sample bridge of hope educational support project proposal

BRIDGE OF HOPE FOUNDATION-BRIDGING THE GAP THROUGH HOLISTIC SOLUTIONS

Bridge of Hope Foundation Project Proposal FOR Educational Support of Orphaned and Vulnerable Children

1. General Information

1.1. Name of the Organization: Bridge of Hope Foundation1.2. Project Title: The Bridge Educational Support Programme1.3. Sector/Type of Project: Orphaned and Other Vulnerable Children(OVC) 1.4. Activities Geographical Location: (Zimbabwe, Harare Province-Mabvuku, Tafara, Eastville

and Epworth district) and Manicaland Province Macheke/Rusape district)

1.5. Duration of Requested Support: (40 months i.e. 36 months for implementation and 4 months post project evaluation)

1.6. Starting Date proposed: (1April/2015)

1.7. Ending Date planned: (30/July/2018)

1.8. Total Requested from – US$1 033 950.00(US$599 250-as direct assistance to the target group, US114 610 for operational expenses relating to equipment and US$270 000 to cover staffing costs during the duration of the project)

1.9. Legal Status of the Organization: Private Voluntary Organisation in the process of registration)

1.10. Stakeholders: (Child Protection Committees, District of Social Welfare Offices, Community Faith Based Organisations)

1.11. Project Submission Date:

2. Project Summary

The Project aims to assist a total 2000 OVCs across 5 districts. Of these, 500 will be given school fees for three years (250 at primary school level($26250 a year) and 250 at secondary school(receiving US40500 per year) respectively) and educational support covering uniforms($10 000 for primary scholars and $20000 for secondary scholars in three years) and stationery(worth a total $6000 a year for the 500 children in both secondary and primary school) for 3 years or 36 months US$48000 in total for the duration of three years while the other 1500 will receive assistance to do with exam fees at the rate of 500 scholars per year to the tune of US$40000 per year for three years while 5 schools will also receive assistance in educational materials to the tune of US$10000 per year to enhance learning every year from the targeted areas for three years. Hence the total cost of US$599 200 direct interventions cost requested.

3. Background of the Project

3.1. Introduction:

In this section, provide a general description of the area(s) of implementation, describing geographic, demographic, economic, social and cultural aspects, gender dimension, as well as other relevant antecedents that will explain why this project is necessary.

Provide a brief history of the organization’s presence in the country, general intervention strategy and current activities. Mention, if relevant, other programmes implemented in the same area of operation.

Bridge of Hope Foundation was formed in January 2015 by a group of professionals and social activitisits working in the community of Mabvuku who decided to come together and form an organisation that would fill the gap they noted in existing service delivery by state and none state players. The gap was seen to negatively impact orphaned and other children the most in particular as well as persons living with disability and the ever-increasing hordes of unemployed households. The massive de-industrialization of the economy and the subsequent lack of gainfully employment, informalisation of the economy as well as the HIV/AIDS debacle have left trails of vulnerable communities and individuals grappling to cope with the daily tasks of survival moreso with the issue of affording the children a decent education and other basic services. This thus led to Bridge of Hope Foundation coming up with thematic areas of intervention

The above milieu has not only affected the urbanite but also the rural folk due to a break in the usual supply chain of remittances that flowed between urban and rural households

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through extended family links. Thus education has become undercapitilised as have been other social sector services like health and general social welfare given that the government’s fiscus is at an all time low.

3.2. Statement of the Problem/ Justification for Intervention:

Reason that justify partner’s intervention and support therefore. Describe main problems identified, their magnitude, prevalence and socio-economic impact in the operational area and how the intervention proposed could address the problems identified. Please clearly spell out the specific role/contribution educational assistance will make to achieve the overall project goals.

The problem is the increasing number of vulnerable children who are not attending school due to the general economic hardships being experienced within Zimbabwe owing to the shrinkage of the country’s economic base. This has seen the usual support systems that mitigate the needs of orphaned and vulnerable children failing to cope from the pressures of the ever burgeoning number of OVC owing to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. To that end according to Felsman (2004) in the “Journal of Social Development in Africa”, though in 2003 Zimbabwe reported a decline in the HIV prevalence from 24% to 21% as a result of the concerted efforts of government, UN agencies and the NGO fraternity-, still the cumulative effects of early infection and morbidity is still resulting in huge numbers of children being orphaned. Thus Zimbabwe, though it has made commendable progress in reducing the prevalence rate of HIV, yet still the after-shocks are still being felt vis-à-vis the phenomenal growth in the number of children considered to have been orphaned by the pandemic (980 000 of 1.3 million).

To compound the above scenario it is well documented that of 14 most hard hit countries hit by the HIV pandemic (Felsman: ibid), Zimbabwe receives the lowest per capita help from donors of US$ 4 as compared to the others getting aid to the tune of $78 per capita. Thus while something is being done to ameliorate the situation of orphaned and vulnerable children in terms of access to basic necessities and services like education through NAP/ BEAM and other means in Zimbabwe yet still a huge gap exists and the current socio-economic-cum-political crisis in the country has seen shrinkage of these traditional fall backs hence the Bridge of Hope Foundation is proposing to do exactly what its name implies….. bridging the gag for those children who are faced with the unpleasant prospect of growing up without an education or at best doing with a partial education because their carers cannot afford keeping them at school.


Bridge of Hope Foundation is a results oriented organisation with close links to the communities it wishes to serve through the proposed Bridge Of Hope Educational support programme. Its link stem from the fact that the organisation has its roots from the very communities it operates in that the people fronting it where born and bred from within the locality. Hence their roots are such that they have intimate knowledge of life in the areas, the interventions that characterize them and more importantly a long time involvement with work in bettering these communities through other like-minded organisations. The other strength to note is that the Bridge of Hope Foundation is driven by professionals with a long history of professional experience in the line of education, community work as well as child rights programming.

4. Project Description

4.1. IMPACT (General Objective/Goal):

Indicate by beneficiary category the overall objective(s) that the operation aims at achieving. The description of this objective(s) to be accompanied by indicators, sources of verification and assumptions.The primary goal for the proposed project includes reducing the number of children from disadvantaged backgrounds who do not have access to education.

A subsidiary goal would be to economically empower children from challenging backgrounds by broadening their career choices.

4.2. OUTCOME(S) (Specific Objectives/Purpose):

The number of children from disadvantaged backgrounds that manage to sit for their Ordinary Level and the number of Children that come from disadvantaged backgrounds that manage to attain Advanced level of education should increase as compared to the pre-intervention era.

Early leaving of school (drop-outs) should reduce as a result of this proposed programme for educational support.


Targeted schools should report increased enrolment, attendance as well as achievement both as direct and indirect consequence of assistance to previously marginalized children as well as supply of learning resources to poorly resourced schools.

4.3. OUTPUTS (Results)

The Bridge of Hope Foundation through this proposed educational support programme intends to send a total 500 orphaned and vulnerable children to school over a period of three years.

The proposed project also seeks to pay exam fees for 1500 Orphaned and Vulnerable Children from the 5 intervention areas/districts. Further, the organisation seeks to supply 1000 sets of uniforms for 500 children in need as well as distribute 15000 exercise books and 15000 counter books to 500 orphaned and vulnerable children over a three year period. Lastly the Bridge of Hope’s Educational Support programme seeks to distribute books worth $150000 over a period of three years to 8 primary schools and 7 secondary schools.

Concern will be on timeliness, quantity and quality of procurement as well distribution of educational materials. There will also be concern on effectiveness in terms of targeting the right beneficiaries and the transparency with which recruitment into the programme occurs.Further to that the programme will be expected to empower previously disempowered families and children. In that respect the number of disadvantaged children as set out in the selection criteria will be a key indicator.

4. Beneficiaries:

4.4.1. BENEFICIARIES – BY TYPE TYPE OF ASSISTANCE

PRIMARY LEVEL

SECONDARY LEVEL

DURATION OF SUPPORT(MAX)

TOTAL BENEFICIARIES

SCHOOL FEES 250 250 3 YEARS 500STATIONERY 250 250 3 YEARS 500


SCHOOL UNIFORMS

250 250 TWICE DURING 3YEAR PERIOD

500

EDUCATIONAL BLOCK GRANTS

8 7 5 SCHOOLS PER YEAR

15 SCHOOLS

EXAM FEES 1500 3 YEARS 1500GRAND TOTAL BENEFICIARIES

2000 PRIMARY AND SECONDARY LEVEL OVC

4.4.2. Selection CriteriaThe following socio-economic criteria of vulnerability will be considered for admittance into the Bridge Educational Support Programme:

Children who have lost both parents and have no means of self-support(double orphaned/Child Headed families)

Children from single parent households whose caregivers are facing challenges in supporting the educational needs of their children(Single Orphaned children with the caregiver/household head being female )

Children from households affected by chronic illness and/or HIV/AIDS such that the caregivers lack the means to afford them or maintain them in school.

Children whose caregiver or household head is incapacitated by disability from being able to send them to school

Children in the care of elderly parents/caregivers and have no or little resource (pension/remittance) to afford sending child to school.

Children whose carers and or parents are incapacitated by poverty and or unemployment such that they cannot within reason be expected to afford schooling for their child.

4.4.3. Discharge Criteria and/or referral mechanismsBeneficiaries will be discharged using the following criteria:

Completion of secondary education(Ordinary level or Advanced level) Migration beyond Zimbabwe’s borders and the project areas. Improvement in the socio-economic status of the child/young person’s caregivers

such that they are now able to afford meeting the educational expenses(school, fees, stationery, uniforms or exam fees as the case may apply)


The replenishment of BEAM support and other social protection by government such that the child or targeted beneficiary is able to access this support.

Failure by The Bridge of Hope Foundation to secure the necessary support from potential donors thus rendering the educational support programme unfeasible.


4.5. Main Components and Activities:

4.5.1. Activities – overall for the project

MONTH 2 4 6 8 10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

30

32

34

36

38

40

Sourcing FundingCollecting Baseline informationCommunity AwarenessSelection and ScreeningRegistrationPaying school feesPaying Exam feesBuying stationeryBuying school uniformsProcuring books for


the 8 Primary SchoolsProcuring books for the 7 Secondary schoolsPresenting the books to the schoolCollecting Monitoring DataEvaluation

4.5.2. ACTIVITIES – SPECIFIC TO THE EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT.

Community AwarenessSelection and ScreeningRegistrationPaying school feesPaying Exam feesBuying stationeryBuying school uniforms


Procuring books for the 8 Primary SchoolsProcuring books for the 7 Secondary schoolsPresenting the books to the schoolCollecting Monitoring DataEvaluation

The project will be rolled out as encapsulated in the Gantt chart above.

4.6. Implementation procedure:

How the operation will be implemented? Please describe Targeting and Distribution modalities (type of distribution mechanism, location of distributions, frequency, ration), logistical arrangements, Monitoring and Evaluation and reporting steps, modalities and links to other programmes. Please specify the modalities of caseload review (criteria, frequency, verification and referral systems, etc.).

4.7. Project Schedule/Timeframe:

Please provide project implementation schedule, detailing all and per activity/component.

4.8. Monitoring and Evaluation:


The Bridge of Hope will institute monthly and quarterly as well as yearly reporting on key indicators for its proposed intervention on education assistance for Orphaned and Vulnerable children in line with best practice the world over. Further, there will be end of project reporting focusing on lessons learnt, challenges as well as success stories with a view to informing future interventions. Monitoring and evaluation will be integral to the proposed project from start to finish in a bid to learn from the project as well as to correct noted anomalies during the lifespan of the project. An M&E officer will be employed as a core team member of the project and will be charged with developing monitoring and evaluation tools including coming up with the M&E plan and conducting or overseeing the M&E function for the duration of the project.

4.9. Risks and Assumptions:

4.9.1. External factors:Key assumptions underlying the proposed programme intervention are that education is a vehicle through which children from orphaned and vulnerable backgrounds can be empowered socially and economically. It is also assumed that donors will be both willing and forthcoming to fund the proposed intervention.

4.9.2. Security: Zimbabwe is a generally peaceful country and there are no notable security threats or active armed conflicts that could derail the said programme during the implementation period except the normal ones found in any locality in the world which can be anticipated.

4.9.3.Mainstreaming:

The Bridge of Hope Foundation is an equal opportunity organisation and as such it firmly believes in equal opportunity to girl children as much as to the boy children. This is more in sight of the fact that where resources are scarce it’s usually the girl child who bears the brunt of the cost of adjustment and budget streamlining at household level. Wherever possible the organisation will try and encourage fuller participation of the girl children in its programmes. This is in light of the fact that population statistics generally show a 51% to 49% ratio of females to males. As such, within all practicalities the Bridge of Hope Foundation Zimbabwe will seek to ensure equity in the said programme as a matter of policy in view of what is socially just.


The organisation also acknowledges the fact that disability also includes social constructs which may further impede persons affected by it from realising their full potential. Thus Bridge of Hope undertakes to ensure in line with its constitution and mission to help those living with disability to access resources and opportunities commensurate with their needs and abilities without prejudice hence it is part of the selection criteria for children having disability and those whose parent or caregiver is incapacitated by disability to be given preference to benefit in the educational support programme.

5. Coordination with stakeholders

Bridge of Hope Foundation is currently pursuing registration with the registrar of welfare organisations as stipulated by the PVO Act. The organisation which is still in its infancy having just started to operate in the month of January 2015 is working flat out to comply with relevant legislation. Given that the organisation is dealing with issues relating to children’s welfare it co-operates directly with the Department of Social Welfare, Local Municipalities, the Ministry of Education at district level Community based organisations like Churches as well as with the District Aids Co-ordinating Committees which co-ordinate the interventions related to the HIV/AIDS pandemic and OVC issues. Further to that the organisation co-operates with children’s protection committees at village, ward, district and provincial level in an effort to ensure a co-ordinated approach to assistance targeting vulnerable children and orphaned children. 6. Exit Strategy

Subject to improvements in the local and the national economy the Bridge of Hope Foundation will expect families and community support systems to gradually recover and be able to take care of the targeted children’s educational needs as is usually expected. The organisation will refer needy children to the government’s social responsibility programmes ran by the departments of Social Welfare and Education such as BEAM should it happen that they recover sufficiently to take care of the caseload under the Bridge Of Hope Foundation.


7. Budget & Resources Required

7.1. Total Budget of the Operation: 1033950 (see attached itemized excel spreadsheet.

7.2. Contribution requested from ECONET WIRELESS ZIMBABWE: 100 %( $1033950)

7.3. Human Resources: $ 270000During the lifespan of the project (40 months) there will be a total of 6 members of staff that will be employed. These include a Project co-ordinator, an accountant, an office manager, an education specialist, an M&E Officer and a driver-cum-messenger. All six will be full-time and hence they will derive their income through implementing the proposed project hence the rather high ratio of human resources cost to the total project expenditure at 26.11%.

7.4. Material Resources: $ 599250These include the actual resources accruing to the clients in the form of school fees, exam fees, uniforms, stationery and block grants to selected schools for the 36 month period the project will run

7.5. Logistical Resources: $164700This includes purchase of vehicles comprising a bakkie- pickup, a sedan and a motorbike to conduct the organisation’s business during the programme’s lifespan of 40 months.

8. Organization’s Information

8.1. Organization’s official name, address, phone/fax no The organisation’s headquarters and address will be at No. 5 Bonga Street New Mabvuku Harare, Zimbabwe. The organisation’s postal address shall be NO.5 Bonga Street New Mabvuku, Harare, Zimbabwe.

8.2 The organisation’s principal Contact numbers

1) 00263783473556(Chairperson), 2) 00263772859519(Vice Chairperson),3) 00263772970946(Treasurer) and,


4) 00263772752310(Secretary).

8.3. Programme contact person, telephone number and e-mail address:

For purposes of this request for funding the contact persons are:

1. The Director of Operations: Mr. S. R. MARAZE (Bsc. Hons Social Work-University of Zimbabwe (2003), Executive Certificate in Programme Monitoring and Evaluation-University of Zimbabwe (2011)

Cell: 00263783473556E-mail: [email protected]

2. - The Publicity and Fundraising Director : MR. TAURAI CHIWARA (CERT Secondary School Teaching); Science and Agriculture; University of Zimbabwe (1991), Dip. (Special Needs Education) Specialization in Mental Retardation; University of Zimbabwe (2006). Cell: 00263 772 970 946Email: [email protected]

3) The organisation’s official E-mail address is: [email protected]

4) The organisation’s bank account is as follows: ZB commercial Bank

Account Name:Account Number:Account typeBank Addresss

8.4. Organization’s strategic Goals/ Mission:


mailto:[email protected]



The mission of the organisation is implied in its name that is; to be a bridge of hope between persons, groups and communities with unmet need and resource systems that then enable clientele to realize their aspirations and a sense of self fulfillment.

The Bridge of Hope foundation is motivated by the following objectives in all its operations:

1. To promote holistic and sustainable development for poor rural and urban individuals, families and communities by providing psychosocial, educational and material support.

2. Help empower those living with disability through provision of education, equipment and resources in order to enhance self fulfillment.

3. Help send needy children to school.

8.5. Organization’s Areas of Work:

Bridge Of Hope Foundation is registered to operate countrywide with initial focus on Harare’s Mabvuku, Tafara, Eastview, and Epworth as well as in Murehwa and Rusape districts. Activities will initially be centered on the above vulnerable communities with a view to expand as resources and need permits.


10. Logical Framework:

Performance Indicators Means of Verification Risks and Assumptions

IMPACTIncreasing the number of children from needy (i.e.) (orphaned and vulnerable) attending school in the target areas

Number of Children assistedTotal value of assistance rendered

School enrolment figures Donor support to fund the programme is secured.

Education is a vehicle for the empowerment of orphaned and vulnerable children socially and economically.

OUTCOME(S) 1: Increased school attendance of orphaned and vulnerable boys and girls in assisted districts

2. Reduced school dropout rate among orphaned and vulnerable children in the intervention areas.

3. Increased number of children from an orphaned and vulnerable background finishing high school from the target districts.

4. Increased number of orphaned and vulnerable children from the target

1. Number of orphaned and vulnerable children receiving school fees support per year.2. Number of orphaned children receiving uniforms per 18 months.3. Number of orphaned and vulnerable children receiving books per year.4. Number of orphaned and vulnerable children receiving exam fees per year.5. Number of primary and secondary schools receiving stationery support per year. 6. Total expended in real $ terms in assisting the beneficiary children.

OVC registers.Uniform distribution registers.Purchase receipts.School fees receipts/records

Donor funding secured and dispensed timeously.

Targeted children willing to attend school.

Co-operation from community level facilitators, caregivers, school and education authorities


districts sitting their national O-Level and A-Level exams.

5. Improved learning environments in assisted schoolsOUTPUTSVerified OVC beneficiary registers, baseline report, evaluation report, school need assessment report

250 primary level Orphaned and Vulnerable children receiving school fees assistance250 secondary level orphaned and vulnerable children receiving school fees assistance250 primary level Orphaned and Vulnerable children receive school uniforms250 secondary level orphaned and vulnerable children receive school uniforms

Total expenses on school fees.Total expenditure on school uniformsStationery purchase and distribution records.

Donor support is secured for the requested funding on time.Availability of resources(goods) on the market

ACTIVITIESBaseline survey, Community awareness, Selecting and Screening of beneficiaries, cash transfers to schools and suppliers, monitoring visits, beneficiary verifications, evaluation

INPUTSMoney to pay school fees/exam fees with,Purchase of vehicles, school uniforms, stationery, office space, computers, printers, community level volunteers

COSTSStaff salaryTransportOffice rentalVolunteer allowances


sample bridge of hope educational support project proposal

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