Combating Exploitive Child Labor Through Education in Indonesia and Nepal, 48441-48442 [05-16273]

Agencies

• Office of the Secretary
• DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 158 (Wednesday, August 17, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48441-48442]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-16273]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Combating Exploitive Child Labor Through Education in Indonesia 
and Nepal

AGENCY: Bureau of International Labor Affairs, Department of Labor.
    Announcement Type: New. Notice of Intent To Fund Sole Source Award.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: Not 
applicable.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), Bureau of International 
Labor Affairs (ILAB), intends to award USD 2.5 million through a sole 
source cooperative agreement to Save the Children Federation Inc. 
(STC), a U.S.-based non-profit organization. This funding will be used 
over a four-year period to support the current STC project in 
Indonesia, ``Enabling Communities to Combat Child Trafficking through 
Education,'' by extending project activities in the earthquake and 
tsunami stricken region of Aceh and to bring USDOL funded child labor 
activities in Indonesia to a successful completion. USDOL also intends 
to award USD 3.5 million through a sole source cooperative agreement to 
World Education, Inc., a U.S.-based non-profit organization. This 
funding will support a four-year second phase of World Education's 
``Brighter Futures Program: Combating Child Labor in Nepal through 
Education,'' because the activity to be funded is essential to the 
satisfactory completion of this project.
    ILAB is authorized to award and administer this program by the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005, Pub. L. 108-447, 118 Stat. 2809 
(2004), which provided funding for USDOL to improve access to basic 
education in international areas with a high rate of abusive and 
exploitative child labor through the Child Labor Education Initiative 
(EI) grant program. Since 1995, USDOL has awarded grants to commercial, 
international, and non-governmental organizations working to eliminate 
the worst forms of child labor through the provision of basic 
education. The cooperative agreements awarded under this initiative 
will be managed by ILAB's International Child Labor Program to assure 
achievement of the awards' stated goals.
    Indonesia: ILAB finds STC uniquely qualified to implement a major 
program to rapidly restore the educational sector in Aceh and thereby 
reduce children's vulnerability to trafficking and other forms of 
exploitation. STC has worked

[[Page 48442]]

in Indonesia for over 30 years and was one of the leaders of the 
tsunami emergency response effort in Aceh due to its long-standing 
presence in the region. The target groups of children in Aceh include 
children being exploited through work in the worst forms of child labor 
and those at-risk of entering such work, including conscription into 
fighting in the civil conflict, and working in the agriculture and 
fishing sectors in the reconstruction effort.
    STC is uniquely qualified by virtue of its institutional and 
contextual knowledge of Indonesia; its familiarity and strong networks 
with local officials, organizations, and support groups; its pre-
existing presence in Aceh and unparalleled experience providing 
assistance to the region; its extensive working relationships with the 
targeted communities; its readily available personnel and facilities; 
and its experience with USDOL reporting and administrative 
requirements. Additionally, through their previous work and tsunami 
relief in Aceh, STC has already laid the groundwork for an expansion of 
the ENABLE project activities and have identified sources of 
counterpart funding that will multiply the impact of the USDOL 
investment. The range of services provided by STC includes innovative 
methods to increase access to formal and non-formal education; generate 
public awareness; return, rehabilitate, and reintegrate trafficked 
children; and build capacity at all levels.
    USDOL's experience working with STC began in the summer of 2004, 
when STC submitted proposals to USDOL in response to solicitations for 
grant applications under the EI. As a result of the competitive 
processes, USDOL entered into two cooperative agreements with STC to 
implement EI projects, including one in Indonesia. Activities completed 
as part of the current Indonesian project include securing the support 
and involvement of the government at the national, provincial and 
district levels; laying the ground work for the return, recovery and 
reintegration aspect of the program; and signing of a Memorandum of 
Understanding with the Police hospital to establish the Medical 
Recovery Center for victims of trafficking. However, Aceh was not 
included as one of the initial target areas in the original cooperative 
agreement due to the civil conflict and restrictions placed by the 
government on foreign assistance in the region. The government has 
since removed the restrictions, in part due to concerns about 
trafficking in the post-tsunami environment.
    Timely provision of services in Aceh is crucial due to the fragile 
environment created by the trauma and displacement of the tsunami and 
the ongoing civil conflict. Given STC's longstanding presence and 
quality work in the region, strong existing on-the-ground 
relationships, existing solid foundation and counterpart funding for 
additional activities, and innovative education delivery methods, USDOL 
finds STC uniquely qualified for this sole-source award and deems it 
highly capable of providing timely and effective services in Aceh. The 
awarding of further USDOL support to STC will allow the program to 
expand its geographic coverage into Aceh and build on existing 
activities to rebuild and strengthen the education system in Aceh as a 
means of reducing children's vulnerability to the worst forms of child 
labor and trafficking.
    Nepal: ILAB finds World Education uniquely qualified to perform the 
program activities in Nepal on a national scale. As a direct 
educational service provider in Nepal, World Education has a high level 
of technical expertise in education and administrative oversight 
capabilities required to work with local implementing partners in 
targeted districts throughout Nepal. With an extensive network of 
working relationships with the government, donors, local partners and 
communities, and district education authorities in Nepal, World 
Education possesses a unique ability to implement a comprehensive 
program of direct services to the intended target group of children. 
This group is comprised of children working in the worst forms of child 
labor and those at-risk of entering such work, including domestic 
service, rag picking (recycling), portering, mining and quarrying, 
brick manufacturing, bus transportation, bonded labor, as well as those 
children trafficked for labor and sexual exploitation.
    The range of services of World Education's Brighter Futures Program 
includes development of a flexible, modular non-formal education 
curriculum and schooling program for child laborers; accelerated 
learning and transition to formal school; practical skills training 
programs and apprenticeships; psychosocial and career counseling; 
improved access and quality of the formal education system through 
parent-teacher association and community/school management committee 
development; training of teacher trainers; ongoing collection of 
baseline data to design well-targeted interventions and track the 
performance of program beneficiaries; and advocacy for the inclusion of 
child labor issues in national education programs.
    USDOL's experience working with World Education in Nepal began in 
2002, when World Education submitted a proposal to USDOL in response to 
a solicitation for grant application under the EI. As a result of that 
competitive procurement process, USDOL entered into a cooperative 
agreement with World Education to implement the current EI project in 
Nepal called the Brighter Futures Program. World Education's innovative 
approach in working with communities to provide quality education and 
increase access to schooling through capacity building and 
strengthening of parent-teacher associations and community/school 
management committees has proven effective. As of early 2005, World 
Education has provided, or was in the process of providing, educational 
services to 21,857 children removed from the worst forms of child 
labor, exceeding its original program target of 17,000 children. Over 
14,000 children at-risk of entering exploitative labor have also 
received one or more services through the program.
    Given World Education's demonstrable ability to deliver quality 
services in a complex implementing environment, its extensive local 
partnerships throughout many districts of Nepal, and its ability to 
work with communities to address the problem of child labor, USDOL 
finds World Education to be uniquely qualified for this sole source 
award. Further USDOL support to World Education will allow the Brighter 
Futures Program time to strengthen and expand activities undertaken 
through the current project to ensure sustainability of the project's 
objectives after it is completed.
    For additional information on this award, please contact Charita 
Castro at (202) 693-4843. Mailing address: U.S. Department of Labor, 
Bureau of International Labor Affairs, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., 
Room S-5307, Washington, DC 20210.

Intergovernmental Review

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

    Signed in Washington, DC, this 9th day of August, 2005.
Lisa Harvey,
Grant Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-16273 Filed 8-16-05; 8:45 am]
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