Call for Expression of Interest: Round 2 Partners for Going Beyond Project

Digital Opportunity Trust Call for New Partners Going Beyond Project

Call for Expression of Interest: Round 2 Partners for Going Beyond Project

Join the movement to empower young women and men in Africa with entrepreneurial skills and digital literacy! The Going Beyond project is a five-year collaboration between Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) and the Mastercard Foundation, empowering over 300,000 youths, particularly young women (70%), in Africa to lead transformational change.

The Going Beyond project aims to scale DOT’s evidence-based, peer-to-peer model and will be implemented in four African countries – Côte d’Ivoire, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia.

Launched in April 2024 with an initial six partners across Malawi and Tanzania, the Going Beyond – Partnering for a Youth-Led Future project equips young women and men with comprehensive digital and business skills training, leadership development, coaching, peer-to-peer learning, and networking. Each of these organizations shares the core mission of Going Beyond, which is to empower young people in Africa to access dignified jobs and live purposeful lives by equipping them with 21st century skills for entrepreneurship and employment. These organizations are already enabling Going Beyond to reach a diverse range of participants, scaling its possible impact, and ensuring that no young person is left behind because of circumstances or stereotypes.

At the center of this initiative are 4,000 young graduates, known as Youth Leaders, who are the driving force behind the transformational change envisioned by the Going Beyond project. Youth Leaders are capacitated through comprehensive training by the Going Beyond project partners; these young men and women then return to their communities to empower local Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) with crucial business and digital skills.

“The Going Beyond project, which will harness the power of young people to lead community-driven solutions and create and obtain dignified and fulfilling work in four countries – Côte d’Ivoire, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia – is an opportunity to tell a compelling story of youth leadership and capacity to transform Africa – and to catalyze the adoption of youth-led approaches across the continent,” says Janet Longmore, DOT’s Founder and CEO.

DOT is now seeking youth-led organizations (YLOs) and youth-serving organizations (YSOs) from Côte d’Ivoire, Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia to partner with us in delivering locally appropriate and culturally relevant digital inclusion and enterprise growth programs over the next four years.

Partner Engagement and Collaboration

The Going Beyond project is deeply committed to fostering strong partnerships with local organizations that are pivotal to the successful delivery of the project outcomes. Here’s how we engage with our partners:

Shared Vision and Objectives: All partners are integral to our mission, sharing a common goal of empowering young people with critical skills and opportunities. We align our objectives to ensure that our combined efforts effectively address the needs of the communities we serve.
Roles and Responsibilities: Partners are involved in several key aspects of the project:
- Recruitment and Training: Partners help identify and train Youth Leaders, ensuring that training methodologies are adapted to local contexts.
- Implementation: Partners play a crucial role in the on-the-ground implementation of training programs, providing logistical and substantive support to ensure the programs are effectively delivered.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: Continuous collaboration in monitoring and evaluation activities to assess the impact and refine strategies as needed.
Support and Capacity Building: We provide ongoing support and capacity-building opportunities to our partners to enhance their capabilities in managing and implementing youth-oriented programs effectively.
Communication and Reporting: Regular communication and transparent reporting mechanisms are established to ensure all partners are updated on project progress and insights.

Benefits of Partnership:

Resource Access: Gain access to financial, material, and intellectual resources that enhance your organization’s ability to impact their community.
Capacity Enhancement: Receive training and development opportunities that build organizational capacity and expertise in youth development.
Network Expansion: Join a wider network of like-minded organizations, sharing knowledge, resources, and best practices to amplify impact.

“This is one of those projects that brings the community together, amplify the youth voices and showcase the power that youth hold towards providing solutions to their communities” ~ Wangiwe Kambuzi – Mzuzu Hub, DOT Going Beyond project implementing partner, Malawi

Eligibility criteria include

Youth-led and youth-serving civil society organizations from all sectors are invited to apply. Going Beyond is committed to ensuring equity and inclusion for underserved and marginalized groups. We strongly encourage organizations that are led by or that serve marginalized young people, including young women, people with disabilities, displaced young people to partner with DOT to increase access to opportunities for these underserved groups of young people through Going Beyond.

Eligibility criteria include:

A youth-led, youth-serving organization or Women-led Organization (WLO)

In Youth-Led Organizations, young people are the principal decision makers. Adults may be involved in the organization but they are not the principal actors. Meanwhile, Youth-serving Organizations are entities that focus on the development, support, and empowerment of young people. These organizations provide various services, resources, and opportunities designed to meet the needs of youth and help them achieve their full potential, but may or may not be led by young people.

Women-led Organization (WLO) (WLOs are governed or directed by women, or whose leadership is principally made up of women – demonstrated by over 70% or more occupying senior leadership positions.)

Legally registered and operating in Côte d’Ivoire, Malawi, Tanzania, or Zambia
A track record of 2+ years in operation and at least 1 completed project
An organizational bank account and audited books of accounts for at least 2 years
A dedicated team members willing to invest time and effort in capacity strengthening and organizational development
Experience in youth entrepreneurship and livelihoods programming
Experience in gender inclusive youth mobilization and empowerment, and demonstrated commitment to gender equality, women’s rights, and economic and digital inclusion of marginalized young people. .
Willingness to enter a multi-year partnership opportunity

Funding available

Selected organizations will receive funding ranging between USD 40,000 and 120,000, based upon mutually agreed upon targets and institutional capacity.

Application Submission Guidelines

Apply online at https://dotl.in/gb-applications by September 30, 2024. Visit our website for the application form and detailed guidelines at: Link

Interested in learning more about the project and application process? Please email us at applications.gb@dotrust.org to express your interest in attending an information session on Thursday, Sept 12th, 2024 from 8:00 to 9:00 am EDT.

Kindly include the names and titles of the individuals from your organization who wish to participate, and we will send a personalized invitation with further details. Please submit any questions to applications.gb@dotrust.org by Tuesday September 10th. Questions received after this date may not be addressed in the information session.

In order to ensure this is a fair and accessible selection process, please connect with us should you require any accommodations throughout the process (e.g. for the virtual information session, application form information, using the submission platform) feel free to reach out at: applications.gb@dotrust.org

Evaluation and Selection

Applications will be evaluated based on eligibility and prioritization criteria, including organizational capacity, experience, and alignment with project goals.

Timelines

September 3, 2024: Application process opens
September 30, 2024: Application process closes at 5 pm EDT
October 1 – 30, 2024: Virtual Due Diligence process with shortlisted applicants
November 1 – 30, 2024: In-person Due Diligence visits with shortlisted applicants
December 15, 2024: Applicants notified of selection decisions
January 1 – 30, 2025: Contracting with selected applicants
February 15, 2025: Partner onboarding begins