Targeted States High Impact Project (TSHIP)
Request for Expressions of Interest (EOI)
EOI No: TSHIP: 2011-001
Issuance Date: 4th April 2011
Closing Date for Questions: 15th April 2011
Due Date: 21st April 2011, 4.00pm Nigeria time at TSHIP Offices in Bauchi and Sokoto
JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc (JSI) is soliciting Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for the Targeted States High Impact Project (TSHIP) grant program, to expand coverage in all 43 LGAs in Bauchi and Sokoto states. This EOI is a preliminary assessment of organizations’ interest and capacity to receive a grant under TSHIP, Only successful submissions will be invited to the next stage, of submitting a full grant application under a Request for Application (RFA) process,
Targeted States High Impact Project (TSHIP) is a five-years USAID-funded integrated maternal newborn, and child health; family planning; and reproductive health (MNCH/FP/RH) project focused on increasing the use of high impact interventions in Bauchi and Sokoto states. Working with local and international partners and stakeholders, the TSHIP approach build quality health services, community engagement, and effective health systems to increase use of high impact health interventions among communities engagement, and effective health systems to increase to increase use of high impact health interventions among communities, TSHIP implements an integrated package assisting state and local governments to improve primary health care services by filing in gaps in capacity, building on institutional strengths, and improving each household’s ability to protect and promote their own health.
All applications will be subject to USAID-specific regulations and provisions. This EOI does not obligate JSI/TSHIP to issue an RFA or award a grant nor does it commit JSI/TSHIP to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of an EOI.
1. The TSHIP Grants Program
A. TSHIP Objective(s)
TSHIP is being implemented in all 20 local Government Area (LGA) in Bauchi State and 23 LGAS in Sokoto state. Contributing to USAID Nigeria’s Investing in People strategic objective, the overall objective of TSHIP is to increase the use of high impact integrated MNCH and FP/RH interventions. TSHIP is being implemented by a consortium of five organizations led by JSI, together with the centre for Education, Development and Population Activities (CEDPA), Futures Group International, Jhpiego, and Management Strategies for Africa (MSA).
Within TSHIP’s overall objective, there are four sub-objectives:
1) Strengthening state and local government capacity to deliver and promote use of high impact MNCH/FP/RH interventions
2) Strengthening delivery and promotion of high impact MNCH/FP/RH interventions at the primary health care facilities, and establish essential referral levels
3) Strengthening roles of households and communities in promotion, practice, and delivery of high impact MNCH/FP/RH interventions; and,
4) Improving policies, programming, and resource allocation at the state and federal levels
TSHIP’s aim is to facilitate and support government efforts and complement the programs of other local and international development partners and civil society organizations in the two states, coordinating with the federal government when necessary, TSHIP aims to forge strong and durable bonds between community institutions and the health care delivery system in every ward of Bauchi and Sokoto, with measurably improved household practices, increased use of services, improved health systems and management and higher quality service delivery
B. TSHIP’S Grant Program Objective(s)
Though the grant program, TSHIP hopes to achieve the following objectives:
- Support achievement of TSHIP’s overall objective and four sub-objectives through implementation of on-the-ground activities
- Broaden TSHIP’s geographic reach equally in both Bauchi and Sokoto and increase LGA presence, thereby increasing linkages for and to the community
- Leverage additional expertise, resources, and networks for TSHIP
- Build institutional capacity of grantees, especially state/local organizations, and increase sustainability at grantee and community levels, For example: activities to support the expansion of qualified workforce at PHC and community levels and to support organizational development of local NGOs, government and WDCs to increase MNCH/FP/RH services, etc.
C. Types of Grants TSHIP Could Fund
TSHIP is looking for applications that will address the following specific needs. This is not exhaustive. Innovative ideas that will holistically support the achievement of TSHIP objective will be welcomed.
Need # 1: Support efforts to expand the qualified health workforce
This will be interventions that will increase the capacity of the existing health staff in Bauchi and Sokoto States to provide integrated services of MNCH/FP/RH and also increase the number of health staff operating both in PHCs and the community (not workforce that can be paid salaries outside of the government systems). This will also include efforts to support organizational development of local NGOs/CBOs, government, and WDCs to increase MNCH/FP/RH services
Need # 2: Increase health service delivery at the facilities
These interventions will support the delivery of quality child health services to the communities by the health facility service providers. These activities will include:
- Roll out of the practice of Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) in PHC facilities
- CHEW training
- Coordinating activities of TBAs and other Village health workers to provide integrated MNCH/FP/RH services
- Improving MNH/FP/RH services at PHC so they can act as referral sites
- Initiating Creative Adolescent Reproductive Health Activities and Services (including youth friendly center in the various LGAs)
- Integrating youth-friendly services into PHCs
- Training service providers on CLMS to facilitate availability of adequate stocks
- Assessing and supporting PHCs to provide ARH services
- Teaching exclusive breast feeding practices through regular sessions between community volunteers and women’s groups
- Teaming supplementary feeding practices for children 6 months to school age to minimize the negative effects of malnutrition
- Address the need to include the tracking of referral outcomes by the CBOs or NGOs to show case best practices.
Need #3: Community Mobilization
These interventions will work through WDCs, VDCs, and TBAs to create demand , access and utilization of quality health services particularly FP/RH/MNCH. A possible activity is to assess and establish and/or reactivate WDC/VDCs. This will include:
- Organizational development assistance
- Training on MNCH/FP/RH topics, capacity building on community mobilization and advocacy initiatives
- Support around economic empowerment and resource mobilization
- Identification of strong male champions with WDCs/VDCs that can be trained in FP to increase and improve male participation in FP/RH activities.
Other activities include:
- Increasing community diagnosis and treatment of minor health issues and support referrals
- Reaching youth and adult women and men in the community with MNCH/FP/RH
- Disseminating birth spacing and safe motherhood messages, as well as the importance of hospital utilization using media and entertainment to pass on the message
- Engaging traditional leaders and community influences in promotion and monitoring MNCH/RH/FP within the communities of both Bauchi and Sokoto States.
- Holding community based nutrition interventions such as carrying out food demonstration, awareness creation on best feeding practices for women and children, awareness creation on exclusive breast feeding and best weaning practices (infant and young child feeding programmes), and training of community volunteers that will be involved in the community based nutrition program.
- Community Management of Malaria this will be to come up with a community based program that will address home management of (fever ), promotion of malaria preventive measures (eg. Use of LLIN, environmental sanitation use of SP by pregnant women, and building awareness on the dangers of malaria).
Need #4: Enabling environment
Engage NGOs and other community based structures to provide an enabling environment for MNCH/FP/RH. These activities include strengthening local NGOs/CBOs/CSOs to conduct advocacy around MNCH/FP/RH topics to facilitate adaption and/or adoption of policies, plans, guide, laws and regulations at the local level. This will increase awareness on issues around improvement of quality of health and others social needs of the community and increase government’s timely allocation of budgetary resources for MNCH/FP/RH services.
Need # 5: Operations research
This will involve research to provide useful evidence to inform all of TSHIP’s Sub-Objectives. Grants will aid in funding research directed at how to improve effectiveness in critical aspects of systems strengthening, primary care services delivery, community/household engagement, and other health related services and practices like the effectiveness of the free maternal health care in the two states.
Full detail application and instruction can be obtained at TSHIP offices in Bauchi and Sokoto States. It is also assessable from TSHIP website at www.tshipnigeria.org and by sending email request to grants@tshipnigeria.org
