Combating Exploitive Child Labor Through Education in Sierra Leone and Liberia, 30801-30815 [05-10621]

Agencies

• Office of the Secretary
• DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 102 (Friday, May 27, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30801-30815]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-10621]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Combating Exploitive Child Labor Through Education in Sierra 
Leone and Liberia

AGENCY: Bureau of International Labor Affairs, Department of Labor.
    Announcement Type: New. Notice of Availability of Funds and 
Solicitation for Cooperative Agreement Applications.
    Funding Opportunity Number: SGA 05-03.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: Not 
applicable.
    Key Dates: Deadline for Submission of Application is July 11, 2005.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of International Labor 
Affairs, will award up to U.S. $5 million through one or more 
cooperative agreements to an organization or organizations to improve 
access to and quality of education programs as a means to combat 
exploitive child labor in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Projects funded 
under this solicitation will provide educational and training 
opportunities to children as a means of removing and/or preventing them 
from engaging in exploitive work or the worst forms of child labor. The 
activities funded will complement and expand upon existing projects and 
programs to improve basic education in the countries. Applications must 
respond to the entire Statement of Work outlined in this solicitation. 
In Sierra Leone and Liberia, activities under these cooperative 
agreements will provide the direct delivery of quality basic education 
to working children and those at risk of entering work, and will result 
in their enrollment, persistence, and completion of an education or 
training program.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), Bureau of International Labor 
Affairs (ILAB), announces the availability of funds to be awarded by 
cooperative agreement to one or more qualifying organizations for the 
purpose of expanding access to and quality of basic education and 
strengthening government and civil society's capacity to address the 
education needs of working children and those at risk of entering in 
work in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The overall purpose of USDOL's Child 
Labor Education Initiative, as consistently enunciated in USDOL 
appropriations FY 2000 through FY 2005, is to work toward the 
elimination of the worst forms of child labor through the provision of 
basic education. Accordingly, entities applying under this solicitation 
must develop and implement strategies for the prevention and withdrawal 
of children from the worst forms of child labor, consistent with this 
purpose. ILAB is authorized to award and administer this program by the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005, Pub. L. 108-447, 118 Stat. 2809 
(2004). The cooperative agreement or cooperative agreements awarded 
under this initiative will be managed by ILAB's International Child 
Labor Program (ICLP) to assure achievement of the stated goals. 
Applicants are encouraged to be creative in proposing cost-effective 
interventions that will have a demonstrable impact in promoting school 
attendance and completion in the geographical areas where children are 
engaged in or are most at risk of working in the worst forms of child 
labor.

1. Background and Program Scope

A. USDOL Support of Global Elimination of Exploitive Child Labor
    The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that 211 
million children ages 5 to 14 were working around the world in 2000. 
Full-time child workers are generally unable to attend school, and 
part-time child laborers balance economic survival with schooling from 
an early age, often to the detriment of their education. Since 1995, 
USDOL has provided close to U.S. $400 million in technical assistance 
funding to combat exploitive child labor in approximately 70 countries 
around the world.
    Programs funded by USDOL range from targeted action programs in 
specific sectors to more comprehensive efforts that target the worst 
forms of child labor as defined by ILO Convention 182. Convention 182 
lists four categories of the worst forms of child labor, and calls for 
their immediate elimination:
     All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such 
as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom and 
forced or compulsory labor, including force or compulsory recruitment 
of children for use in armed conflict;
     The use, procurement or offering of a child for 
prostitution, production of pornography or pornographic performances;
     The use, procurement or offering of a child for illicit 
activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs, 
as defined in the relevant international treaties;
     Work which, by its nature or by the circumstances by which 
it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety, and morals of 
children.
    In determining the types of work likely to harm the health, safety 
and morals of children, ILO Recommendation 190 considers the following: 
work which exposes a child to physical, psychological or sexual abuse; 
work underground, underwater, at dangerous heights or in confined 
workplaces; work with dangerous machinery, equipment and tools or 
handling or transporting heavy loads; work in an unhealthy environment 
including exposure to hazardous substances, agents or processes, or to 
temperatures, noise levels or vibrations damaging to the health; and 
work for long hours or night work where the child is unreasonably 
confined to the premises.
    From FY 2001 to FY 2005, the U.S. Congress has appropriated over 
U.S. $180 million to USDOL for a Child Labor Education Initiative to 
fund programs aimed at increasing access to quality, basic education in 
areas with a high incidence of abusive and exploitive child labor. The 
cooperative agreement(s) awarded under this

[[Page 30802]]

solicitation will be funded through this initiative.
    USDOL's Child Labor Education Initiative seeks to nurture the 
development, health, safety and enhanced future employability of 
children around the world by increasing access to and quality of basic 
education for working children and those at risk of entering work. The 
elimination of exploitive child labor depends, to a large extent, on 
improving access to, quality of, and relevance of education.
    In addition to providing direct education and training 
opportunities to working children and those at risk of engaging in 
exploitive work, the Child Labor Education Initiative has four goals:
    i. Raise awareness of the importance of education for all children 
and mobilize a wide array of actors to improve and expand education 
infrastructures;
    ii. Strengthen formal and transitional education systems that 
encourage working children and those at risk of working to attend 
school;
    iii. Strengthen national institutions and policies on education and 
child labor; and
    iv. Ensure the long-term sustainability of these efforts.
B. Barriers to Education for Working Children, Country Backgrounds, and 
Focus of Solicitation
    Throughout the world, there are complex causes of exploitive child 
labor as well as barriers to education for children engaged in or at 
risk of entering exploitive child labor. These include: Poverty; 
education system barriers; infrastructure barriers; legal and policy 
barriers; resource gaps; institutional barriers; informational gaps; 
demographic characteristics of children and/or families; cultural and 
traditional practices; and weak labor markets and enforcement.
    Although these elements and characteristics tend to exist 
throughout the world in areas with a high incidence of exploitive child 
labor, they manifest themselves in specific ways in the countries of 
interest in this solicitation. Therefore, specific, targeted 
interventions are required in the countries. In Sierra Leone and 
Liberia this project must provide or facilitate the delivery of 
educational services to at risk or working children, support the 
collection of data on this target population, and build the capacity of 
national institutions to address child labor and education issues. For 
this project, applicants must be able to identify the specific barriers 
to education and the education needs of specific children targeted in 
their project (e.g., children withdrawn from work, children at high 
risk of dropping out of school and joining the labor force, and/or 
children still working in a particular sector) and how direct education 
service delivery, capacity building and policy change can be used to 
address particular barriers and needs. Brief background information on 
education and exploitive child labor in the countries of interest is 
provided below.
    For additional information on exploitive child labor in Sierra 
Leone and Liberia, applicants are strongly encouraged to refer to The 
Department of Labor's 2004 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor 
available at https://www.dol.gov/ILAB/media/reports/iclp/tda2004/
overview.htm or in hard copy from Lisa Harvey, U.S. Department of 
Labor, Procurement Services Center, telephone (202) 693-4570 (this is 
not a toll-free-number) or e-mail: harvey.lisa@dol.gov.
Barriers to Education for Working Children in Sierra Leone and Liberia
    In 2000, UNICEF estimated that 71.6 percent of children aged 5 to 
14 years in Sierra Leone were working. Estimates are unavailable for 
Liberia. Reports indicate that, in both countries, a majority of 
working children are unpaid. Many work in family businesses and on 
family subsistence farms. Children also work for low wages as domestic 
workers. Street children in Monrovia, Freetown and other major cities 
number in the thousands. Many of these children are contracted by 
adults to steal, beg and work as street vendors. Children have also 
been reported to work in alluvial diamond fields in both countries, 
some under forced labor conditions.
    Trafficking in persons is a problem, particularly in Sierra Leone. 
Although reports of trafficking in persons in Sierra Leone have 
declined with the demobilization of child soldiers following the end of 
the civil conflict, children continue to be trafficked to countries in 
West Africa, including Liberia, for labor and commercial sexual 
exploitation, as well as to Lebanon, Europe, and North America. From 
Liberia, children are trafficked to Sierra Leone and Cote d'Ivoire, 
some for purposes of commercial sexual exploitation. Internally, within 
both Liberia and Sierra Leone, children are trafficked from rural to 
urban areas and to diamond mining areas for purposes of sexual 
exploitation and forced labor. In Sierra Leone, the government has made 
efforts to address this problem through the creation of a multi-
sectoral Trafficking in Persons Action Committee and has held anti-
trafficking training for police officers. Child prostitution is an 
increasing problem in both countries. In addition, experts expect the 
incidence of HIV/AIDS in Sierra Leone and Liberia will grow as these 
countries emerge from the isolation of war. Young people are considered 
to be particularly at risk of infection and the effects of the disease 
on caregivers are expected to leave many children vulnerable to child 
labor.
    Throughout the past decade, child soldiers were common among 
government armed forces and rebels groups in Sierra Leone and Liberia. 
As of 2004, there were no indications of children serving in government 
forces in either country. Former rebel combatants in Liberia, however, 
continue to forcibly recruit children in Liberia and Sierra Leone to 
serve as porters, laborers, and sex slaves. Former child soldiers and 
war-affected children have been found to be especially vulnerable to 
the worst forms of child labor. There are indications that many former 
child soldiers in Sierra Leone and Liberia have been re-recruited by 
fighting forces in Cote d'Ivoire.
    The Government of Sierra Leone established a National Commission 
for War-Affected Children to provide support to demobilized child 
soldiers and children who are separated from their parents. Official 
demobilization and reintegration programs for former fighters in Sierra 
Leone, including nearly 7,000 former child soldiers, ended around the 
beginning of 2004. These programs offered little assistance to the 
thousands of abducted women, girls, and the children born to them 
during their service to fighting forces in Sierra Leone. Several 
international organizations implemented programs to assist these girls 
during the later stages of demobilization.
    Sierra Leone's National Youth Policy, approved in 2003, is also 
intended to target assistance to groups whose needs may have been 
neglected, such as young girls. Child Welfare Committees were trained 
to provide support to girls and to child diamond miners, but funding 
for these efforts has been limited. The Government of Liberia recently 
established a National Commission on Child Labor intended to support 
efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor within the country, 
particularly among children made vulnerable by war. However, the 
Commission has had difficulty operationalizing their charter and 
objectives.
    Reports indicate that approximately 21,000 child soldiers still 
require demobilization in Liberia, including an

[[Page 30803]]

unknown number of abducted girls. Despite a peace agreement in Liberia 
in August 2003, demobilization and reintegration programs have been 
slow to start. The programs are expected to provide former child 
soldiers with access to healthcare, skills training, family tracing and 
reunification, and to increase awareness and improve the capacity of 
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and agencies to address the 
immediate and longer-term needs of former child soldiers. Provisions 
for girls and women were also included.
    Statistics on education in Sierra Leone and Liberia are minimal. In 
both countries, nearly half of primary school age children are not 
enrolled in school. Persistence rates are also low with approximately 
one-third of students in Liberia reaching grade five. Rates of 
enrollment, retention, and completion tend to be lower among girls and 
among children in areas of rapid resettlement, camps for Internally 
Displaced Persons and refugees, remote rural areas, and areas hardest 
hit by the war.
    Several recent programs are expected to improve education in Sierra 
Leone and Liberia. The Government of Sierra Leone has created a 
National Education Action Plan that emphasizes improving the quality 
and relevance of education, expanding access to primary education, 
especially for girls and the rural poor, and enhancing the planning and 
management capacity of the Ministry of Education, Science and 
Technology. In both Sierra Leone and Liberia, UNICEF has launched 
projects to renovate schools, distribute teaching materials and 
equipment, retrain teachers, and promote girls' education.
    Many areas of rapid resettlement, areas hardest hit by the war, and 
remote rural areas continue, however, to lack basic social services, 
including education. This absence of services has led to an increased 
migration to municipal and provincial capitals, where basic services 
and schools are already operating beyond capacity. Although primary 
school construction has received significant support from donors, many 
of these newly constructed schools lack qualified teachers, curricula, 
staff, and much needed resources and support. Viable non-formal 
education, accelerated education, vocational training, and other 
alternative educational opportunities are also scarce, and lack 
qualified staff, resources and support.
    Years of conflict have left many students, including former child 
soldiers, severely traumatized and some physically disabled. Abuse 
experienced by many abducted and war-affected girls has left them 
especially vulnerable, and some with young children requiring care 
during school hours. During the conflict, many students missed years of 
schooling, resulting in classrooms populated by many overage students. 
For these young people, the services that are available to them are 
often inadequate to meet their special needs. Appropriate educational, 
vocational and social services for youth between the ages of 12 and 18 
are considered to be particularly critical due to the potentially 
volatile nature of this age group.
    Some teacher training and community programs have included special 
training for adults working with former child soldiers, war-affected 
children, and children engaged in or at risk of engaging in the worst 
forms of child labor. Some social protection and educational programs, 
curricula, policies, and resources have also been revised and made more 
suitable for this population. However, there continues to be a need for 
more relevant and adequate teaching techniques; resources and teaching 
tools; formal, vocational and alternative educational programs; life 
skills training; social services; community support; polices and 
programs; and opportunities for young people to develop into productive 
and responsible citizens.


    Note to Applicants: All applicants must have country presence, 
or partner with an established and eligible organization within the 
target countries.

2. Statement of Work

    Taking into account the challenges of educating working children in 
Sierra Leone and Liberia, the applicant must implement creative and 
innovative approaches to promote policies and services that will 
enhance the provision of educational opportunities for children 
involved in or at risk of entering exploitive child labor. Projects 
funded under this cooperative agreement solicitation must focus on 
direct education service(s) delivery to targeted children, including 
the provision of educational services that address the specific gaps/
challenges that working or at-risk children from attending or staying 
in school.
    USDOL defines educational services and/or training opportunities as 
follows: (1) Non-formal or basic literacy education, as demonstrated by 
enrollment in educational classes provided by the program. These 
classes may include transitional, leveling, or literacy classes so that 
a child may either be mainstreamed into formal school and/or can 
participate in vocational training activities; (2) Vocational, pre-
vocational, or skills training, as demonstrated by enrollment in 
training courses in order to develop a particular skill (e.g., 
mechanics, sewing); (3) Mainstreaming/Transitioning into the formal 
education system, non-formal education, vocational, pre-vocational, or 
skills training after having received assistance from the project to 
enable them to enroll in such programs. The assistance provided by the 
project could include one or more of the following services: the 
provision of school meals, uniforms, books, school supplies and 
materials, tuition and transportation vouchers, or other types of 
incentives that enable the child to be enrolled in an education 
program; and (4) Formal school enrollment, by directly supporting a 
child's enrollment, retention, and completion in the formal school 
system. Similar to the assistance provided under mainstreaming, 
assistance provided by the project could include one or more of the 
following services: the provision of uniforms, books, school supplies 
and materials, tuition and transportation vouchers, or other types of 
incentives that enable the child to be enrolled and maintained in the 
formal school system.
    Activities such as awareness raising and social mobilization 
campaigns, psychosocial services for children, improvements in 
curriculum, teacher training or improvements to school infrastructure 
are important for improving access to and quality of basic education. 
While grantees are encouraged to address the needs of working children 
in a comprehensive manner, these activities will not be considered as 
direct services for individual children. Rather, direct services are 
those that meet the basic needs of individual children that are direct 
beneficiaries of the project.
    Through improved policies and direct education service delivery, as 
applicable, the expected outcomes/results of the project are to: (1) 
Reduce the number of children engaged in or at risk of entering 
exploitive child labor, (2) increase educational opportunities and 
access (enrollment) for children who are at risk of, engaging in, and/
or removed from exploitive child labor, particularly its worst forms; 
(3) encourage retention in and completion of educational programs; and 
(4) expand the successful transition of children from non-formal 
education programs into formal schools or vocational programs.
    The applicant must identify a target number of urban and/or rural 
children engaged in or at risk of engaging in exploitive and/or worst 
forms of child

[[Page 30804]]

labor in Sierra Leone and Liberia, who would be the direct 
beneficiaries of a Child Labor Education Initiative project, and the 
geographic areas of greatest need. Direct beneficiaries are children 
who are withdrawn or prevented from entering exploitive child labor, 
particularly its worst forms, by USDOL-funded projects. Children 
withdrawn from exploitive work are those children who were found 
working and no longer work as a result of a project intervention. This 
category also includes those children who were engaged in exploitive 
work and as a result of a project's intervention now work shorter hours 
under safer conditions. Children prevented from entering work are those 
children who are either siblings of (ex) working children or those 
children who are considered to be at high risk of engaging in 
exploitive work. In order to be considered withdrawn or prevented, the 
child must benefit from educational or training opportunities. This is 
measured by enrollment into school or training programs. The project's 
strategy must be to remove these children from, or to prevent them from 
entering, child labor and to provide them with educational and other 
services to prevent them from engaging in such exploitive and/or worst 
forms of child labor in the future.
    In preparing the application, in order to identify gaps, unmet 
needs, and opportunities that could be addressed through a USDOL Child 
Labor Education Initiative project, applicants must conduct a needs 
assessment to make a preliminary identification of the current working 
and educational status of the children who the applicant proposes as 
beneficiaries. It is expected that the information gathered during this 
assessment will be refined after award. The assessment, with data 
sources, must include information on the incidence and nature of 
exploitive child labor, particularly the worst forms, among target 
children, hours of work, age and sex distribution of the proposed 
beneficiaries, educational performance relative to other children, if 
available, and any research or other data that might indicate 
correlations between educational performance and hours of work. 
Applicants are also encouraged to propose strategies for collecting 
further data on exploitive child labor and children's participation in 
schooling in the early stages of the project's baseline data 
collection.
    When developing their proposed strategy and writing the 
application, applicants must consult and make reference to relevant 
literature and documents relating to child labor and the education of 
target children in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Furthermore, the 
application must demonstrate familiarity with existing child labor, 
education and social welfare policies, plans and projects in Sierra 
Leone and Liberia, which the applicant is using to inform project 
design for target children.
    Applicants will also be evaluated on their knowledge of other 
donors' programs as they pertain to the education of target children in 
Sierra Leone and Liberia. In identifying unmet needs, gaps and 
opportunities not being addressed by existing programs and current 
efforts, and in proposing their own strategy, applicants must show how 
their knowledge of the school calendar and the requirements of basic, 
non-formal, and vocational education systems will be used to develop an 
approach that successfully enrolls children in educational programs as 
quickly as possible without missing an academic year or program cycle. 
The applicant must identify the direct cost per child of maintaining 
the child in the educational program, and of withdrawing the child from 
exploitive/hazardous or worst forms of child labor. These costs must be 
realistic, and based on existing costs of similar programs. Applicants 
must design and implement a project monitoring system that allows for 
the tracking of direct beneficiaries' work and school status. In 
addition, as child labor projects tend to be implemented in resource-
poor environments where government education and labor inspection 
systems may be limited, applicants are encouraged to work with local 
stakeholders to develop sustainable child labor and education 
monitoring systems, including community-based systems, that can 
complement government efforts to monitor children's working and 
educational status beyond the life of the project and enforce each 
country's child labor and education laws. The applicant must also 
identify organizations in Sierra Leone and Liberia, including types of 
local organizations (e.g., rural, indigenous), which could potentially 
implement or contribute to a future project. Applicants are encouraged 
to develop approaches that support youth participation within efforts 
to eliminate the worst forms of child labor.
    Due to similarities in the nature of child labor and the challenges 
faced by the current education systems in Sierra Leone and Liberia, as 
well as cross-border issues such as trafficking and refugee migration 
between the two countries, applicants must submit one application that 
proposes strategies that seek to prevent or eliminate exploitive child 
labor through the promotion of education alternatives for children in 
both countries. Strategies should include approaches that are country 
specific, as well as regional, that address child labor and education 
issues in both countries. The application must also take into account 
cross-cutting themes that could affect project results, and 
meaningfully incorporate them into the proposed strategy, either to 
increase opportunities for, or reduce threats to, successful 
implementation. In Sierra Leone and Liberia these include: (1) The 
enduring impact of the civil war in terms of increasing children's 
vulnerability to exploitive labor and decreasing their access to 
quality educational opportunities; (2) The impact of HIV/AIDS in terms 
of increasing children's vulnerability to exploitive labor and 
decreasing their access to quality educational opportunities; (3) The 
incidence and nature of child trafficking for exploitive labor 
internally within Sierra Leone and Liberia and internationally, 
geographical areas from which children are trafficked and areas 
receiving trafficked children, as well as factors contributing to the 
supply of and demand for trafficked children; (4) Barriers that could 
prevent the withdrawal of children from exploitive work and prevent 
their participation in education programs; (5) Factors affecting the 
quality and relevance of education available to children; (6) The level 
of awareness of worst forms of child labor and the importance of 
education, especially for girls, among key stakeholders; and (7) Cross-
border issues that might impact child labor trends in Sierra Leona and 
Liberia, and opportunities for cooperation and collaboration among 
efforts to reduce the worst forms of child labor in Sierra Leone and 
Liberia. The application should consider existing efforts to combat 
exploitive child labor and promote education for children being 
undertaken by government, international organizations, and civil 
society, including community-based and youth-led efforts, and gaps in 
services that these efforts may not have addressed.
    In the course of implementation, each project must promote the 
goals of USDOL's Child Labor Education Initiative listed above in 
Section I(1)(A). In addition, each project funded under this 
solicitation must provide educational and training opportunities to 
children as a means to remove them from and/or prevent them from 
engaging in exploitive work. Because of the limited resources available 
under this award, applicants are expected to

[[Page 30805]]

implement programs that complement existing efforts and, where 
appropriate, replicate or enhance successful models to serve a greater 
number of children and communities. However, applicants must not 
duplicate the activities of existing efforts and/or projects and are 
expected to work within host government child labor and education 
frameworks. To avoid duplication, enhance collaboration, expand impact, 
and develop synergies, the cooperative agreement awardee (hereafter 
referred to as ``Grantee'') must work cooperatively with national 
stakeholders in developing project interventions. Applicants are 
expected to consider the economic and social contexts of the countries 
when formulating project strategies and to recognize that approaches 
applicable in one country may not be relevant to others.
    USDOL will notify host government ministry officials of the 
proposed project. During the preparation of an application for this 
cooperative agreement solicitation, applicants may discuss proposed 
interventions, strategies, and activities with host government 
officials and civil society organizations.
    Partnerships between more than one organization are also eligible 
for award and are encouraged, in particular with qualified, target 
country-based organizations in order to build local capacity; in such a 
case, however, a lead organization must be identified, and 
relationships with partner organizations receiving funds must be 
codified in an appropriate joint venture, partnership, or other 
contractual agreement. Copies of such agreements should be submitted as 
an attachment to the application, and will not count toward the page 
limit.
    Applicants are strongly encouraged to enroll at least one-quarter 
of the children targeted by the proposed program in educational 
activities during the first year of project implementation. Under this 
cooperative agreement solicitation, vocational training for adolescents 
and income generating alternatives for parents are allowable 
activities. Please note: USDOL reserves the right to approve or 
disapprove alternative income-generating activities after award of the 
cooperative agreement. Permissible costs relating to alternative 
income-generating activities for target families may include, but are 
not limited to, skills training, tools, equipment, guides, manuals, and 
market feasibility studies. However, as stated in Section IV(5)(B)(i), 
Grantees and sub-contractors may not provide direct cash transfers to 
communities, parents, or children.
    Although USDOL is open to all proposals for innovative solutions to 
address the challenges of providing increased access to education for 
the children targeted, the applicant must, at a minimum, follow the 
outline of a preliminary project design document presented in Appendix 
A, and, within that format, address all criteria, factors, and required 
descriptions identified in Sections IV(2), V(1)(A), VI(3)(A) and 
VI(3)(D). This response will be the foundation for the final project 
document that must be approved within six months after award of the 
cooperative agreement.
    If the application does not propose interventions aimed toward the 
target group or geographical area as identified, then the application 
will be considered unresponsive and will be rejected.


    Note to All Applicants: Grantees are expected to consult with 
and work cooperatively with stakeholders in the countries, including 
the Ministries of Education, Labor, and other relevant ministries, 
NGOs, national steering/advisory committees on child labor, 
education, faith and community-based organizations, and working 
children and their families. Grantees should ensure that their 
proposed activities and interventions are consistent with those of 
the countries' national child labor and education frameworks and 
priorities, as applicable. Grantees are strongly encouraged to 
collaborate with existing projects, particularly those funded by 
USDOL, including Timebound Programs and other projects implemented 
by the International Labor Organization's International Program on 
the Elimination of Child Labor (ILO/IPEC).


    As discussed in Section V(1)(D), up to five (5) extra points will 
be given to applications that include committed non-Federal resources 
that significantly expand the project's scope. However, applicants are 
instructed that the project budget submitted with the application must 
include all necessary and sufficient funds, without reliance on other 
contracts, grants, or awards, to implement the applicant's proposed 
project activities and to achieve proposed project goals and objectives 
under this solicitation. If anticipated funding from another contract, 
grant, or award fails to materialize, USDOL will not provide additional 
funding to cover these costs.

II. Award Information

    Type of assistance instrument: Cooperative agreement. USDOL's 
involvement in project implementation and oversight is outlined in 
Section VI(2). The duration of the project(s) funded by this 
solicitation is four (4) years. The start date of program activities 
will be negotiated upon awarding of the cooperative agreement, but will 
be no later than September 30, 2005.
    Up to U.S. $5 million will be awarded under this solicitation. 
USDOL may award one or more cooperative agreements to one, several, or 
a partnership of more than one organization(s) that may apply to 
implement the program. A Grantee must obtain prior USDOL approval for 
any sub-contractor proposed in the application before award of the 
cooperative agreement. The Grantee may not sub-grant any of the funds 
obligated under this cooperative agreement. See Section VI(2)(B) for 
further information on sub-contracts.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

    Any commercial, international, educational, or non-profit 
organization, including any faith-based, community-based, or public 
international organization capable of successfully developing and 
implementing education programs for working children or children at 
risk of entering exploitive work in the countries of interest is 
eligible to apply. Partnerships of more than one organization are also 
eligible, and applicants are strongly encouraged to work with 
organizations already undertaking projects in the countries of 
interest, particularly local NGOs, including faith-based and community-
based organizations. In the case of partnership applications, a lead 
organization must be identified, and the relationship with any partner 
organizations receiving funds must be set forth in an appropriate joint 
venture, partnership, or other contractual agreement. An applicant must 
demonstrate a country presence, independently or through a relationship 
with another organization(s) with country presence, which gives it the 
ability to initiate program activities upon award of the cooperative 
agreement. See Section V(1)(B)(ii). Please Note: Applications from 
foreign government and quasi-government agencies will not be 
considered.
    All applicants are requested to complete the Survey on Ensuring 
Equal Opportunity for Applicants (OMB No. 1225-0083), which is 
available online at https://www.dol.gov/ilab/grants/bkgrd.htm). The 
capability of an applicant or applicants to perform necessary aspects 
of this solicitation will be determined under the criteria outlined in 
the Application Review Information section of this solicitation 
(Section V(1)).

[[Page 30806]]

    Please note that to be eligible, Cooperative Agreement applicants 
classified under the Internal Revenue Code as a 501(c)(4) entity (see 
26 U.S.C. 501(c)(4)), may not engage in lobbying activities. According 
to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, as codified at 2 U.S.C. 1611, 
an organization, as described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986, that engages in lobbying activities directed 
toward the U.S. Government will not be eligible for the receipt of 
Federal funds constituting an award, grant, cooperative agreement, or 
loan.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching Funds

    This solicitation does not require applicants to share costs or 
provide matching funds. However, the leveraging of resources and in-
kind contributions is strongly encouraged and is a rating factor worth 
up to five (5) additional points.

3. Other Eligibility Criteria

    In accordance with 29 CFR Part 98, entities that are debarred or 
suspended from receiving federal contracts or grants shall be excluded 
from Federal financial assistance and are ineligible to receive funding 
under this solicitation. In judging organizational capacity, USDOL will 
take into account not only information provided by an applicant, but 
also information from USDOL, other Federal agencies, and other 
organizations regarding past performance of organizations that have 
implemented or are implementing Child Labor Education Initiative 
projects, or other projects or activities for USDOL and other Federal 
agencies (see Section V(1)(B)). Past performance will be rated by such 
factors as the timeliness of deliverables, and the responsiveness of 
the organization and its staff to USDOL or grantor communications 
regarding deliverables and cooperative agreement or contractual 
requirements. In addition, USDOL will consider the performance of the 
organization's key personnel on existing projects with USDOL or other 
entities, the frequency of the organization's replacement of key 
personnel, and the quality and timeliness of such key personnel 
replacements. Lack of past experience with USDOL projects, cooperative 
agreements, grants, or contracts is not a bar to eligibility or 
selection under this solicitation.
    Faith-based organizations may apply for Federal funds under this 
solicitation. Neutral, non-religious criteria that neither favor nor 
disfavor religion will be employed in the selection of cooperative 
agreement recipients. Similarly, neutral, non-religious criteria that 
neither favor nor disfavor religion must be employed by Grantees in the 
selection of project beneficiaries and sub-contractors.
    In addition, per the provisions outlined in Section 2 of Executive 
Order 13279 and 29 CFR 2.33(b), the U.S. Government is generally 
prohibited from providing direct financial assistance for inherently 
religious activities. Funds awarded under this solicitation may not be 
used for religious instruction, worship, prayer, proselytizing or other 
inherently religious activities.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address To Request Application Package

    This solicitation contains all of the necessary information and 
forms needed to apply for cooperative agreement funding. This 
solicitation is published as part of this Federal Register notice. 
Additional copies of the Federal Register may be obtained from your 
nearest U.S. Government office or public library or online at https://
www.archives.gov/federal_register/.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

    Applicants must submit one (1) blue ink-signed original, complete 
application in English, plus two (2) copies of the application. The 
application must consist of two (2) separate parts, as well as a table 
of contents and an abstract summarizing the application in not more 
than two (2) pages. The table of contents and the abstract are not 
included in the 45-page limit for Part II. Applicants should number all 
pages of the application.
    Part I of the application, the cost proposal, must contain the 
Standard Form (SF) 424, Application for Federal Assistance and Sections 
A-F of the Budget Information Form SF 424A, available from ILAB's Web 
site at https://www.dol.gov/ilab/grants/bkgrd.htm. Copies of these forms 
are also available online from the General Services Administration Web 
site at https://contacts.gsa.gov/webforms. nsf/0/B835648D66D1B8F 
985256A72004C58C2/ $file/sf424.pdf and https://contacts.gsa.gov/
webforms. nsf/0/5AEB1FA6FB3B8 32385256A72004C8E77/ $file/Sf424a.pdf. 
The individual signing the SF 424 on behalf of the applicant must be 
authorized to bind the applicant. The budget/cost proposal and any 
other accompanying charts or graphs must be written in 10-12 pitch font 
size.
    Part II, the technical proposal, must provide a technical 
application that identifies and explains the proposed program and 
demonstrates the applicant's capabilities to carry out that proposal. 
The technical application must identify how the applicant will carry 
out the Statement of Work (Section I(2) of this solicitation) and 
address each of the Application Evaluation Criteria found in Section 
V(1).
    The Part II technical application must not exceed 45 single-sided 
(8\1/2\'' x 11''), double-spaced, 10 to 12 pitch typed pages, and must 
include responses to the application evaluation criteria outlined in 
Section V(1) of this solicitation. Part II must include a preliminary 
project design document submitted in the format shown in Appendix A and 
discussed further in Section VI(3)(A). The application must include the 
name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address (if 
applicable) of a key contact person at the applicant's organization in 
case questions should arise.
    Applications will only be accepted in English. To be considered 
responsive to this solicitation, the application must consist of the 
above-mentioned separate parts. Any applications that do not conform to 
these standards may be deemed unresponsive to this solicitation and 
will be rejected. Standard forms and attachments are not included in 
the 45-page limit for Part II. However, any additional information not 
required under this solicitation will not be considered.

3. Submission Dates, Times, and Address

    Applications must be delivered (by hand or mail) by 4:45 p.m., 
Eastern Time, July 11, 2005, to: U.S. Department of Labor, Procurement 
Services Center, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N-5416, Washington, 
DC 20210, Attention: Lisa Harvey, Reference: Solicitation 05-03. 
Applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX) will not be 
accepted. Applications sent by non-Postal Service delivery services, 
such as Federal Express or UPS, will be accepted; however, the 
applicant bears the responsibility for timely submission. The 
application package must be received at the designated place by the 
date and time specified or it will be considered unresponsive and will 
be rejected. Any application received at the Procurement Services 
Center after the deadline will not be considered unless it is received 
before the award is made and:
    A. It is determined by the Government that the late receipt was due 
solely to

[[Page 30807]]

mishandling by the Government after receipt at USDOL at the address 
indicated; and/or
    B. It was sent by registered or certified mail not later than the 
fifth calendar day before the deadline; or
    C. It was sent by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day 
Service-Post Office to Addressee, not later than 5 p.m. at the place of 
mailing two (2) working days, excluding weekends and Federal holidays, 
prior to the deadline.
    The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a 
late application sent by registered or certified mail is the U.S. 
Postal Service postmark on the envelope or wrapper and on the original 
receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. If the postmark is not legible, 
an application received after the above closing time and date shall be 
processed as if mailed late. ``Postmark'' means a printed, stamped, or 
otherwise placed impression (not a postage meter machine impression) 
that is readily identifiable without further action as having been 
applied and affixed by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service on the 
date of mailing. Therefore, applicants should request that the postal 
clerk place a legible hand cancellation ``bull's-eye'' postmark on both 
the receipt and the envelope or wrapper.
    The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a 
late application sent by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day 
Service-Post Office to Addressee is the date entered by the Post Office 
clerk on the ``Express Mail Next Day Service-Post Office to Addressee'' 
label and the postmark on the envelope or wrapper on the original 
receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. ``Postmark'' has the same meaning 
as defined above. Therefore, applicants should request that the postal 
clerk place a legible hand cancellation ``bull's-eye'' postmark on both 
the receipt and the envelope or wrapper.
    The only acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at 
USDOL is the date/time stamp of the Procurement Service Center on the 
application wrapper or other documentary evidence of receipt maintained 
by that office.
    Confirmation of receipt can be obtained from Lisa Harvey, U.S. 
Department of Labor, Procurement Services Center, telephone (202) 693-
4570 (this is not a toll-free-number) or e-mail: harvey.lisa@dol.gov. 
All applicants are advised that U.S. mail delivery in the Washington, 
DC area can be slow and erratic due to concerns involving 
contamination. All applicants must take this into consideration when 
preparing to meet the application deadline.

4. Intergovernmental Review

    This funding opportunity is not subject to Executive Order 12372, 
``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''

5. Funding Restrictions

    A. In addition to those specified under OMB Circular A-122, the 
following costs are also unallowable:
    i. Construction with funds under this cooperative agreement is 
subject to USDOL approval and ordinarily should not exceed 10 percent 
of the project budget's direct costs and is expected to be limited to 
improving existing school infrastructure and facilities in the 
project's targeted communities. USDOL encourages applicants to cost-
share and/or leverage funds or in-kind contributions from local 
partners when proposing construction activities in order to ensure 
sustainability.
    ii. Under these cooperative agreements, vocational training for 
adolescents and income-generating alternatives for parents are 
allowable activities. However, Federal funds under these cooperative 
agreements cannot be used to provide micro-credits, revolving funds, or 
loan guarantees. Please note: USDOL reserves the right to negotiate the 
exact nature, form, or scope of alternative income-generating 
activities after award of the cooperative agreement. Alternative 
income-generating activities may include, but are not limited to, 
skills training, tools, equipment, guides, manuals, and market 
feasibility studies.
    iii. Awards will not allow reimbursement of pre-award costs.
    B. The following activities are also unallowable under this 
solicitation:
    i. The Grantee may not sub-grant any of the funds obligated under 
this cooperative agreement. Sub-granting may not appear or be included 
in the budget as a line item. In addition, Grantees may not provide 
direct cash transfers to communities, parents, or children. The funding 
for this program does not include authority for sub-grants and, as a 
matter of policy, USDOL does not allow for direct cash transfers to 
target beneficiaries. USDOL, however, would support the purchase of 
incidental items in the nature of ``participant support costs'' under 
OMB Circular A-122, Attachment B, No. 34, which are necessary to ensure 
that target children have access to schooling. These participant 
support costs may include such items as uniforms and school supplies, 
and the provision of tuition and transportation costs in the form of 
vouchers to the provider of services. If an applicant proposes the 
provision of participant support costs, the applicant must specify: (1) 
Why these activities and interventions are necessary, and how they will 
contribute to the overall project goals; and (2) how the disbursement 
of funds will be administered in order to maximize efficiency and 
minimize the risk of misuse. The applicant must also address how 
participant support costs being funded by the project will be made 
sustainable once the project is completed.
    If proposed participant support costs are approved by USDOL, these 
items must be purchased or paid for directly by the Grantee or its sub-
contractor(s), as opposed to handing cash directly to children or other 
individuals.
    ii. Under these cooperative agreements, awareness raising and 
advocacy activities cannot include fund-raising or lobbying of the U.S. 
Federal, State or Local Governments (see OMB Circular A-122).
    iii. In accordance with OMB Circular A-122, funds awarded under 
this cooperative agreement may be used to cover the costs of meetings 
and conferences, as long as the primary purpose of such an event is the 
dissemination of technical information. These costs include meals, 
transportation, rental of facilities, speakers' fees, and other items 
incidental to such meetings or conference.
    iv. USDOL funds awarded under this solicitation are not intended to 
duplicate or substitute for host-countries government efforts or 
resources intended for child labor or education programs. Thus, 
Grantees may not provide any of the funds awarded under this 
cooperative agreement to foreign government entities, ministries, 
officials, or political parties. However, sub-contracts with foreign 
government agencies may be awarded to provide direct services or 
undertake project activities subject to applicable laws and only after 
a competitive procurement process has been conducted and no other 
entity in the countries is able to provide these services. The Grantee 
must receive prior USDOL approval before sub-contracting the provision 
of direct services to foreign government agencies.
    v. Applicants are reminded that U.S. Executive Orders and U.S. law 
prohibit transactions with, and the provision of resources and support 
to, individuals and organizations associated with terrorism. It is the 
legal responsibility of the Grantee to ensure compliance with these 
Executive Orders and laws. This provision must be included in all sub-

[[Page 30808]]

contracts issued under the cooperative agreement.
    vi. The U.S. Government is opposed to prostitution and related 
activities, which are inherently harmful and dehumanizing, and 
contribute to the phenomenon of trafficking in persons. U.S. non-
governmental organizations, and their sub-contractors, cannot use U.S. 
Government funds to lobby for, promote or advocate the legalization or 
regulation of prostitution as a legitimate form of work. Foreign non-
governmental organizations, and their sub-contractors, that receive 
U.S. Government funds to fight trafficking in persons cannot lobby for, 
promote or advocate the legalization or regulation of prostitution as a 
legitimate form of work. It is the responsibility of the Grantee to 
ensure its sub-contractors meet these criteria. (The U.S. Government is 
currently developing language to specifically address Public 
International Organizations' implementation of the above anti-
prostitution prohibition. If a project under this solicitation is 
awarded to such an organization, appropriate substitute language for 
the above prohibition will be included in the project's cooperative 
agreement.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Harvey. E-mail address: 
harvey.lisa@dol.gov. For a list of frequently asked questions on 
USDOL's Child Labor Education Initiative Solicitation for Cooperative 
Agreement, please visit https://www.dol.gov/ILAB/faq/faq36.htm.

V. Application Review Information

1. Application Evaluation Criteria

    Technical panels will review applications written in the specified 
format (see Section I, Section IV(2) and Appendix A) against the 
various criteria on the basis of 100 points. Up to five additional 
points will be given for the inclusion of non-Federal leveraged 
resources as described below in Section V(1)(D). Applicants are 
requested to prepare their technical proposal (45 page maximum) 
organized in accordance with Appendix A, and address all of the 
following rating factors, which are presented in the order of emphasis 
that they will receive, and the maximum rating points for each factor.
    Program Design/Budget-Cost Effectiveness: 45 points.
    Organizational Capacity: 30 points.
    Management Plan/Key Personnel/Staffing: 25 points.
    Leveraging Resources: 5 extra points.
A. Project/Program Design/Budget-Cost Effectiveness (45 Points)
    This part of the application constitutes the preliminary project 
design document described in Section VI(3)(A), and outlined in Appendix 
A. The applicant's proposal must describe in detail the proposed 
approach to comply with each requirement. Applicants will be rated 
based on their understanding of the child labor and education context 
in the host countries, as well as on the clarity and quality of 
information provided in the project design document.
    This component of the application must demonstrate the applicant's 
thorough knowledge and understanding of the issues, barriers, and 
challenges involved in providing education to children engaged in or at 
risk of engaging in exploitive child labor, particularly its worst 
forms; best-practice solutions to address their needs; and the policy 
and implementing environment in the selected countries. When preparing 
the technical proposal, the applicant must follow the outline provided 
in Appendix A, and at minimum include a description of:
    i. Children Targeted--The applicant must identify which and how 
many children are expected to receive direct and indirect services from 
the project, including the sectors in which they work, geographical 
location, and other relevant characteristics. Please refer to Section 
I(2) for USDOL's definition of educational services and training 
opportunities for children targeted under this solicitation.
    Children are defined as persons under the age of 18 who have been 
engaged or at risk of engaging in the worst forms of child labor as 
defined by ILO Convention 182, or those under the legal working age of 
the countries and who are engaged or at risk of engaging in other 
hazardous and/or exploitive activities. Under this solicitation, at-
risk children are defined as siblings of working children, or children 
living in areas with a high incidence of exploitive child labor.
    ii. Needs/Gaps/Barriers--The applicant must describe the specific 
gaps/educational needs of the children targeted that the project will 
address.


    Note: The number of children targeted by the project must be 
commensurate with the need in the geographical area or sector where 
the project will be implemented. In addition, the budget proposed 
should take into account the type of work in which the target 
children are currently engaged.


    iii. Proposed Strategy--The applicant must discuss the proposed 
strategy to address gaps/needs/barriers of the children targeted and 
its rationale. Applicants will be rated based on the quality and 
pertinence of proposed strategies. Please refer to Section I(2) for 
USDOL's definition of educational services and training opportunities 
for children targeted under this solicitation.
    iv. Sustainability Plan--The applicant must discuss a proposed plan 
for sustainability of project efforts. To USDOL, sustainability is 
linked to project impact and the ability of individuals, communities, 
and a nation to ensure that the activities or changes implemented by a 
project endure. A project's impact is manifested at the level of 
individuals, organizations, and systems. For individual children and 
their families this would mean a positive and enduring change in their 
life conditions as a result of project interventions. At the level of 
organizations and systems, sustained impact would involve continued 
commitment and ability (including financial commitment and policy 
change) by project partners to continue the actions generated by the 
project, including enforcement of existing policies that target child 
labor and school attendance. Applicants will be rated based on the 
pertinence and appropriateness of the proposed sustainability plan.
    v. Description of Activities--The applicant must provide a detailed 
description of proposed activities that relate to the gaps/needs/
barriers to be addressed, including training and technical assistance 
to be provided to project staff, host countries nationals and community 
groups involved in the project. The proposed approach is expected to 
build upon existing activities, government policies, and plans, and 
avoid needless duplication. Please refer to Section I(2) for USDOL's 
definition of educational services and training opportunities for 
children targeted under this solicitation.
    vi. Work Plan--The applicant must provide a detailed work plan and 
timeline for the proposed project, preferably with a visual such as a 
Gantt chart. Applicants will be rated based on the clarity and quality 
of the information provided in the work plan.


    Note: Applicants are also encouraged to enroll one-quarter of 
the targeted children in educational activities during the first 
year of project implementation.


    vii. Program Management and Performance Assessment--The applicant 
must describe: (1) How management will ensure that the goals and 
objectives will be met; (2) how information and data will be collected 
and used to demonstrate the impacts of

[[Page 30809]]

the project; and (3) what systems will be put in place for self-
assessment, evaluation, and continuous improvement. Note to All 
Applicants: USDOL has already developed common indicators (enrollment, 
retention, and completion) and a database system for monitoring 
children's educational progress that can be used and adapted by 
Grantees after award. Grantees will be responsible for entering 
information on each project beneficiary into this database system. 
Further guidance on common indicators will be provided after award, 
thus applicants should focus their program management and performance 
assessment responses toward the development of their project's 
monitoring strategy in support of the delivery of direct education and 
training opportunities to working children and those at risk of 
engaging in exploitive work, and the four goals of the Child Labor 
Education Initiative set out in Section I(1)(A). Because of the 
potentially significant links between hours worked, working conditions, 
and school performance, Grantees are encouraged to collect information 
to track this correlation among project beneficiaries. Applicants 
proposing innovative methodologies in this area will be rated more 
highly.


    Please note: In addition to reporting on the common indicators, 
applicants will be expected to track the working status, conditions, 
and hours of targeted children, including the withdrawal of children 
from exploitive/hazardous working conditions. Applicants are also 
expected to explore cost-effective ways of assessing the impact of 
proposed services/interventions to indirect beneficiaries.

    Applicants are expected to budget for costs associated with 
collecting and reporting on the common indicators (enrollment, 
retention, and completion), data management, tracking the working 
status children, and assessing the impact of services/interventions to 
indirect beneficiaries.
    viii. Budget/Cost Effectiveness--The applicant must show how the 
budget reflects program goals and design in a cost-effective way to 
reflect budget/performance integration. The budget must be linked to 
the activities and outputs of the implementation plan listed above. The 
budget proposed should also take into account the type of work in which 
the target children are currently engaged.
    This section of the application must explain the costs for 
performing all of the requirements presented in this solicitation, and 
for producing all required reports and other deliverables. Costs must 
include labor; equipment; travel; annual single audits or attestation 
engagements (as applicable); midterm and final evaluations; and other 
related costs. Applications are expected to allocate sufficient 
resources to proposed studies, assessments, surveys, and monitoring and 
evaluation activities, including costs associated with collecting 
information for and reporting on the common indicators. In addition, 
the budget should include a contingency provision, calculated at 5% of 
the project's total direct costs, for unexpected expenses essential to 
meeting project goals, such as host countries currency devaluations, 
security costs, etc. USDOL will not provide additional funding to cover 
unanticipated costs. Grantees must obtain prior approval from USDOL 
before using contingency funds. If these funds have not been exhausted 
toward the end of the project period, USDOL and the Grantee will 
determine whether it is appropriate to reallocate the funds to direct 
educational or training services or return the funds to USDOL.
    Grantees should also budget for a facilitator-led project launch 
meeting in the target countries, which will allow key stakeholders to 
discuss issues of project design and monitoring.
    When developing their applications, applicants are also expected to 
allocate the largest proportion of resources to educational activities 
aimed at targeted children, rather than direct and/or indirect 
administrative costs. Higher ratings may be given to applicants with 
low administrative costs and with a budget breakdown that provides a 
larger amount of resources to project activities. All projected costs 
should be reported, as they will become part of the cooperative 
agreement upon award. In their cost proposal (Part I of the 
application), applicants must reflect a breakdown of the total 
administrative costs into direct administrative costs and indirect 
administrative costs. This section will be evaluated in accordance with 
applicable Federal laws and regulations. The budget must comply with 
Federal cost principles (which can be found in the applicable OMB 
Circulars). An example of an Outputs Based Budget has been provided as 
Annex B.
    Applicants are encouraged to discuss the possibility of exemption 
from customs and Value Added Tax (VAT) with host government officials 
during the preparation of an application for this cooperative 
agreement. While USDOL encourages host governments to not apply custom 
or VAT taxes to USDOL-funded programs, some host governments may 
nevertheless choose to assess such taxes. USDOL may not be able to 
provide assistance in this regard. Applicants should take into account 
such costs in budget preparation. If major costs are omitted, a Grantee 
may not be allowed to include them later.
B. Organizational Capacity (30 Points)
    Under this criterion, the applicant must present the qualifications 
of the organization(s) implementing the program/project. The evaluation 
criteria in this category are as follows:
    i. International Experience--The organization applying for the 
award has international experience implementing basic, transitional, 
non-formal, or vocational education programs that address issues of 
access, quality, and policy reform for vulnerable children including 
children engaging in or at risk of engaging in exploitive child labor, 
preferably in the countries of interest.
    ii. Country Presence--Given the need to provide children engaged in 
the worst forms of child labor with immediate assistance in accessing 
educational and training opportunities, applicants will be evaluated on 
their ability to start up project activities soon after signing a 
cooperative agreemen