[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 229 (Wednesday, November 28, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59478-59493]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-29423]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Combating Child Labor Through Education in Timebound Programs (El 
Salvador, Nepal, Tanzania)

AGENCY: Bureau of International Labor Affairs, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for 
Cooperative Agreement Applications (SGA 01-06).

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    This notice contains all of the necessary information and forms 
needed to apply for cooperative agreement funding.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of International Labor 
Affairs, will award funds to an organization or organizations to 
develop and implement education programs as a means to combat the worst 
forms of child labor as defined in International Labor Organization 
(ILO) Convention No. 182. The education programs will supplement and 
complement ``Timebound Programs'' being implemented by the ILO's 
International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor in El Salvador, 
Nepal and Tanzania. ILAB is seeking applications from qualified 
organizations for implementation of the basic education component of 
the Timebound Program initiatives, which includes the successful 
integration of children removed from child labor into formal education, 
and support of improvements in the quality of transitional and non-
formal education that precedes integration into the formal school 
system. Applicants may submit proposals for implementation in one or 
more of the three countries.

DATE: The closing date for receipt of applications is January 18, 2002. 
Applications must be received by 4:45 p.m. (Eastern Time) at the 
address below. No exceptions to the mailing and hand-delivery 
conditions set forth in this notice will be granted. Applications that 
do not meet the conditions set forth in this notice will not be 
honored. Telefacsimile (FAX) applications will not be honored.

ADDRESS: Application forms will not be mailed. They are published in 
this Federal Register Notice, and in the Federal Register which may be 
obtained from your nearest U.S. Government office or public library or 
online at http://www.nara.gov/fedreg/nfpubs.html.
    Applications must be delivered to: U.S. Department of Labor, 
Procurement Services Center, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N-5416, 
Attention: Lisa Harvey, Reference: SGA 01-06, Washington, DC 20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Harvey. E-mail address: [email protected]. All inquiries should reference SGA 01-06.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Bureau of International Labor Affairs 
(ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL, Department, or Grantor), 
announces the availability of funds to be granted by cooperative 
agreement to one or more qualifying organizations for the purpose of 
preventing and combating the worst forms of child labor through basic 
education in El Salvador, Nepal and Tanzania. The cooperative 
agreement(s) is(are) to be actively 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 using education 
as a means of reducing the worst forms of child labor in these 
countries.

I. Background and Program Scope

A. USDOL Support of the Global Elimination of Child Labor

    The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 250 
million working children between the ages of five and 14 in developing 
countries, about half of whom work full-time. Full-time child workers 
are generally unable to attend school, and from an early age part-time 
child laborers must balance economic survival with schooling, often to 
the detriment of their education.
    The existence of child labor has many implications for a country. 
Education is a key investment that has been linked to the acceleration 
of a nation's productivity and socioeconomic development. Poorly 
educated workers tend to earn less, live in poverty, and may need to 
send their own children to work at a young age. It is important to 
undertake education initiatives for child laborers and their at-risk 
siblings because their lack of schooling hinders the development of a 
modern workforce, overall labor market reform, poverty reduction and 
social progress.
    Since 1995 as mandated by the U.S. Congress, USDOL has supported a 
worldwide technical assistance program implemented by the International 
Labor Organization's International Program on the Elimination of Child 
Labor (ILO/IPEC). USDOL contributions to date to

[[Page 59479]]

ILO/IPEC have amounted to some $112 million, making the United States 
the program's largest donor and a leader in global efforts to combat 
child labor. In USDOL's FY 2001 appropriations, in addition to $45 
million in funds earmarked for ILO/IPEC, the Department received $37 
million for an Education Initiative that will fund programs that 
increase access to quality, basic education in areas with a high 
incidence of child labor. The cooperative agreement(s) awarded under 
this solicitation will be funded by this new initiative.
    USDOL's Education Initiative nurtures the development, health, 
safety and enhanced future employability of children around the world 
by increasing access to basic education for children removed from child 
labor or at risk of entering it. Child labor elimination will depend in 
part on improving access to, quality of, and relevance of education. 
Without improving educational quality and relevance, children withdrawn 
from child labor may not have viable alternatives and could resort to 
other forms of hazardous work.
    The Education Initiative has the following four goals:
    1. Raise awareness of the importance of education for all children 
and mobilize a wide array of actors to improve and expand education 
infrastructures;
    2. Strengthen formal and transitional education systems that 
encourage working children and those at risk of working to attend 
school;
    3. Strengthen national institutions and policies on education and 
child labor; and
    4. Ensure the long-term sustainability of these efforts.

B. The Timebound Strategy to Eliminate Child Labor

    Programs funded by USDOL have evolved from targeted action programs 
in specific sectors into a more comprehensive approach. In June 2001, 
at the International Labor Conference in Geneva, new programs were 
launched in three countries (El Salvador, Nepal, and Tanzania) to 
effectively abolish the worst forms of child labor in a five to ten-
year time frame. These programs are called ``Timebound Programs'' and 
are a technical assistance modality designed to assist countries to 
eliminate the worst forms of child labor in a defined period of time. 
Timebound programs provide assistance to countries to support 
implementation of ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor 
to which the United States is a signatory. 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, Convention 182 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; work 
for long hours or night work where the child is unreasonably confined 
to the premises.
    The Timebound Program is designed to be a country-owned initiative. 
Participation in a Timebound Program implies commitment by a country to 
mobilize and allocate national human and financial resources to combat 
the problem. USDOL-supported programs will assist governments in this 
process by identifying and supporting projects, measures, 
interventions, institutional mechanisms and partnerships required to 
eliminate the worst forms of child labor.
    Success in the selected countries--El Salvador, Nepal and 
Tanzania--the first three countries to implement the Timebound Program, 
will provide the impetus and models for more countries to try this 
innovative approach, thereby increasing the impact in the elimination 
of child labor around the world.

C. The Timebound Program in the Target Countries

    Substantial preparatory work has been conducted before launching 
the Timebound Programs in the target countries. This work includes 
rapid assessments, research and national stakeholder consultations. Of 
particular interest are the final project documents which, along with 
other background documents, are available for examination by applicants 
to this solicitation at: www.dol.gov/dol/ilab/public/programs/iclp/welcome.html, or in hard copy upon request (see Appendix F). The 
country information presented in Appendices C-E of this solicitation 
summarizes much of the pertinent information contained in documents 
produced in preparation for the implementation of the Timebound Program 
in the three countries.

II. Authority

    ILAB is authorized to award and administer this program by the 
consolidated Appropriations Act, 2001, Pub. L. no. 106-554, 114 stat. 
2763A-10 (2000).

III. Application Process

A. Eligible Applicants

    Any organization capable of successfully developing and 
implementing the education component of Timebound programs is eligible 
for this cooperative agreement. Partnerships of more than one 
organization are also eligible. Applicants may apply for either one or 
more of the countries. The capability of an applicant or applicants to 
perform necessary aspects of this solicitation will be determined under 
Section V.B. Rating Criteria.
    Please note that eligible cooperative agreement applicants must not 
be classified under the Internal Revenue Code as a 501(c)(4) entity. 
See 26 U.S.C. 506(c)(4). According to section 18 of the Lobbying 
Disclosure Act of 1995, an organization, as described in section 
501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, that engages in 
lobbying activities will not be eligible for the receipt of federal 
funds constituting an award, grant, or loan.

B. Submission of Applications

    One (1) ink-signed original, complete application plus two (2) 
copies of the Proposal, must be submitted to the U.S. Department of 
Labor, Procurement Services Center, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room 
N-5416, Washington, DC 20210, not later than 4:45 p.m. ET, January 18, 
2002.
    The application must consist of two (2) separate parts. Part I of 
the application must contain the Standard Form (SF) 424, ``Application 
for Federal Assistance'' (Appendix A) (The entry on SF 424 for the 
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number (CFDA) is 17.700) and 
sections A-F of the Budget Information Form SF 424A (Appendix

[[Page 59480]]

B). Part II must contain a technical proposal that demonstrates 
capabilities in accordance with the Statement of Work and the selection 
criteria.
    To be considered responsive to this solicitation, the application 
must consist of the above-mentioned separate sections not to exceed 40 
single-sided (8\1/2\"  x  11"), double-spaced, 10 to 12 pitch typed 
pages per country for which a response is submitted. Any proposals that 
do not conform to these standards may be deemed non-responsive to this 
solicitation and may not be evaluated. Standard forms and attachments 
are not included in the page limit. Each proposal must include a table 
of contents and an abstract summarizing the proposal in not more than 
two (2) pages. These pages are also not included in the page limits.
    Upon completion of negotiations, the individual signing the SF 424 
on behalf of the applicant must be authorized to bind the applicant.

C. Acceptable Methods of Submission

    All applicants are advised that U.S. mail delivery in the 
Washington, DC area has been erratic due to the recent concerns 
involving anthrax contamination. All applicants must take this into 
consideration when preparing to meet the application deadline. 
Applications sent by E-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX) will not be 
accepted.

D. Funding Levels

    Up to US $12 million is available for this program, to fund 
activities in three (3) countries: El Salvador, Nepal and Tanzania, 
with fairly equal distribution of funds among the countries. USDOL 
reserves the option of awarding more than one cooperative agreement. 
One or more organizations may apply to implement in one or more of the 
countries, but separate proposals of up to 40 pages must be submitted 
for each country. (See Section B above, Submission of Applications).

E. Program Duration

    The duration of the program(s) funded by this SGA is four (4) 
years. The start date of program activities will be negotiated upon 
awarding of grant.

IV. Requirements

A. Statement of Work

    In developing their proposals, potential grant recipients should 
take into account the situation of the countries of implementation as 
outlined in Appendices C, D, and E and background documents on the 
Timebound Program available on-line at: www.dol.gov/dol/ilab/public/programs/iclp/welcome.html, or in hard copy upon request (Appendix F). 
The applicants will propose approaches that will meet the education 
needs of the identified target beneficiaries in each country and 
support the goals of USDOL's Education Initiative: (1) Raise awareness 
of the importance of education for all children and mobilize a wide 
array of actors to improve and expand education infrastructures; (2) 
Strengthen formal and transitional education systems that encourage 
working children and those at risk of working to attend school; (3) 
Strengthen national institutions and policies on education and child 
labor, and (4) Ensure the long-term sustainability of these efforts.
    The Grantee(s) will be required to work cooperatively with 
stakeholders in the countries, including Ministries/Departments of 
Education and Labor, trade unions, the private sector, non-governmental 
organizations, national steering/advisory committees on child labor and 
education, and working children and their families. The Grantee(s) will 
need to coordinate their activities with those of the broad-based 
Timebound Programs being undertaken by the ILO/IPEC with USDOL funding, 
and will be required to work in close collaboration and consultation 
with ILO/IPEC to guarantee a seamless integration between the education 
component funded by the Education Initiative, and the other components 
of the Timebound Programs funded separately. Close collaboration 
includes, but is not limited to, working with the target populations 
and geographical areas as identified in Timebound project documents; 
and coordinating of advocacy and awareness raising campaigns. Project 
key personnel will work closely with the ILO/IPEC's Chief Technical 
Advisor and Senior National Officer for the Timebound Program in each 
country.
    These general guidelines must be adapted and targeted to the needs 
and Timebound approach being developed in each of the three countries. 
The requirements form the core by which the Grantee will develop an 
implementation work plan after award. In developing responses, 
potential Grantees are referred to Timebound program and project 
documents and supporting documentation on-line. Below is a listing of 
country-specific requirements to guide potential grantees in the 
development of responses to this solicitation.

El Salvador

    The applicant will propose creative and innovative approaches to 
improve access, quality and relevance of education for children of the 
project's four target groups: children working in garbage dumps; 
children working in sugar cane; children working in fishing; and child 
victims of commercial sexual exploitation. The approach suggested will 
include broad actions that promote an enabling environment at the 
national level, and specific, pilot interventions at the local level in 
18 targeted municipalities (listed in Appendix C) to increase 
enrollment and attendance in educational settings, reduce dropout, 
increase promotion to next grade, and increase mainstreaming of 
children into formal schooling or to vocational education leading to 
improved employment. Applicants must propose how to address issues 
related to the following areas of implementation:
At the National Level
    The applicant will propose:
    1. The approach to be used to build a partnership with the Ministry 
of Education (MINED) to collaboratively develop strategies to provide 
targeted working children with educational alternatives.
    2. Methods to strengthen MINED's capacity to improve the database 
on the education of working children or those removed from child labor, 
and particularly to collect data on their net enrollment, attendance, 
educational achievement, drop-out rates, and to cross-tabulate economic 
activity of children and school attendance and performance. Improved 
capacity would include the ability to assess existing methodological 
tools used in El Salvador for collecting, processing, analyzing, 
mapping and disseminating information on the education of the child 
labor population. The result of strengthened capacity would be the 
ability of MINED and other stakeholders to better monitor performance 
and design appropriate education policies and programs for the target 
population.
    3. Ways to raise national awareness on the education of child 
laborers and the audiences for the awareness raising.
    4. Ways to mobilize resources for the education of child laborers 
and to improve education infrastructures in areas of high child labor.
    5. Possible objectives and content of modules on child labor to be 
developed for use in MINED's countrywide teacher training in El 
Salvador.
    6. Ways to promote national policy dialogue in El Salvador on how 
to lower educational barriers for working children or children removed 
from child labor, particularly its worst forms, and how to use 
education policies to complement and support existing child labor 
policies. In proposing approaches,

[[Page 59481]]

the applicant must consider that the reform process must explicitly 
address the relationship between child labor and school desertion and 
absenteeism. The applicant must also keep in mind that education 
programs should address the needs of working children and their 
families, and the poverty and inability of some families to sustain 
school fees and attendance.
    7. Methods for nationwide sharing of the lessons learned in pilot 
interventions, and for eventually scaling up and replicating them in 
other parts of El Salvador after the end of the project.
At the Municipal Level
    The applicant will work in close collaboration with MINED to 
develop pilot interventions to reduce barriers within the education 
system that prevent target children from gaining access to quality, 
relevant education, and that address the particular needs of working 
children and their families. MINED will provide approximately 25 new 
teachers to work in targeted schools, and four MINED educational 
advisors, including curriculum design experts, who will work part-time 
on the project. Training for teachers on child labor will be provided 
by MINED.
    The applicant will suggest ways to use and/or strengthen existing 
innovative MINED programs cited in Appendix C so that they can better 
serve the needs of the target population. The suggested approach is 
particularly important because MINED has agreed to absorb into their 
future programs and budgets the joint initiatives developed by the 
project so that it can later replicate and expand the successful models 
and experiences. Specifically at the municipal level in target areas, 
the applicant will propose methods to:
    1. Raise awareness of parents, teachers, educators, children, and 
community leaders to promote enrollment and retention of target 
children into educational settings, and reduce late enrollment of at-
risk siblings.
    2. Increase community involvement and participation of different 
actors including local authorities, teachers' associations, parents, 
and others to improve the physical and material infrastructure in 
schools; mobilize resources to rebuild and repair classrooms and 
schools destroyed by earthquakes, and provide additionally needed 
materials and school supplies.
    3. Support improvements in quality in transitional and non-formal 
education programs so as to ensure a greater chance of eventual 
integration by these children into the formal school system.
    4. Work with MINED to upgrade the knowledge and skills of teachers 
and administrators to adapt schools and classrooms to receive and 
nurture the success of all students, including former child laborers 
and older children in the target areas where schools will be receiving 
a large influx of former child workers. Suggest courses and activities 
to improve pedagogy, participatory teaching methods, learning 
assessment, planning, and monitoring of results.
    5. Mainstream large numbers of targeted children into the formal 
school system and provide educational support to help them succeed in 
that setting. This support can include after-school programs and 
centers in selected districts to provide counseling and guidance for 
target groups, recreational activities, tutoring, and life skills 
training.
    6. Address gender issues that severely limit the participation of 
either boys or girls in school because of work demands, including 
childcare of younger siblings.
    7. Improve the quality and relevance of the curriculum in education 
programs to make them more relevant to the needs of parents and 
children, and the communities where they live. In showing how quality 
and relevance would be improved, provide examples of how to utilize 
MINED's Quality Management Model that permits local communities to 
adapt the curriculum to their local environment. In this regard, the 
grantee will work with MINED curriculum design experts.
    8. Identify and strengthen community organizations and networks 
that are critical to the success of pilot interventions including for 
the mobilization of resources, and for monitoring the target 
population's school attendance and access to improved education.
    9. Address the issue of project sustainability by proposing a 
strategy to generate resources to cover recurrent costs of suggested 
education programs, either through existing budgetary mechanisms, or by 
generating alternative national or local community-based financing 
mechanisms, such as mandatory or voluntary contributions by users of 
services, or through philanthropy, volunteer programs, or corporate 
citizenship.

Nepal

    The applicant will suggest creative and innovative approaches to 
improve access to education for children of the project's six target 
groups: child porters; child rag pickers; child domestic workers; child 
victims of trafficking; children in mines; and children working in the 
carpet sector. The applicant will suggest ways to use and/or strengthen 
existing education programs so that targeted children can benefit from 
them.
    The approach suggested will include broad actions that promote an 
enabling environment at the national level, and specific interventions 
at the level of the 22 targeted districts (listed in Appendix D) to 
improve quality, increase enrollment and attendance at educational 
settings, reduce dropout, increase promotion to next grade, and 
increase mainstreaming of target children to formal schooling or to 
vocational education leading to improved employment. Especially 
important in Nepal will be to make education relevant and inclusive of 
those children who have been traditionally socially excluded. In 
implementing the approach, the Grantee will be required to develop 
partnerships with the Ministry of Education and Sports, with the ILO/
IPEC Timebound project staff, with the Basic Primary Education Project 
(BPEP), and with the Asian Development Bank's future Teacher Training 
Program.
    In their response applicants must show how they would address 
issues related to the following areas of implementation:
At the National Level
    The applicant will propose:
    1. The approach to be used to build a partnership with the Ministry 
of Education and Sports to collaboratively develop strategies to 
provide education to working children in targeted areas of Nepal, and 
to contribute to the implementation of His Majesty's Master Plan for 
the Elimination of Child Labor.
    2. Methods to promote national policy dialogue in Nepal on how to 
make education and training responsive to the needs of the target 
population. In proposing approaches, the applicant must explicitly 
address the relationship between child labor and school desertion and 
absenteeism. The applicant must also keep in mind that education 
programs should address the needs of working children and their 
families, and the poverty and inability of some families to sustain 
school fees and attendance.
    3. Methods to improve education data collection and analysis on the 
targeted children that will feed into education policy and planning.
    4. Methods to raise national awareness and mobilize resources to 
improve school access, enrollment, attendance and retention for 
targeted children.
    5. Ways that outreach and flexible schooling approaches that have 
been

[[Page 59482]]

developed in Nepal for other projects might be used to meet the needs 
and requirements of poor rural families vulnerable to child labor.
    6. Methods to develop linkages between transitional and formal 
education systems to allow ex-working children to successfully be 
mainstreamed into formal education, and to increase targeted children's 
access to vocational education.
    7. Objectives and content of modules on child labor and other 
related themes to be used in teacher training that can be picked up by 
donor initiatives such as BPEP and the ADB Teacher Training Program.
    8. Approaches to review the examination system in schools to reduce 
the bias against excluded groups, and to develop alternative learning 
assessment tools to measure the educational achievement of the targeted 
children.
    9. Methods for nationwide sharing of lessons learned in district 
interventions, and for eventual scaling up and replication in other 
parts of Nepal after the end of the project.
At the District Level
    The applicant will work closely with local authorities and 
educators to create a coherent model of education interventions at the 
district level to provide education alternatives to children rescued 
from the worst forms of child labor. In the process of implementation 
it is expected that capacity and control of local delivery mechanisms 
for education will be strengthened. The applicant will propose:
    1. Methods to raise awareness about the education needs of targeted 
children among various local actors including municipal authorities, 
community-based organizations, teachers unions, district and village 
development committees (DDCs and VDCs) and others to be suggested by 
the applicant.
    2. Approaches to mobilize local communities to increase parental 
participation, and raise demand for accessible, affordable, relevant 
and quality education, improve education infrastructure, and develop 
community-based school improvement activities.
    3. Types of training or other activities that could be provided to 
officials of the district, municipality and local government to improve 
local planning so that it addresses the education needs of the target 
population.
    4. Methods to strengthen the quality of transitional and non-formal 
education programs, so that these children have a greater chance to be 
successfully mainstreamed into the formal system.
    5. Ways to assist local education authorities to develop effective 
administrative systems to enhance the capacity of schools to receive a 
large influx of former child laborers, and strengthen school admission 
and retention policies to facilitate the entry or re-entry of children 
removed from child labor.
    6. Approaches to mainstream the large numbers of targeted children 
into the formal school systems and provide educational support to help 
them succeed in that setting. This support can include after-school 
programs and centers in selected districts to provide counseling and 
guidance for target groups, recreational activities, tutoring, and life 
skills training.
    7. Approaches to promote the decentralization of the education 
budget to the district level within the framework of Nepal's Local-Self 
Governance Act.
    8. Approaches to develop the private sponsorship of school 
attendance by target children, particularly child domestic workers.
    9. Ways to address gender issues that severely limit the 
participation of either boys or girls in school because of work 
demands, including childcare of younger siblings.
    10. Methods for community monitoring of schools that receive target 
children that complement and reinforce formal education monitoring 
systems.

Tanzania:

    The applicant will suggest creative and innovative approaches to 
improve access to formal education for children of the project's target 
population: children in prostitution, domestic work, mining, and 
commercial agriculture. The major thrust will be to promote an enabling 
environment and create capacity at the district level to contribute to 
the Government of Tanzania's plan to reduce by 75% the number of 
children working in these sectors by 2005.
    The applicant will suggest ways to address education system 
barriers and education needs for target children cited in Appendix E. 
The approach suggested will include actions that promote a supportive 
environment at the national level, and specific interventions in the 11 
targeted districts (see Appendix E). District interventions should 
improve quality, increase enrollment and attendance, reduce dropout, 
increase promotion to next grade, and increase mainstreaming of target 
children to formal schooling or to vocational education leading to 
improved employment.

At the national level:

    The applicant will propose:
    1. Ways to raise national awareness/mobilize resources for the 
education of child laborers, and the audiences for the awareness 
raising/resource mobilization initiatives.
    2. Means by which to build inter-institutional coordination 
capacity for education policies and programs to support Tanzania's 
Child Labor Elimination Policy (CLEP), including a strategy to bring in 
institutions working on Tanzania's Poverty Reduction Master Plan 
(PRSP), Basic Education Master Plan (BEMP), Education Sector 
Development Program (ESDP), and ILO/IPEC's Strategic Program Framework 
(SPF) for the elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor.
    3. A method by which to assist the Ministry of Education in 
Tanzania to develop guidelines for local government authorities on how 
to promote access to education for disadvantaged children, including 
those withdrawn from child labor. The guidelines should include 
references on how to improve education quality and relevance, physical 
and material infrastructure, and ensure enrollment, attendance and 
retention of the target children.
    4. The approach and suggested content of training for teachers and 
Ministry of Education Inspectors on the theme of child labor.
    5. Approaches to curriculum development/improvement to enhance the 
relevance of course content for the target population and the 
communities in which they live.
    6. Approaches to create accountability mechanisms within the 
Ministry of Education to monitor the progress in reaching target 
children in affected communities.
    7. Methods for nationwide sharing of lessons learned in district 
interventions, and for eventual scaling up and replication in other 
parts of Tanzania after the end of the project.

At the district level:

    The applicant will work within the context of decentralization 
initiatives of the Local Government Reform Process (LGRP) in Tanzania 
to advance the education of children in the targeted sectors.
    The applicant will propose:
    1. An approach to improve capacity to collect education data and 
develop a database that feeds into decentralized planning and policy 
implementation in support of the LGRP in Tanzania. The applicant should 
specify the types of data that would be collected, and how they would 
feed into district education

[[Page 59483]]

plans, and which organizations would be strengthened.
    2. The means to build capacity of key organizations (e.g., District 
Social Welfare Committees, Child Labor Committees at the village and/or 
ward level) to plan for and manage the education for the target 
children.
    3. Ways to promote greater involvement of parents and community 
members in efforts to identify children who are not attending school, 
and take measures to prevent and withdraw children from work and place 
them in education settings.
    4. Approaches to link transitional non-formal education (that will 
be administered by the ILO/IPEC to the target population) to formal 
education. These approaches would include means of preparing the formal 
system to give attention to need of ex-child workers, and the 
development of school admission, retention and other policies that 
could support their successful transition to formal schooling.
    5. Ways to improve the quality of formal education at the local 
level, including through the development of enrichment programs or 
alternative education.
    6. Ways to address gender issues in the education of the target 
children.
    7. An approach to develop a community monitoring system for the 
education of the target children that would complement district level 
monitoring and information systems.
    8. Methods to mobilize resources at district and local levels to 
sustain education activities for the target children.
    In addition to meeting these requirements for each country, 
Grantee(s) also will be expected to monitor the implementation of the 
program, report to USDOL on a quarterly basis, and evaluate program 
results. The grant(s) will include funds to plan, implement and 
evaluate programs and activities, conduct various studies, and to 
establish education baselines to measure program results. The education 
baselines will complement those conducted by the ILO/IPEC. Grantee(s) 
must develop annual work plans that will be approved by USDOL. 
Corresponding indicators of performance will also be developed by the 
Grantee(s) and approved by USDOL.

B. Deliverables

    Unless otherwise indicated, the Grantee(s) must submit copies of 
all required reports to ILAB by the specified due dates. Other 
documents, such as project design documents, are to be submitted by 
mutually agreed upon deadlines.
    1. Project Designs. A project document to be established by ILAB in 
the logical framework format will be used, and will include a 
background/justification section, project strategy (objectives, 
outputs, activities, indicators), project implementation timetable and 
project budget. The project design will be drawn from the proposal 
written in response to this solicitation. The document will also 
include sections that address coordination strategies, project 
management and sustainability. The time for delivery of this document 
will be negotiated at the time of the award.
    2. Technical and Financial Progress Reports. The Grantee(s) must 
furnish a typed technical report to ILAB on a quarterly basis by 31 
March, 30 June, 30 September, and 31 December. The grantee(s) must also 
furnish a separate financial report to ILAB on the quarterly basis 
mentioned above. The format for the technical progress report will be 
the format developed by ILAB and must contain the following 
information:
    a. For each project objective, an accurate account of activities 
carried out under that objective during the reporting period;
    b. An accounting of staff and any subcontractor hours expended;
    c. An accounting of travel performed under the cooperative 
agreement during the reporting period, including purpose of trip, 
persons or organizations contacted, and benefits derived;
    d. A description of current problems that may impede performance, 
and proposed corrective action;
    e. Future actions planned in support of each project objective; and
    f. Aggregate amount of costs incurred during the reporting period.
    3. Annual Work Plan. An annual work plan will be developed within a 
month of project award and approved by ILAB so as to ensure 
coordination with ILO/IPEC components of the Timebound project in each 
of the countries. Subsequent annual work plans will be delivered no 
later than one year after the previous one.
    4. Monitoring and Evaluation Plan. A monitoring and evaluation plan 
for all projects will be developed, in collaboration with ILAB, 
including beginning and ending dates for projects, planned and actual 
dates for mid-term review, and final end of project evaluations. 
Although financed separately and with its own budget, the Grantee(s) 
will coordinate activities with ILO/IPEC, and its outputs and 
activities will support common objectives for the project as a whole. 
The monitoring plan will be prepared after completion of baseline 
surveys, including revision of indicators provided in project document, 
targets, and means of verification.
    5. Evaluation Reports. The Grantee(s) and the Grant Officer's 
Technical Representative (GOTR) will determine on a case-by-case basis 
whether mid-term evaluations will be conducted by an internal or 
external evaluation team. All final evaluations will be external in 
nature. The Grantee must respond to any comments and recommendations 
resulting from the review of the mid-term report.

C. Production of Deliverables

    1. Materials Prepared Under the Cooperative Agreement. The 
Grantee(s) must submit to ILAB all media-related and educational 
materials developed before they are reproduced, published, or used. 
ILAB considers that education materials include brochures, pamphlets, 
videotapes, slide-tape shows, curricula, and any other training 
materials used in the program. ILAB will review materials for technical 
accuracy. The Grantee(s) must obtain prior approval from the Grant 
Officer for all materials developed or purchased under this cooperative 
agreement. All materials produced by Grantee(s) must be provided to 
ILAB in a digital format for possible publication by ILAB.
    2. Printing and Duplicating. The Grantee(s)/recipient(s) must 
comply with all duplicating and printing regulations issued by the 
Joint Committee on Printing under the authority of 44 U.S.C. 103, 501, 
and 502. The term ``duplicating'' as used means material produced on 
single unit duplicating equipment not larger than 11 by 17 inches and 
which have a maximum image of 10\3/4\  x  14\1/4\ inches using direct 
image plates not requiring the use of negatives. The term ``printing'' 
as used must be construed to include and apply to the processes of 
composition, platemaking, presswork, binding, and microform.
    Under this cooperative agreement, the Grantee(s)/recipient(s) may 
duplicate up to a maximum of 5,000 copies of one page or 25,000 copies 
in the aggregate of multiple pages.
    The Grantee(s)/recipient(s) shall not use funds under this 
cooperative agreement to provide duplicating in excess of the 
quantities stated above nor provide printing without the written 
authorization of the Joint Committee on Printing. Such authorization 
shall be obtained from the Grant Officer through the Departmental 
Printing Officer. Nothing in this clause precludes the procurement of 
writing, editing, preparation of manuscript copy, or

[[Page 59484]]

preparation of related illustrative material.
    3. Acknowledgment of USDOL Funding. In all circumstances the 
following must be displayed on printed materials: ``Preparation of this 
item was funded by the United States Department of Labor under 
Cooperative Agreement No. E-9-X-X-XXXX.''
    When issuing statements, press releases, requests for proposals, 
bid solicitations, and other documents describing projects or programs 
funded in whole or in part with Federal money, all Grantees receiving 
Federal funds, including State and local governments and recipients of 
Federal research grants, must clearly state:
    a. The percentage of the total costs of the program or project 
which will be financed with Federal money;
    b. The dollar amount of Federal funds for the project or program; 
and
    c. The percentage and dollar amount of the total costs of the 
project or program that will be financed by non-governmental sources.
    In consultation with ILAB, USDOL's role will be identified as one 
of the following:
    a. The USDOL logo may be applied to USDOL-funded material prepared 
for world-wide distribution, including posters, videos, pamphlets, 
research documents, national survey results, impact evaluations, best 
practice reports, and other publications of global interest. The 
Grantee will consult with USDOL on whether the logo should be used on 
any such items prior to final draft or final preparation for 
distribution. In no event will the USDOL logo be placed on any item 
until USDOL has given the grantee written permission to use the logo, 
after obtaining appropriate internal USDOL approval for use of the logo 
on the item.
    b. If ILAB determines the logo is not appropriate and does not give 
written permission, the following notice must appear on the document:

    ``This document does not necessarily reflect the views or 
policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade 
names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by 
the U.S. Government.''

D. Administrative Requirements

    1. General. Grantee organizations are subject to applicable Federal 
laws (including provisions of appropriations law) and the applicable 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars. Determinations of 
allowable costs will be made in accordance with the applicable Federal 
cost principles. The cooperative agreement(s) awarded under this SGA 
are subject to the following administrative standards and provisions, 
if applicable:

29 CFR Part 36--Federal Standards for Nondiscrimination on the Basis of 
Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial 
Assistance.

29 CFR Part 93--New Restrictions on Lobbying.

29 CFR Part 95--Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and 
Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals and Other 
Non-Profit Organizations, and with Commercial Organizations, Foreign 
Governments, Organizations Under the Jurisdiction of Foreign 
Governments and International Organizations.

29 CFR Part 96--Federal Standards for Audit of Federally Funded Grants, 
Contracts and Agreements.

29 CFR Part 98--Federal Standards for Governmentwide Debarment and 
Suspension (Nonprocurement) and Governmentwide Requirements for Drug-
Free Workplace (Grants).

29 CFR Part 99--Federal Standards for Audits of States, Local 
Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations.

    2. Subgrants/Subcontracts. Subgrants and contracts must be awarded 
in accordance with 29 CFR 95.40. In compliance with Executive Orders 
12876 as amended, 13230, 12928 and 13021 as amended, the Grantee is 
strongly encouraged to provide subgranting opportunities to 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving 
Institutions and Tribal Colleges and Universities.
    3. Key Personnel. The applicant shall list individual(s) who has 
(have) been designated by the Grantee(s) as having primary 
responsibility for the conduct and completion of all work in project(s) 
it proposes. The applicant will submit written proof that key personnel 
will be available to begin work on the project no later than three 
weeks after award. The Grantee agrees to inform the GOTR whenever it 
appears impossible for these individual(s) to continue work on the 
project as planned. The Grantee may nominate substitute personnel and 
submit the nominations to the GOTR; however, the Grantee must obtain 
prior approval from the Grant Officer for all key personnel. If the 
Grant Officer is unable to approve the personnel change, he/she 
reserves the right to terminate the cooperative agreement.
    4. Encumbrance of Cooperative Agreement Funds. Cooperative 
agreement funds may not be encumbered/obligated by the Grantee(s) 
before or after the cooperative agreement period of performance. 
Encumbrances/obligations outstanding as of the end of the cooperative 
agreement period may be liquidated (paid out) after the end of the 
cooperative agreement period. Such encumbrances/obligations shall 
involve only specified commitments for which a need existed during the 
grant period and which are supported by approved contracts, purchase 
orders, requisitions, invoices, bills, or other evidence of liability 
consistent with the grantee's purchasing procedures and incurred within 
the cooperative agreement period. All encumbrances/obligations incurred 
during the cooperative agreement period shall be liquidated within 90 
days after the end of the grant period, if practicable.
    5. Site Visits. The Grantor, through its authorized 
representatives, has the right, at all reasonable times, to make site 
visits to review project accomplishments and management control systems 
and to provide such technical assistance as may be required. If the 
grantor makes any site visit on the premises of the Grantee or a 
subgrantee(s)/ contractor(s) under this grant(s), the Grantee(s) shall 
provide and shall require its subgrantees/contractors to provide all 
reasonable facilities and assistance for the safety and convenience of 
the Government representatives in the performance of their duties. All 
site visits and evaluations shall be performed in a manner that will 
not unduly delay the work.

V. Review and Selection of Applications for Grant Award

A. The Review Process

    USDOL will screen all applications to determine whether all 
required elements are present and clearly identifiable. Each complete 
application will be objectively rated by a technical panel against the 
criteria described in this announcement. Applicants are advised that 
the panel recommendations to the Grant Officer are advisory in nature. 
The Grant Officer may elect to select a Grantee(s) on the basis of the 
initial proposal submission; or, the Grant Officer may establish a 
competitive or technically acceptable range for the purpose of 
selecting qualified applicants. If deemed appropriate, following the 
Grant Officer's call for the preparation and receipt of final revisions 
of proposals, the evaluation process described above will be repeated 
to consider such revisions. The Grant Officer will make final selection 
determination based on

[[Page 59485]]

what is most advantageous to the Government, considering factors such 
as: panel findings; the geographic distribution of the competitive 
applications; and the availability of funds. The Grant Officer's 
determination for award under this SGA 01-06 is final.

    Note: Selection of an organization as a cooperative agreement 
recipient does not constitute approval of the cooperative agreement 
application as submitted. Before the actual cooperative agreement is 
awarded, USDOL will enter into negotiations about such items as 
program components, funding levels, and administrative systems. If 
the negotiations do not result in an acceptable submission, the 
Grant Officer reserves the right to terminate the negotiation and 
decline to fund the proposal.


B. Rating Criteria and Selection

    The technical panel will review grant applicants against the 
various criteria on the basis of 100 points with an additional 5 points 
available for non-federal or leveraged resources.
    The factors are presented in the order of emphasis that they will 
receive.
1. Approach, Understanding of the Issue, and Budget Plan (45 points)
    a. Overview. This section of the proposal must explain:
    (1) The applicant's proposed innovative method for performing all 
the specific areas of work requirements presented in this solicitation 
for the country (or countries) in which the applicant proposes to 
implement activities;
    (2) The expected outcomes over the period of performance for each 
of the tasks; and
    (3) The approach for producing the expected outcomes.
    The applicant must describe in detail the proposed approach to 
comply with each requirement in Section IV-A of this solicitation, 
including all tasks and methods to be utilized to implement a project 
(or projects). Also, the applicant must explain the rationale for using 
this approach. In addition, this section of the proposal must 
demonstrate the applicant's thorough knowledge and understanding of the 
issues involved in providing basic education to children removed from 
child labor or at risk; best-practice solutions to address their needs; 
and the implementing environment in the targeted Timebound countries.
    b. Implementation Plan. The applicant must submit an implementation 
plan, preferably with a visual such as a Gantt chart, for the country 
(or countries) it proposes to operate a project (or projects). The 
implementation plan should list the outcomes, objectives and activities 
during the life of the project (or projects), and scheduling of time 
and staff starting with the execution of the cooperative agreement and 
ending with the final report. In describing the implementation plan, 
the applicant must address the following points:
    (1) Describe the use of existing or potential infrastructure and 
use of qualified personnel, including qualified nationals, to implement 
the project. The applicant also must include a project organizational 
chart, demonstrating management structure, key personnel positions, and 
indicating proposed links with Government, business leaders, trade 
unions, educators, and other significant local actors.
    (2) Develop a list of activities and explain how each relates to 
the overall development objective of reducing the worst forms of child 
labor through education.
    (3) Explain how appropriate awareness raising, training and 
pedagogic materials will be developed.
    (4) Demonstrate how the organization will strengthen national 
institutions and policies on education and child labor.
    (5) Demonstrate how the organization would systematically report on 
project performance to measure the achievement of the project 
objective(s).
    (6) Demonstrate how the organization would build national and local 
capacity to ensure that project efforts to reduce the worst forms of 
child labor through the provision of basic education are sustained 
after completion of the project.
    c. Budget Plan. Develop a country-specific budget for the project 
for each of the countries for which the applicant proposes a project. 
This section of the proposal must explain the costs for performing all 
of the requirements presented in this solicitation and for producing 
all required reports and other deliverables presented in this 
solicitation; costs must include labor, equipment, travel, and other 
related costs.
    d. Management and Staff Loading Plan. This section also must 
include a management and staff loading plan. The management plan is to 
include the following:
    (1) A project organization chart and accompanying narrative which 
differentiates between elements of the applicant's staff and 
subcontractors or consultants who will be retained;
    (2) A description of the functional relationship between elements 
of the project's organization; and
    (3) The identity of the individual responsible for project 
management and the lines of authority between this individual and other 
elements of the project.
    (4) A description of how the implementation plan will be integrated 
into and support the ILO/IPEC's Timebound Program in the target 
countries.
    The staff loading plan must identify all key tasks and the person-
days required to complete each task. Labor estimates for each task must 
be broken down by individuals assigned to the task, including 
subcontractors and consultants. All key tasks must be charted to show 
time required to perform them by months or weeks.
    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) and 
with ILAB budget requirements contained in the application instructions 
in Section III of this solicitation.
2. Experience and Qualifications of the Organization (30 points)
    The evaluation criteria in this category are as follows:
    a. The organization applying for the award has experience in basic 
education, preferably working with disadvantaged children including 
working children and those removed from child labor, in the target or 
neighboring countries.
    b. The organization has a field presence in the implementing 
country, or could rapidly establish an office that allows it the 
capability to work directly with government ministries, educators, 
civil society leaders including employers' organizations, and other 
local organizations, e.g., community-based or faith-based groups; the 
organization can document that it has already established relations of 
this nature in the target countries or can show that it has the 
capacity to readily establish such relations.
    c. The organization has international experience in implementing 
basic education programs that address issues of access, quality and 
policy reform, and preferably in the target countries.
    d. The organization has experience working with, or can show it has 
the ability to work with, U.N. and multilateral donor organizations.
    The proposal must include information about previous grants or 
contracts relevant to this solicitation including:
    a. The organization for which the work was done;

[[Page 59486]]

    b. A contact person in that organization with their current phone 
number;
    c. The dollar value of the grant, contract, or cooperative 
agreement for the project;
    d. The time frame and professional effort involved in the project;
    e. A brief summary of the work performed; and
    f. A brief summary of accomplishments.
    This information on previous grants and contracts shall be provided 
in appendices and will not count in the 40-page maximum page 
requirement.
3. Experience and Qualifications of Key Personnel (25 points)
    This section of the proposal must include sufficient information to 
judge the quality and competence of staff proposed to be assigned to 
the project(s) to assure that they meet the required qualifications. 
Successful performance of the proposed work depends heavily on the 
qualifications of the individuals committed to the project(s). 
Accordingly, in its evaluation of the applicant's proposal, USDOL will 
place emphasis on the applicant's commitment of personnel qualified for 
the work involved in accomplishing the assigned tasks. Information 
provided on the experience and educational background of personnel must 
indicate the following:
    a. The identity of key personnel assigned to the project. ``Key 
personnel'' are staff who are essential to the successful operation of 
the project and completion of the proposed work and, therefore, may not 
be replaced or have their hours reduced without the approval of the 
Grant Officer.
    b. The educational background and experience of all staff to be 
assigned to the project.
    c. The special capabilities of staff that demonstrate prior 
experience in organizing, managing and performing similar efforts.
    d. The current employment status of staff and availability for this 
project. The applicant must also indicate whether the proposed work 
will be performed by persons currently employed or is dependent upon 
planned recruitment or subcontracting. Key personnel must sign letters 
of agreement to serve on the project, and indicate availability to 
commence work within three weeks of grant award.
    The following information must be furnished:
    a. The applicant must designate a Program Director (Key Personnel) 
to oversee the project(s) and be responsible for implementation of the 
requirements of the cooperative agreement. The Program Director must 
have a minimum of three years of professional experience in a 
leadership role in implementation of complex basic education programs 
in developing countries in areas such as education policy; improving 
educational quality and access; teacher training and materials 
development; educational assessment of disadvantaged students; 
development of community participation in the improvement of basic 
education; and monitoring and evaluation of basic education projects. 
Points will be given for candidates with additional years of 
experience. Preferred candidates will also have knowledge of child 
labor issues, and experience in the development of transitional, 
formal, and vocational education of children removed from child labor.
    b. The applicant must designate a Child Labor/Education Specialist 
(Key Personnel) who will provide leadership in developing the technical 
aspects of this project in collaboration with the Project Director. 
This person shall have at least three years experience in basic 
education projects in developing countries in areas including student 
assessment, teacher training, educational materials development, 
educational management, and educational monitoring and information 
systems. This person shall have experience in working successfully with 
Ministries of Education, networks of educators, employers' 
organizations and trade union representatives or comparable entities. 
Additional experience with child labor and education policy and 
monitoring and evaluation is an asset.
    c. The applicant must specify other personnel proposed to carry out 
the requirements of this solicitation.
    d. The applicant must include a description of the roles and 
responsibilities of all personnel proposed for this project (or 
projects) and a resume for each professional person to be assigned to 
the program. Resumes will be attached in an appendix. At a minimum, 
each resume must include: the individual's current employment status 
and previous work experience, including position title, duties 
performed, dates in position, and employing organizations and 
educational background. Duties must be clearly defined in terms of role 
performed, i.e., manager, team leader, consultant, etc. Indicate 
whether the individual is currently employed by the applicant, and (if 
so) for how long.
    e. The applicant must indicate whether proposed personnel are 
currently employed by the organization or are dependent upon planned 
recruitment or subcontracting. Note that management and professional 
technical staff members comprising the applicant's proposed team should 
be individuals who have prior experience with organizations working in 
similar efforts, and are fully qualified to perform work specified in 
the Statement of Work. Where subcontractors or outside assistance are 
proposed, organizational control must be clearly delineated to ensure 
responsiveness to the needs of USDOL.
4. Leverage of Federal Funding (5 points)
    The Department will give up to five (5) additional rating points to 
proposals reflecting the criteria above when the proposal includes non-
Federal resources that expand the dollar amount, size and scope of the 
proposal. The applicant may include any leveraging or co-funding 
anticipated. To be eligible for the additional points in the criterion, 
the applicant must list the source(s) of funds, the nature, and 
possible activities anticipated with these funds under this cooperative 
agreement and any partnerships, linkages or coordination of activities, 
cooperative funding, etc.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 20th day of November, 2001.
Lawrence J. Kuss,
Grant Officer.
Appendix A: SF 424--Application Form.
Appendix B: SF 424A--Budget Information Form.
Appendix C: Background Information on Timebound Program in El Salvador.
Appendix D: Background Information on Timebound Program in Nepal.
Appendix E: Background Information on Timebound Program in Tanzania.
Appendix F: Background Material available in hard copy (upon request).
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Appendix C: Background Information on the Timebound Program in El 
Salvador

    The Timebound Program in El Salvador will contribute to the 
government's intent to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The 
Multipurpose Household Survey (EHPM) of the General Department of 
Statistics and Census (DIGESTYC) in El Salvador estimated that in 
1999 there were 159,717 children between 10-17 working in the 
country. This figure represents 14.6% of the 1.1 million children in 
that age group. It is estimated that almost a quarter of these 
children are not enrolled in school, and an additional 6.4% are 
enrolled in school, but not attending.
    El Salvador experiences the common and prevalent problem of 
children working with their families in fields, particularly during 
the coffee and sugar harvests. Children work harvesting commercial 
crops such as coffee and sugarcane, and are found working in 
charcoal production, shellfish harvesting, and fireworks production. 
Orphans and children from poor families frequently work as street 
vendors and general laborers in small, informal sector businesses. 
It is estimated that as many as 115,000 girls between the ages of 7 
and 18 work as domestic servants. There is also growing concern over 
the extent of child sexual exploitation in port cities and in San 
Salvador. Moreover, there have been reports of trafficking in young 
girls both into and from the country for the purpose of sexual 
exploitation.
    The Salvadoran Constitution prohibits the employment of children 
under the age of 14. Minors between the ages of 14 and 18 may 
receive special permission from the Labor Ministry to work, but only 
when such employment is absolutely necessary to the minor's and his/
her family's survival. Minors between 14 and 18 years of age are 
limited to work for six-hour shifts and a maximum 36-hour workweek. 
The Ministry of Labor is responsible for enforcing child labor laws. 
However, scarce resources and difficulty in monitoring the large 
informal sector has limited the Ministry's effectiveness.
    El Salvador ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights 
of the Child in 1990 and ILO Convention No. 138 on the Minimum Age 
for Employment in 1996. The country ratified ILO Convention 182 on 
the Worst Forms of Child Labor in October 2000.
    The Salvadoran Constitution prohibits older children without a 
basic education from working. Yet much remains to be done in the 
field of education to use it as a tool to eliminate the worst forms 
of child labor, despite strong commitment on the part of the 
Ministry of Education (MINED) to support the Timebound initiative.
    Improved primary education has been one of the most visible 
successes in El Salvador since the peace agreements in 1992. Reforms 
have aimed to improve the quantity, quality, efficiency and equity 
of education with the backing of donors including the World Bank, 
the Inter-American Development Bank, and USAID. Before the damage 
caused by the earthquakes, El Salvador had increased public 
expenditure on education; increased the number of schools, 
classrooms and teachers; reduced the average distance to primary 
schools; expanded early childhood centers; increased teachers' 
salaries and provided a salary incentive to rural teachers; created 
a training program for teachers; and provided incentives to reward 
schools and principals that achieve certain indicators. The 
government has also established a number of innovative programs--
e.g., EDUCO (Educacion con Participacion de la Comunidad), the 
Accelerated School Program (Programa de Educacion Acelerada), the 
Multi-Grade School Program (Programa de Educacion Alternativa); 
Distance Learning Program (Programa de Educacion a Distancia), the 
Open-School Program (Escuelas Abiertas), Centers for Educational 
Resources (Centros de Tecnologias Educativas); Quality Management 
Model (Modelo de Gestion para la Calidad), and scholarship 
programs--all of which could potentially benefit working children or 
those removed from the worst forms of child labor.
    Yet despite these achievements in El Salvador, data from the 
United Nations Development Program indicate that the average number 
of years that children attend school on the national level is 5.3, 
and only 3.2 in rural areas. Recent research cited by ILO/IPEC has 
explored why rural families do not enroll their children in school 
or allow them to drop out and join the labor force. Particularly in 
rural areas, the school system is not able to meet the needs of 
working children and their families because the quality is low, the 
opportunity costs of schooling are high, and because education seems 
irrelevant in terms of their future employment.
    The Government of El Salvador signed a Memorandum of 
Understanding (MOU) with ILO/IPEC in 1996, and is collaborating on a 
number of ILO/IPEC projects aimed at combating child labor. Current 
USDOL-funded projects are designed to discourage children from 
working in shellfish and coffee harvesting, and the cottage 
production of fireworks. El Salvador is also part of a USDOL-funded 
regional effort aimed at gathering statistical information on 
children engaged in economic activities. The Timebound project in El 
Salvador builds upon these efforts.
    The Government of El Salvador has established a National 
Steering Committee, which is responsible for coordinating all child 
labor initiatives in El Salvador. It will provide overall guidance 
on priorities and implementation of the Timebound program in the 
country. The Committee is coordinated by the Ministry of Labor and 
includes the Ministers of Education and Health, and representatives 
from worker and employer organizations.
    The Timebound Project in El Salvador has identified as a 
priority focus the following four worst forms of child labor: (1) 
Child victims of commercial sexual exploitation; (2) children 
scavenging at dumpsites; (3) hazardous child labor in sugar cane 
production and harvesting, and (4) hazardous child labor in fishing.
    The National Steering Committee has prioritized selected 
geographical regions where model interventions will be developed 
that can be extended or scaled up to address children in these and 
other worst forms of child labor at the national level.
    The ILO/IPEC has set a goal of reducing the worst forms of child 
labor in the targeted sectors by 50 percent by the end of the 
project. Implementation by sector will take place in the six 
Departments (18 municipalities). The Timebound Project in El 
Salvador will benefit around 9,300 working children, and 15,700 
younger siblings of working children. The number of beneficiaries 
may be modified once project baseline surveys are conducted. The 
target sectors are as follows:

Garbage Dumps

    Department of Santa Ana (Municipalities of Santa Ana, 
Chalchuapa).
    Estimated beneficiaries: 1,000 children, 2,000 children at risk 
and 500 families.
    Specific educational needs identified: Little or no schooling of 
children, high opportunity cost of sending children to school.

[[Page 59491]]

Sugar Cane

    Department of San Vicente (Municipalities of San Vicente, 
Tecoluca), Department of San Salvador (Municipalities of San 
Salvador, Apopa, Nejapa, Aguilares, El Paisnal); Department of 
Sonsonate (Municipalities of Izalco, Nahuizalco, Nahulingo).
    Estimated beneficiaries: 5,000 children, 7,500 children at risk, 
and 1,000 families.
    Specific educational needs identified: Development of relevant 
curriculum for the school as part of the MINED pilot program, 
including agricultural extension, agricultural mechanics, 
agribusiness and other relevant courses.

Commercial Sexual Exploitation

    Department of San Miguel (Municipality of San Miguel); 
Department of San Salvador (Municipality of San Salvador).
    Estimated beneficiaries: 200 children, 200 children at risk, and 
50 families.
    Specific educational needs identified: Development of flexible, 
informal education and vocational programs, including support of 
MINED accelerated classroom and distance learning programs.

Fishing

    Department of Usulutan (Municipalities of Usulutan, Jiquilisco, 
Puerto El Triunfo, San Dionisio, Jucuran).
    Estimated beneficiaries: 3,100 children, 4,650 children at risk, 
and 3,000 families.
    Specific educational needs identified: Improve relevancy of 
curriculum for schools as part of the MINED pilot program that 
includes environmental education, sensitization to sustainable 
fishing, vocational education, and other relevant courses.

Appendix D: Background Information on the Timebound Program in Nepal

    The Timebound Program in Nepal supports His Majesty's Government 
of Nepal Master Plan for the Elimination of Child Labor, which aims 
to eliminate the worst forms of child labor by 2005, and all forms 
of child labor by 2010. Based on a 1996 ILO-sponsored national child 
labor survey, it is estimated that there are 2.6 million working 
children between the ages of 5 to 14 in Nepal. This accounts for 
more than 40 percent of the country's 6.2 million children. The 
survey further revealed that more than 80 percent of child workers 
do not receive wages. In Nepal, approximately 60 percent of children 
who work also attend school; the percentage is noticeably lower for 
working girls as compared to working boys.
    Child labor is found in a variety of sectors, with the 
overwhelming majority of working children participating in family-
based subsistence agriculture. Children are also found working in 
brick-kiln operations, tea shops, construction sites, and as 
porters, rag pickers and domestic servants. Nepali children are also 
the victims of domestic and cross border trafficking for purposes of 
exploitative labor or commercial sexual exploitation.
    Child labor in Nepal is a complex phenomenon deeply embedded in 
historic, cultural, social and economic patterns. On the supply 
side, the main determining factors are household poverty and the 
poor performance of the education systems in preventing child labor. 
There is a weak demand for education among families prone to child 
labor due to the inadequacy of the education system, poor 
infrastructure, inadequate number of qualified teachers and their 
absenteeism, lack of learning materials, and a poor learning 
environment. Related factors are the inadequacy of basic health 
services and absence of social protection schemes that push children 
into labor when there is a family crisis such as illness, social 
exclusion, gender discrimination, and neglect or abuse at home.
    Nepal has ratified several significant conventions, including 
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990 and ILO 
Convention No. 138 on Minimum Age for Employment in 1997. The 
country is in the process of ratifying ILO Convention No. 182 on the 
Worst Forms of Child Labor. The Constitution of Nepal (Article 20) 
prohibits the employment of any minor in a factory, mine or in other 
hazardous work. The 1992 Labor Act and the 1992 Children Act 
prohibit the employment of children under 14 years from working in 
any kind of employment. A new Child Labor Act (1999) makes 
amendments to the 1992 Labor Act and lists specific hazardous work 
that children below 16 are prohibited from doing. However, unclear 
or contradictory definitions in legislation and weak enforcement of 
child labor laws remain serious impediments to protecting the 
welfare of children.
    A comprehensive review of child labor-related programs in Nepal 
by the ILO indicated that 29 programs totaling $62.6 million dollars 
directly or indirectly related to the issue of child labor. 
Furthermore, an estimated 240 NGOs that have a stated objective of 
assisting children are registered throughout the country. Nepal 
receives significant funds from a variety of development agencies 
including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, the multi-donor 
Basic and Primary Education Program (BPEP), UNICEF, UNDP, UNESCO, 
World Food Program, USAID, German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), Swiss 
Association for Development Cooperation (SDC) and Danish 
International Development Agency (DANIDA).
    USDOL provides funding to support two ILO/IPEC projects in 
Nepal. These include a project to combat bonded child labor, which 
targets 14,000 Kamaiya (bonded labor) families, including 16,000 
Kamaiya children. Nepal is also included in a South Asia sub-
regional project to combat trafficking of children for exploitative 
employment.
    National Stakeholder Consultations for the Timebound Program in 
Nepal were held on May 8-10, 2001. The consultations were well 
attended and included representatives from government, trade unions, 
business, NGOs, international organizations, and the international 
donor community. Based on these meetings and rapid assessment 
surveys conducted earlier this year, 6 priority target groups have 
been identified for the Timebound Program. They include: child rag 
pickers; child porters; child domestic workers; children in mining; 
child labor in the carpet sector; and child trafficking for labor or 
sexual exploitation. It is estimated that there are about 122,000 
children working in these 6 priority sectors. (Bonded labor was also 
identified in the 2001 Stakeholder Consultations, however a USDOL 
funded ILO/IPEC project already underway targets children in this 
specific sector.)
    The 2001 Stakeholder Consultations also identified several areas 
of education policy and program intervention:
     Increasing enrollment of new groups and reducing 
dropout rates by focusing on educational access, relevance and 
affordability;
     Developing appropriate skills through education in 
order to offer enhanced future employability;
     Focusing improvements in education in the districts 
with high concentration of the worst forms of child labor;
     Using non-formal education for rehabilitation and 
transition to formal school or vocational training; and
     Promoting community-based monitoring of education.
    The Timebound Project in Nepal will target 17,000 working 
children in the six selected worst forms of child labor in 22 
Districts. The number of beneficiaries may be modified once project 
baseline surveys are conducted.

Child Porters

    Estimated beneficiaries: 4,500 children
    Specific educational needs identified: Improving the quality of 
education in areas of origin to be monitored by community-based 
systems.

Child Domestic Workers

    Estimated beneficiaries: 7,500 children
    Specific educational needs identified: Seventy percent of child 
domestic workers are school dropouts. Isolation and long working 
hours (often 15 hours per day) that leave little time for schooling. 
Only \1/3\ of child domestic workers attend school, and of these, 
most are boys.

Child Ragpickers

    Estimated beneficiaries: 1,000 children
    Specific educational needs identified: Most children are from 
rural areas where schools are available. About one-half boys and 
one-quarter of girls are literate. Early school drop out is a 
problem since the average age of ragpickers is 11.7 years. Many 
children in this group live in the streets so there is a need for 
drop-in centers for counseling, rehabilitation and skills training 
for older children.

Children in Mines

    Estimated beneficiaries: 500 children
    Specific educational needs identified: Both boys and girls are 
employed in this sector, and most of the girls are illiterate.

Children in the Carpet Sector

    Estimated beneficiaries: 1,500 children
    Specific educational needs identified: Children work 12-20 hours 
per day. About 60% of children in this sector are illiterate.

Child Victims of Trafficking

    Estimated beneficiaries: 2,000 children
    Specific educational needs identified: Need for trauma 
counseling before

[[Page 59492]]

reintegration into school or occupational training.

Appendix E: Background Information on the Timebound Program in Tanzania

    The Timebound Program in Tanzania will contribute to the 
government's Child Labor Elimination Program (CLEP). The Department 
of Labor in the Ministry of Labor, Youth Development and Sports is 
the chief national agency involved in enforcing anti-child labor 
laws. Tanzania ratified ILO Convention No. 138 on Minimum Age for 
Employment in 1998, and ILO Convention 182 on September 12, 2001. 
Tanzania's Employment Ordinance of 1956 prohibits children under 15 
years of age from working in the industrial sector, in the vicinity 
of machinery, or in any subsurface work that is entered by means of 
a mine-shaft. Yet recent investigation indicates that in the last 
two decades in Tanzania there has been a significant increase in 
child labor and deterioration in school enrollment figures. The 
gross enrollment rate of school-aged children was 98% in 1977 and 
77% by 1999.
    According to preliminary data from the first round of Tanzania's 
2000-2001 Child Labor Survey (CLS), nearly 4.1 million (39%) of an 
estimated 10.2 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are not 
in school, and nearly 4 million of these children engage in economic 
activities or housekeeping. Only 40% of children aged 5-9 years were 
attending school. For the age groups 10-14 and 15-17, the 
corresponding attendance rates are 78% and 59% respectively. 
Overall, only 58% of an estimated 12.4 million children aged 5-17 
are in school, while 39% engaged in economic activity or in 
housekeeping without attending school. Fifty three percent of the 
7.3 million school children aged 5-17 report being involved in 
economic activities, and 48% of working children are enrolled in 
school.
    Poverty is a major contributor to both the rise of child labor 
and the decline in school participation among children, particularly 
for children from female-headed households who tend to be more 
vulnerable to child labor. Furthermore, in Tanzania approximately 3 
million children are living in child-headed homes as a result of the 
death of parents due to HIV/AIDS. Tanzania's Poverty Reduction 
Strategic Plan (PRSP) includes education as a key intervention with 
targets that include universal primary education by 2010; gender 
equality in primary and secondary school by 2005; and increases in 
primary completion, gross enrollment rates, transition rates from 
primary to secondary, net primary school enrollment and a reduction 
of primary dropout rates.
    There are a number of education system barriers for poor and at-
risk children including child laborers. These include inadequate 
mechanisms to ensure school attendance; inadequate alternative 
schooling for child laborers and inflexible school schedules; low 
relevance of the curriculum to the current labor market and self-
employment trends; inadequate learning assessment tools; lack of 
teachers, poor teacher motivation and teaching methods; high teacher 
absenteeism exacerbated by death rates from HIV/AIDS; inappropriate 
treatment of children by teachers which includes violence and sexual 
abuse; overcrowded classrooms (average 113 children); inadequate 
education infrastructure; centralized control over resources so that 
materials do not reach schools; shortage of teaching and learning 
materials, libraries and laboratories; and lack of skills and 
ability to mobilize community resources.
    In Tanzania, more girls are withdrawn from school than boys (60/
40 ratio). Efforts to increase girls' education must go hand in hand 
with efforts to reduce child labor particularly because some 
prevalent forms of child labor such as prostitution and child 
domestic work largely affect girls.
    For school dropouts, systems that mainstream them back into 
formal education are lacking. There are only two small programs for 
reaching the out-of-school population: the Complimentary Basic 
Education and Training Program (COBET) and Appropriate Cost-
effective Centres for Education within the School System (ACCESS). 
At present these programs only reach 3,000-4,000 children per year, 
but the government has plans to extend education to 650,000 out-of-
school children by 2004.
    Access to secondary and vocational training has been more 
limited. There are few of these schools in many parts of the 
country, and costs are high for many households. Only 6% of children 
attend secondary school. Furthermore, there is an urban bias in 
education, and insufficient linkages between the content of 
education and the needs of local labor market and local economy. It 
is estimated that 500,000 youngsters come into the job market each 
year, yet only 30,000 jobs are created in the formal sector. The 
informal sector is the most rapidly expanding, generating 80% of the 
country's jobs.
    The challenges faced by Tanzanian local economies and 
communities in areas of education and labor, including child labor, 
will in the future be addressed within the context of the Local 
Government Reform Process (LGRP), which fosters decentralization and 
devolves decision making, resources, and accountability to the 
district level. As part of the LGRP processes, district level micro-
planning and tools and approaches will need to be developed, as will 
be the basis by which block grants will be awarded by the national 
government for provision of a certain quality of basic services 
including education.
    Tanzania has been active in ILO/IPEC since 1994. ILO/IPEC 
efforts, which have been financed by a number of donors including 
USDOL, include a range of interventions such as rehabilitation and 
reintegration of working children into primary education or 
vocational training; awareness raising about the problem of child 
labor and mobilization of local communities; support for labor 
inspector training with respect to the hazards of child labor; and 
collaboration with employers and workers to address child labor on 
commercial plantations.
    In preparation for the Timebound Programs, rapid assessments 
were conducted in five sectors: children in prostitution, domestic 
work, the informal sector (including scavenging, garage work, and 
quarrying), mining, and commercial agriculture. The rapid assessment 
studies suggest a significant incidence of the worst forms of child 
labor in Tanzania. Children working in the worst forms of child 
labor in Tanzania are exposed to a range of hazards, including long 
hours, physical and sexual abuse, heavy loads, exposure to dust and 
toxic chemicals, and the handling of potentially dangerous tools 
often without adequate training or protective gear.
    National Stakeholder Consultations for the Timebound Program in 
Tanzania were held April 23-25, 2001. Representatives from 
government, trade unions, business, NGOs, international 
organizations, and the international donor community attended the 
meetings. The Tanzanian government has committed itself to reducing 
the incidence of child labor in four targeted sectors (child 
prostitution, child domestic work, children in mining and children 
employed in commercial agriculture) by 75% by 2005, and to eradicate 
it by 2010. The major thrust of the Timebound Program will be to 
create capacity and enabling environment to contribute to the 
Government of Tanzania's objective. Under the project funded by 
USDOL with ILO/IPEC, 30,000 children under the age of 18 in 11 
districts will be prevented or withdrawn from child labor in the 
four target sectors.
    The 30,000 children withdrawn in the 11 target districts will be 
enrolled in transitional schools in preparation for formal schooling 
or vocational training. The ILO/IPEC will be responsible for the 
transitional education for children above age 10 and vocational 
education for older children above age 14. Transitional education 
for children under 14 will last from 6-18 months. Children under age 
10 will be directly mainstreamed into formal schools and this 
activity will be carried out by the Education Initiative. It will be 
important to form linkages between the formal school system, and 
transitional education and vocational education.
    The 11 target districts are as follows: Arusha Region: Arusha, 
Arumeru, Simanjiro; Singida Region: Iramaba; Dodoma Region: Kondoa; 
Iringa Region: Iringa rural, Mufindi; Tabora Region: Urambo; Dar es 
Salaam Region: All 3 districts.
    The number of beneficiaries may be modified, once project 
baseline surveys are conducted. The targeted sectors are as follows:

Prostitution

    Target districts: Dar es Salaam (all districts); Iringa rural; 
Kondoa; Iramba; Arusha.
    Estimated beneficiaries: 5,000 children.
    Specific educational needs identified: Rehabilitation and 
counseling may be needed to combat triggers of prostitution 
including family breakdown and abuse, peer influence, lure of the 
city and dreams of the better life. Need for education on risk of 
HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Domestic Work

    Target districts: Arusha: Kondoa; Iringa rural; Dar es Salaam 
(all districts).

[[Page 59493]]

    Estimated beneficiaries: 10,000 children. Girls aged 9-15 
migrating from rural to urban areas are employed mostly by working 
and middle class families as ``house girls.'' Many children are 
isolated, work 14-18 hours per day.
    Specific educational needs identified: Reaching both children 
and employers, HIV/AIDS education to counter sexual abuse by 
employers or their relatives. Need for education on risk of HIV/AIDS 
and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Mining

    Target districts: Simanjiro.
    Estimated beneficiaries: 2,500 children.
    Specific educational needs identified: Up to an estimated 70% of 
children attend primary school and often work to earn money to cover 
school fees and expenses, yet school attendance is irregular and 
performance is weak. A majority of those working full-time 
originated from female-headed households or were orphans. The 
majority in sector are male, but young girls can be found working as 
barmaids and cooks in restaurants, and bars catering to the mines. 
Interaction with adults leads to sexual abuse and potential of being 
infected with HIV/AIDS and STDs. Need for education on risk of HIV/
AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Commercial Agriculture

    Target districts: Arusha; Arumeru; Simanjiro; Iringa rural; 
Mufindi; Urambo.
    Estimated beneficiaries: 17,500 children aged 5-17 working in 
commercial agriculture (tea, tobacco, and coffee).
    Specific educational needs identified: Commercial farms are far 
from community residential areas and children living and working in 
such facilities have little if any hope of schooling as there are 
often no schools within the vicinity of any of the plantations.

Appendix F: Background Material Available in Hard Copy (Upon Request)

    1. Timebound Program Manual.
    2. Timebound Program Information Kit.
    3. Project Document for Timebound Program El Salvador.
    4. Project Document for Timebound Program Nepal.
    5. Project Document for Timebound Program Tanzania.
    6. Timebound Program Stakeholders Consultations--Tanzania.
    7. Timebound Program Stakeholders Consultations--Nepal.
    8. Rapid Assessments--Nepal.
    9. Rapid Assessments--Tanzania.
    10. Rapid Assessments--El Salvador.

[FR Doc. 01-29423 Filed 11-27-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-28-P