workplace, cause loss of revenue, and lower quality of life, threatening orderly and sustainable economic development of the region. Scientists from India and the UK will join forces to study microbiological pollution in the lake to understand the conditions that allow pathogens to proliferate in the lake. They will find the major point sources of biological contamination in the lake. They will ascertain the organisms in the lake with which the pathogens are associated, how pathogens move within the lake, how their number changes with season, how they infect people, and the environmental conditions under which their virulence is expressed. Data will be collected in the field and by instruments carried on satellites in Earth orbit, as well as by instruments mounted on miniature drones, allowing. Detailed and extensive measurements with daily repetition and observations in places that would otherwise be dangerous to reach. Mathematical modelling will help integration and understanding of the observations, suggest actions for remediation of water quality and reduction of risk to public health, and provide a capability to forecast times and localities vulnerable to disease outbreaks. The results will help the team to design a rational protocol for monitoring water quality in the lake after the project is completed and recommend procedures for water quality remediation. Scientists will advise regulators, environmental managers and above all, the local community on policy actions that will help to maintain good water quality into the foreseeable future. Indian and UK scientists will teach young Indian scientists how to use these methods to address similar problems elsewhere. A key activity will be the engagement of stakeholders (local communities, economic interests, civil servants) in the planning, execution, and interpretation of the work and translation of the results into action. There will be public awareness meetings at the outset, building on grass-roots initiatives already under way in the community. The project will have a citizen science component in which members of the community will be supplied with novel but inexpensive, simple but effective equipment to monitor water quality properties (temperature and turbidity). The measurements will increase the spatial coverage and frequency of the observations.. The citizen scientists will be informed about the significance of their results, how they help to understand the dynamics of water quality in the lake (including the dynamics of the epidemics) and how that might be translated into evidence-based action for lake restoration. Improving the water quality in Vembanad Lake will provide a solid foundation for augmentation of public health and welfare, an essential step in improving quality of life and securing a sustainable economic development of Kerala. Involving the general public, as well as economic and administrative interests, will ensure that proposed solutions for lake restoration have a high probability of being implemented, such that economic growth can proceed hand in hand with maintenance of traditional life styles of fishing and farming communities.

Access to services for persons with disabilities

Fundación Red de Sobrevivientes y Personas con Discapacidad (Red de Sobrevivientes) will work with grassroots disability groups and local authorities to create six municipal offices [OMADIS] that maintain a registry of disabled citizens, raise awareness of their needs, advocate for funding for their priorities and advise the respective local government on policy and practices. It will also develop the technical and administrative skills of 20 grassroots disability associations in the departments of La Paz, Cuscatlán, La Libertad and San Salvador. The project should benefit 1,200 Salvadorans directly and another 6,000 indirectly.

Access to services for persons with disabilities

Fundación Red de Sobrevivientes y Personas con Discapacidad (Red de Sobrevivientes) will work with grassroots disability groups and local authorities to create six municipal offices [OMADIS] that maintain a registry of disabled citizens, raise awareness of their needs, advocate for funding for their priorities and advise the respective local government on policy and practices. It will also develop the technical and administrative skills of 20 grassroots disability associations in the departments of La Paz, Cuscatlán, La Libertad and San Salvador. The project should benefit 1,200 Salvadorans directly and another 6,000 indirectly.