FCS 2020 Grants to Support Inclusion Initiatives in Elections, Strengthening of CSOs in Zanzibar
In contributing towards the Tanzania development process and poverty reduction initiatives, especially at the grassroots levels and among marginalised groups, Foundation for Civil Society (FCS) supports Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) by providing them with grants to implement project interventions that work to empower such groups.
On December 23, 2019, FCS made a call for proposals for organisations to apply for grants to implement interventions focusing on strengthening the participation of People With Disabilities in the 2020 General Elections and grants for CSOs in Zanzibar to implement various projects for the year 2020.
Why Focus on People With Disabilities?
In Tanzania, like many parts in Africa, People With Disabilities are among the most disadvantaged and marginalised members in the community. FCS’ core focus is to facilitate and work towards their inclusion within the community to build an inclusive society that recognises and advocates for the rights of People with Disabilities. The focus is to advocate for full implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the People with Disability Act of 2010 in Tanzania, which aims to achieve fundamental positive change to social structures and decision-making processes to accommodate the rights of People with Disabilities.
The call for proposals in this program area has three specific outcomes that aim at;
1. Political Parties’ Election Manifestos to prioritise People With Disabilities’ needs / Call for Political party manifestos to prioritise and place more emphasis on the needs of people with disabilities
2. Selection of candidates in the 2020 General Elections within political parties to consider the participation of People With Disabilities / Call for the inclusion of people with disabilities within the political parties during the selection of candidates in 2020 General Elections
3. Election authorities, including the National Election Committee (NEC) to provide facilitative and friendly environments for People With Disabilities to participate in the General Elections.
Strengthening CSOs in Zanzibar
Foundation for Civil Society has been supporting the CSO sector in Zanzibar by providing grants as well as capacity development since its inception. In 2016 FCS launched a special capacity enhancement programme for CSOs in Zanzibar. The main goal of the programme is to enhance the CSO sector’s involvement in public policy making processes, among other things.
Due to FCS’ commitment to strengthen the CSO sector in the Isles, the organisation made a call for proposals in Zanzibar and Pemba. The call has 3 targeted areas of implementation; The Rights Of Women and Children with the aim of fighting against Gender-based violence, including practices such as rape, child pregnancy, child marriages and other forms of violence towards women, girls and children; Women’s Land Rights, with the aim of enabling more women to access and have equal rights to own and use land. The third targeted area is Peace Building and Conflict Management where FCS projects are expected to contribute towards harmonious and peaceful coexistence amongst communities and various people groups in Zanzibar.
Speaking on the call for proposals, Francis Uhadi, Programmes Manager at FCS, said “This call for proposals is different from the basket grants usually provided by FCS. Rather, these are grants specifically aimed at improving the inclusion of people with disabilities in the 2020 general elections and specific to Zanzibar because we want CSOs in Zanzibar to be more vibrant and to participate in policy processes in order to address the specific challenges faced in the Isles. These projects are in line with what we are doing in mainland Tanzania and we have seen the outcomes the interventions have on communities. The implementation period for both projects is from March 2020 to November 2020.”
