Call for Proposals for the Pilot projects on Integrated Support to the Home-Based Workers

Background:
‘Home-based worker’ refers to the general category of workers, within the informal or unorganized sector, who carry out remunerative work within their homes or in the surrounding grounds. However, the term ‘home-based work’ encompasses a wide diversity. Home-based workers do piecework for an employer, who can be a subcontractor, agent or a middleman, or they can be self-employed on their own or in family enterprises. They can work in the new economy (assembling micro-electronics) or the old (weaving carpets). Home-based workers are not confined to the developing countries only but are found in developed countries as well. It is estimated that there are over 100 million home-based workers in the world and more than half this number are in South Asia – of whom around 80% are women.

Various civil society organizations (supported by UNIFEM and ILO) have jointly carried out consultations and drafted a Policy on HBW which was routed through the Ministry of Women Development and is lying with the Ministry of Labour & Manpower for final endorsement. A separate set of activities have been developed and supported to advocate for the approval of HBW Policy – which are not part of this proposal.

In collaboration with bilateral donors and others, UNIFEM’s strategy in Pakistan is about strengthening the capacity of government, non-governmental organizations and UN system to deliver on commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment by ensuring that voices of women and human rights based approach is integrated fully in the development agenda of the country.

UNIFEM has played a strategic role in supporting the establishment and development of HomeNet South Asia (HNSA) as well the HomeNet Pakistan (HNP), and is keen to further support this work in the coming years. UNIFEM is one of the founders that helped establish HomeNet South Asia. This is a network organization of women home based workers promoted by UNIFEM and SEWA. It was set up after the Kathmandu Declaration, formulated in conference in Nepal in year 2000. HNSA is a vibrant and registered network, comprised of 600 organizations representing over 3,000,000 home based workers from five countries. UNIFEM has also made significant contributions towards mutual learning and capacity development at both national and regional levels.
Accordingly, UNIFEM in collaboration with the Royal Norwegian Embassy planned a three-year project on Home based workers, entitled, ‘Towards Gender Equality: Women's Economic Empowerment- Home Based Workers (September 2008-August 2011), through supporting the development of a National Home Based Workers Policy to safeguard the rights of home based workers.

This programme supports the development of a national home based workers policy to safeguard the rights of home based workers. UNIFEM Pakistan has provided technical support and advice to the Government and Civil Society Organizations on the Home Based Workers Policy draft. The finalized home based workers policy was handed over by the Civil Society Organizations to the Ministry of Women Development and Ministry of Labour and Manpower on November 6th 2009. UNIFEM is now working towards endorsement and implementation of the home based worker policy. An inter-ministerial taskforce (with representation from Civil Society Organizations as well) is set up to follow up on the policy work and provincial consultations on Home Based Workers are in progress.

The workers in informal / home-based sectors are mostly confronted by the following major problems:

a. Employment Deficit
Most of the job-seeking people are compelled to work in informal economy because formal sector does create significant number of jobs to absorb meet the market demand.

b. Rights Deficit
Informal workers are not covered by labour legislation because the labour code is based on an employer employee relationship. Informal workers face poor working conditions and their rights are not protected. They do not enjoy legal and social protection and have no voice to protect their interests

c. Social Protection Deficit
Social security laws apply only to formal / organized workers covered by labour law. Informal workers have no retirement or illness benefits and are exposed to occupational risks such as accidents and serious health hazards. Women represent a large part of the informal economy. Their working conditions are often unacceptable.

d. Representation Deficit
Informal workers and entrepreneurs are often not organized, not represented in forums, and have little or no voice. Therefore, little attention is given to their interests. They cannot negotiate or bargain with employers, donors, civil society or public administration for their rights

e. Growth Deficit
Informal / home-based workers have usually zero growth in their productive activities primarily because of their lack of access to “Skills enhancement” and competitive growth opportunities. They mostly work in monotony without diversifying their skills in line with changing market traditions.

f. Lack of Access to Financial Resources
Due to their invisibility and lack of organization, informal / home-based workers have rare outreach to the Financial Resources – particularly those products which are specifically designed for such target groups. In most of the cases, they are unaware of such opportunities while where they are informed they lack access and eligibility for such resources.

g. Home-based Workers are Generally Poorly Paid
It is almost universally true that in all economies the earnings of home based workers are lower than other workers, and often less than the minimum wage – primarily because they don’t have sufficient bargaining power and in spite of the fact that they relieve their employer from various liabilities that he had to bear in setting up a workplace .

h. Home-based Workers May Appear to Be Independent but in Most Cases - They Are Not
On the surface, home-based workers may seem to have substantial latitude in terms of the hours they work, the materials they use, and when and how they want to work. But in reality, their supply and marketing relationships are most often simply a disguised and unregulated form of employer-employee relationship, camouflaged through an often complex arrangement of agents, traders, and subcontractors. Their stress level is usually higher than the workplace-workers.

i. Home-based Workers Have Special Housing Requirements
As the name implies, home-based workers work at home. But because the majority are poor, in both developed and developing countries, work and family life must co-exist in very cramped quarters. In addition to lack of space, many of these homes lack adequate light and other facilities. In addition, in many situations they are vulnerable to fire, theft and both natural and civil disturbances. As many of the workers also have no title to their homes, they may also find themselves literally "out on the street" at the whim of husbands, in-laws, landlords or local governments.

UNIFEM is seeking proposals from civil society organizations to develop pilot projects for home based workers with the following tasks and responsibilities

Specific tasks and responsibilities:

To promote decent work opportunities for the home-based workers, the following set of activities are proposed to be implemented – contextualized in specific scenarios – in consultation with the labour-market stakeholders, i.e., the Government, Employers, Workers and Civil Society:

1. Selection of target group based on group homogeneity, vulnerability / disadvantaged, women-focused and other special needs

2. Create awareness of selected target group and other relevant stakeholders on legal rights and options available under national and international laws

3. Create awareness of selected target group on “Occupational Safety & Health” for improving workplace environment and adhering to minimum age for work

4. Establish linkages with local Trade Unions for training on organization & collective bargaining without compromising individual productivity

5. Advocacy with employers/contractors for provision of minimum wages

6. Establish sustained linkages of HBWs with local skill providers (public and private sectors) for better productivity and skills diversification

7. Arrange most needed “Business diversification training for HBWs” in line with market demand and linkages with support mechanisms to improve their business activities

8. Facilitate linkages with Microfinance providers

9. Improving representation through Member-Based Organizations

10. Social Protection to workers and their families through innovative mechanisms

11. Facilitate enhanced access of HBWs to marketing channels

Technical support will be provided by UNIFEM during implementation of all interventions mentioned above.

Working arrangements:
Depending on total available budget, 4-5 implementing partners will be selected for different geographic locations / sectors.

Activities will be divided into two Phases, i.e.,
a. Start-up phase: [Jul 2010 – October 2010]
b. Consolidation Phase: [August 2010 – up to June 2011]

Activities will be monitored by UNIFEM with periodic participation of other labour-market stakeholders

At the end of project, a joint evaluation will take place to document key lessons from the entire project – particularly focusing on joint implementation mechanism

Criteria for selection:

The proposals will be reviewed for the following factors:

a. Completeness & comprehension
b. Soundness of Strategy
c. Relevance and significance of target group
d. Time Efficient (results in minimum possible time period)
e. Replication and Sustainability
f. Cost effectiveness (No. of direct beneficiaries versus total budget; and program cost versus management cost)

Deliverables for implementing partners:
The selected Implementing Partners will be required to produce the following outputs:

a. Develop a baseline of the selected group to set benchmarks for their activities – based on eleven (11) parameters given above

b. Review the proposed strategy with relevant stakeholders (target group, government officials, elected representatives, trade union representatives, employers representatives, civil society representatives, academia, media and other opinion leaders) and produce a final work plan for all activities

c. Implement activities in line with work plan and standard operating procedures

d. Produce a brief report on each individual activity; and a compiled report on all relevant activities separately in Phase-1 and Phase-2 – particularly highlighting key results achieved through the activities

e. Document entire process of integrated support to HBWs and highlight key lessons learnt during the process which includes 3-5 case studies from each group of beneficiaries.

Who can apply?
• Registered local Non-Governmental Organizations, Workers’ Organizations, Member-Based Organizations and Local Chambers of Commerce

In a case where two or more organizations jointly submit a proposal, clearly state which organization represents the applicants and takes legal responsibility for administering and implementing the project.

Where to submit proposals:

Project proposals and budgets must be submitted in English, Two original copies for the proposal (Technical and Financial) should be sent to the UNIFEM Programme Office in Pakistan.
Contact Person: Programme Officer UNIFEM
2. Address: House # 124, Street 11, E-7

unifem.pakistan@unifem.org for queries (please do not submit proposals electronically)

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

Submission Deadline: 22 June 2010

Please note: organization registration documentation and audited financial statements may be requested at a later stage.

Guidelines for Project Proposals

Project proposals should be written in English and be limited to 6-7 pages, font size 12’’ Times New Roman, including budget. They should contain the following information:


Proposal section
Description

I. Organizational information (no more than ½ page)
- Name of organization
- Address
- Telephone and fax numbers and e-mail address
- Contact person
- Information on legal status
- Goal and mandate of organization
- Information on prior work related to women’s rights, labour welfare, human rights or decent work particularly in the context of anti-discrimination
- Comparative advantage of the organization to implement the project
Total annual budget of organization(s) applying. In cases of joint submissions by two or more organizations, please:
1. Clearly state which organization represents the applicants and takes legal responsibility for administering and implementing project;
2. Provide above information for each organization
II. Project title, duration and amount requested State Title, time frame for implementation of the project and amount requested, No. of direct and in-direct beneficiaries.
III. Justification (no more than 1 page) Rationale for selection of Target Group; Problem analysis for selected target group; Why should the project be implemented with the selected target group? How the proposed strategy is relevant to the situation?
IV. Results to be achieved (no more than 1 page) Indicate the long-term results (the impact this project could contribute to beyond its duration) and the immediate results that you expect to achieve within the duration of the project.

V. Activities (no more than 2 pages) What are the key activities to be implemented in the project? Describe the targeted groups for each activity. Include a timeline for undertaking them, and who will be responsible for each

VI. Challenges (no more than ½ page) What challenges and difficulties do you foresee facing this project and how do you plan to address them?
VII. Main partners and sustainability Who will be your main partners on this project and what would be their roles?
Plans for sustainability & replication of proposed activities.
VIII. Project Budget - Amount of funding requested. Budgets should be justified and realistic in light of the work envisioned. If partial funding is being sought, please also state the total project budget, and other sources already secured or which you are pursuing.
- Budget breakdown. Please note that UNIFEM and ILO do not fund administrative costs above 10% of the total budget cost. Personnel costs may not exceed 20% of total project budget.
IX. Costed Workplan - Activities, with costs and timelines
X. Annexures
(other than 6-7 pages) - Any other information that may help the evaluators better understand the situation and relevance of proposed strategies