An Example Sample Project Proposal on ‘Early Childhood Development through Capacity Building’

ORGANISATIONAL BACKGROUND

XXXX is a Non-governmental Organization with registration XXXXX  given in 2006 under the Non-governmental Act and is authorized to operate in Tanzania mainland. It is dedicated to the empowerment of marginalized groups in Arusha and the nation of Tanzania.

Vision: XXXXX is a Tanzania with educate and developed citizens.

They aim to build the capacity of communities, especially in XXX and issues pertaining to youth and women’s social and economic development hindrances. They also do work in the areas of policy analysis, lobbying, and advocacy for the needs of marginalized groups in social economic and education.

Currently XX implements a holistic XXX approach in three centers with a hope to expand and reach the community at large in XXXX region. It also undergoes various other activities as well such as providing a nine-month-long training course for individuals to become XXXXX professionals, hosting public dialogues to discuss and raise awareness on child protection and other issues concerning vulnerable children, and actively lobbying the local government to try and make XXXXX a priority in XXXXX  municipalityarea

Capabilities:

• Human Resource and implementing staff:
  • Board Members with 5 Active
  • Implementing team are as Follows:
• Financial Management:
  • Financial regulation is available and effective accounting package will be in place
  •  Competed Auditor from local stakeholder is available
  • Other capital items and financial Management is Available
• Equipment’s current Status:
  • Access of hiring vehicle for transport but for efficiency public transport is also accessed.
  • 2 computers and accessories: 2 desk top and 1 laptop

PROJECT BACKGROUND

The project operation is focused the early child education centers in the overcrowded and unplanned streets of XXXXX and XXXX and XXXX in XXXX Municipal and XXXX districts which are situated in the southern and eastern parts of about 2 to 4 kilometers from the main regional capital city center of XXXXX region.

The area is overcrowded with integration of the overcrowded population of over 700 households in the one street with squeezed space for children to move and play during the day time.

The original center was established in January of 1999 in the Daraja II ward, one of the poorest communities in Arusha. The organization emerged in response xxxx vision was to implement xxx interventions as an approach towards addressing this problem, particularly in communities where the value of education had been given low priority. The first xxx center that was established gave vulnerable families and children the opportunity to succeed in education rather than turning to a life of crime. Due to its success the organization has grown significantly with the opening of two more xxx centers, one in the Themi ward and another in Sokon I ward of the Arusha Municipality.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

The key problem in the XXXXXX and XXXXX district is the prevailing negative impact of the HIV/AIDS orphans and frustrated jobless youths due to the inadequate skill and knowledge in which the informal education to the community is given the low priority in relation with the:

• Early child care and Development as many of them are exposed to the risk and dangerous environment of crime and violence whereby there are the increased number of children without special care from informal marriages and unexpected pregnancies due to the sex working practiced by vulnerable women for income earnings and HIV/AIDS orphan’s impact
• Utilization of the resources and basic business Management skills among micro entrepreneurs especially women heading households hence low productivity and income of supporting their children. Along with this gender discrimination on the resource management is still practiced by 55 % of the community and this has been the one obstacle of economic improvement in the society

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

• This is a capacity building of two (2) years project in terms of the following:
  • Informal trainings in terms of Seminars, workshops and conferences for the community represented by the pilot groups and the grassroot committees.
  • Formal trainings in terms of full-time courses for ongoing day careers and nursery school teachers
  • Formal trainings in terms of both full and part time courses for a community facilitator and Information Technology person.

The approach is very innovative in targeting the group since we believe that it is the earlier team to be introduced and improved with the skills/knowledge and technology in order to improve the identified weak capabilities in the area of the basic management skills, Early Child Care and development as well as Information and Computer Technology (ICT) for the community we work with. The specific area of this project operation is currently in XXXXX region and they will be conducted within the local country – Tanzania. In order to cultivate this willingness, the designed training/courses approaches are:

Formal and full-time course in: –

• • Management and Administration for one year – Higher diploma which is the degree equivalent for 1 person –woman (community trainer), to equip her with the resource management and other business management and Administration skill for empowering micro entrepreneurs. The course cost is for refunding as already completed in terms loan
  • Early child Montessori and teaching methodologies for 2 Person for one and two years – Certificate and degree level for enhancing the existing children education for the existing and prospective centers

 Informal and part-time and on the job training/ course: for the new prospective in

• Food-vegetable/Fruits techniques preservation and drying for a continuous availability of the perishable food products. This will be for the1person who is a community trainer
• Information and Computer Technology (ICT) as it is powerful enabling tool, that can support critical thinking and other developmental skills for 1 person who in this project is a project manager

New start up Courses:

Teaching

ICT: It is a 3 years course in which the third-year course fee will be paid          collectively in the second year i.e. 2^nd year fee + 3rd year

Food: Vegetable& fruits preservation/drying

The community day care/Nursery school centers will be used as pilot fields for further learning. The short-term relief for the neediest children in terms of school feeding and other school requirements support will be made within the initial stage of this project implementation

TARGET GROUP- BENEFICIARIES

• The target group are the direct practitioners and vulnerable community members doing subsistence business whom the majority are women and youth in the form of groups piloting on behalf of the whole community in the streets of Daraja mbili, Sokon One and Themi in Arusha municipal and 3 villages of Tengeru, Usa river and Kikatiti in Arumeru district.

OVERALL OBJECTIVES

• Improve the community capacities on the early childhood care and development strategies and the basic resources and Business Management with market access skills for their self-employment to sustainable support of their children/families.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES, ACTIVITIES AND OUTPUT

• To create awareness of the 6 villages of Arusha and Arumeru community and key stakeholders on the project.
  • Output 1: The 6 villages community and about 6 stakeholders of Arusha municipality and Meru districts are mobilized and 6 pilot groups, 2 grassroots committees are formed and aware of the negative impact of the inadequate childhood care, income and improvement through the designed project

ACTIVITIES

• To introduce the project implementation to the community and local government leaders
• Conduct baseline and reporting
• Sensitize/Mobilize the community and form the pilot and working groups as well as grassroots monitoring committees
• Signing memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Donor
• Procurement of Capital working Assets
• Identify learning institutions/enrolment/fee payment

To equip 6 Groups of poor households’ members from the 6 selected villages at Arusha municipality and Arumeru district on the Early Childhood Care and Development

Output The 6 pilot Groups of poor households and stakeholders’ representatives from the 6 selected villages are trained and aware of the project management participation and positive parental child care-giving and development at early age

• ACTIVITY
• Organize and conduct trainings/workshops and seminars for the pilot group and grassroots committee members

To organize and conduct trainings for the technical teachers/day carers, ITC and community facilitators/trainer

• Output 3 2-day careers, 2 nursery school teachers, 1 ITC with have the improved the skills and techniques on the positive care-giving and develop models of good practice in caring and developing for small children, Information Technologies (IT) as well as available resources proper utilization, market accessibility, the resources and business management for the community

ACTIVITY

• • Attend and conduct trainings/courses for implementing teachers/day careers, IT person and the community facilitator/trainer

Support efforts to equip the community through the pilot groups and the grassroot committees on the skills of the resource’s utilization and the basic Management

Output 4:  The 6 pilot groups community and 2 grassroot committees’ members in 6 village of Arusha municipality and Arumeru district are trained and aware and aware of the proper resources utilization and business/Income generating Activities Management with marketing skills

ACTIVITIES

• • Organize and conduct trainings/workshops on the identification of the available capacities/resources and sources of capital
  • Conduct workshops/seminars on the market access before production
  • Conduct workshop on the identification/creation/venture of the marketable business/Income Generating Activities environmental friend management skill

To mainstream the cross-cutting issues of convincing the 4 village communities to change their way of life towards HIV/AIDS control, Gender relations

Output 5:  6 pilot groups and from the selected 3 streets of Arusha municipality and 3 villages of Arumeru district change their way of life towards HIV/AIDS, Gender issue

ACTIVITIES

• • Conduct trainings/workshops on HIV/AIDS control
  • Conduct trainings/workshops on the Gender equality and human rights

IMPLEMENTATION APPROACH/STRATEGY      

PROJECT IMPLEMENTING APPROACH

The human resources will be employed with the support of the relevant tools/equipment/Materials and machines which will be allocated in the following levels:

• • Village level: – Grass root committees at each district operation area on behalf of the community in designing, monitoring and implementation
  • Organizational level:
    • 1 Project administrator to manage and coordinate the whole project implementation
    • Community Facilitator
    • Project Accountant/Financial Officer
    • The executive director for monitoring
  • Outsourced/External facilitators: local stakeholders

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

• • To network with other local partners like CBOs, NGOs and community institutions like schools/colleges and Health centers
  • The whole implementation process will be in the community participatory approach in which the community members themselves are key implementers through their selected pilot groups grassroots committees
  • The pilot activity will be implemented in the form of groups from vulnerable members
  • The direct support of actual community implementers with raw – food i.e. Food for Work
  • To equip and update project implementing team and the grassroots committees with relevant skills for effective for efficient quality service
  • Lobbying for further project strengthening and implementatio

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

• • Together with project staff the project committee is participated in budgeting, grant receipt and spending process control
  • Financial regulations will be in place and the experienced Accountant to be hired for daily transactions and reporting
  • The project will be providing the quarterly plan and financial request to all relevant level of stakeholders
  • Upon the completion of the activities the project will provide liquidation/expenditure and activity report in the modality which will have been developed with the donor.

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

The project will develop annual plan and its implementation will be on quarterly basis depends on the arrangement of the activities as in Implementation plan

TIME FRAME

The initiative is a two (2) years project commencing 1^st January, 2012 subject to the availability of the grant both in kind and currency.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

The schedule and plan will be made and carried out in the following ways:

• • Resources Control and Management Regulations is to be reviewed and reconstructed for accounting accordingly
  • Immediate monitoring by grassroots committees by site visit and report
  • Regular monitoring by the head executives and project staff through site visit and implementation report. They document the activities implemented, share experience and lessons learnt with other development partners through, quarterly planning meetings of various implementing partners, and other stakeholders from the working areas in various occasions.
  • Project implementation pre evaluation by local stakeholders i.e NGOS and CBOs in Networking
  • Auditing: Resources management and control auditing after 2 first quarters. The spot check is necessary any time in case of fraud suspect. annually
  • Mid and final evaluation by external partners/outsourced specialists

GRANT REQUIREMENT AND FINANCIAL PLAN

Grant type: In kind i.e. Food –raw food which will be provided to community while in training

• • Currencies for another project operation

Financial requirements: the project will be implemented within the cost for the following: –

• • Institutional/organizational support
    • Support staff cost
    • Administration cost
    • Monitoring and outsourcing staff
  • Capital Item and assets & Equipment for operation are:
    • Computers: one desktops computer & accessories,
    • 2 motorcycles i.e 1 in each 2 villages
    • 1 vehicle land cruiser to be hired
    • Land & Building maintenances to be hired at community level
  • Project operational including training and workshops
    • Project Staff Cost
    • Capacity Building including training material for water harvesting pots/containers and facilitation fee

SOURCE OF FUNDING

• • Donors:
  • External
  • Community contribution: Both in Kind/material
  • The community contribution can be in Kind in terms of Material and labor but will be accounted in money value
  • It will be prepared prior each activity implementation session

Will be Both in Kind – available material and currency and will be accounted in currency value of 15% which will be prepared prior each activity session

The budget will be reviewed annually by grassroots committee on behalf of the community in collaboration with the project implementing team.