[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 100 (Thursday, May 23, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36228-36244]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-12960]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Combating Child Labor Through Education in Bolivia and Peru

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds and solicitation for 
Cooperative Agreement Applications (SGA 02-04).

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SUMMARY: The U. S. Department of Labor (USDOL), Bureau of International 
Labor Affairs (ILAB), will award up to US $3 million through a 
cooperative agreement(s) to an organization or organizations to develop 
and implement educational and vocational programs as a means to combat 
the worst forms of child labor as defined in International Labor 
Organization (ILO) Convention No. 182. The programs, to take place in 
the Department of Potos! in Bolivia and the Department of Puno in 
Per, should complement as appropriate USDOL-funded child labor 
programs being implemented by the ILO's International Program on the 
Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) in artisan mining communities. ILAB 
is seeking applications from qualified organizations for implementation 
of an educational initiative to improve access to basic quality 
education for children working or at risk of working. The programs 
should include components of awareness raising, teacher training, 
development and distribution of locally relevant educational materials, 
vocational training, institutional strengthening, and mobilization of 
resources for education. Applicants may submit applications for 
implementation in one or both countries.

DATES: The closing date for receipt of applications is July 9, 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.

ADDRESSES: Application forms will not be mailed. They are published in 
this Federal Register Notice, and in the Federal Register that 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 02-04, Washington, DC 20210.
    Applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX) will not 
be accepted. Applications sent by other delivery services, such as 
Federal Express, UPS, etc., will be accepted, however, the applicant 
bears the responsibility for timely submission.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Harvey. E-mail address: All 
applicants are advised that U.S. mail delivery in

[[Page 36229]]

the Washington, DC area has been slow and erratic due to the recent 
concerns involving anthrax contamination. All applicants must take this 
into consideration when preparing to meet the application deadline. It 
is recommended that you confirm receipt of your application by 
contacting Lisa Harvey, U.S. Department of Labor, Procurement Services 
Center, telephone (202) 693-4570 (this is not a toll-free number), 
prior to the closing deadline. All inquiries should reference SGA 02-
04. See Section III.C for additional information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Bureau of International Labor Affairs, 
USDOL, 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 
primary, secondary, and/or vocational education in Bolivia and Peru. 
The cooperative agreement(s) will be managed by ILAB's International 
Child Labor Program (ICLP) through its Child Labor Education Initiative 
(EI), 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 improving education for 
children working or at risk of working in the target areas.

I. Background and Program Scope

A. USDOL Global Support to Eliminate Child Labor and Expand Access to 
Education

    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). Recently, funding has gone to assist countries in the 
implementation of ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor. 
USDOL/ILAB contributions to date to ILO/IPEC have amounted to some US 
$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 
and FY 2002 appropriations, in addition to US $90 million in funds 
earmarked for ILO/IPEC, ILAB received US $74 million for EI that will 
fund programs to 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.
    ILAB's EI 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 Child Labor 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. USDOL/ILAB Efforts to Combat Child Labor in Bolivia and Peru

    In 2000, USDOL/ILAB, through ILO/IPEC, funded the Program to 
Prevent and Progressively Eliminate Child Labor in Small-scale 
Traditional Gold Mining in South America (hereafter referred to as 
``ILAB/IPEC South America Small-scale Mining Project''--see Appendix E) 
that includes Peru and Bolivia as implementing countries. The project 
targets mining, a worst form of child labor as defined by ILO 
Convention No.182, because it harms the health and safety of children 
under 18. In determining the types of work likely to harm the health 
and safety of children, ILO Convention No. 182 considers work that 
exposes a child to physical abuse; work underground, underwater, at 
dangerous heights or in confined workplaces; work with dangerous 
machinery, equipment and tools or handling or transporting heavy loads; 
work in an unhealthy environment including exposure to hazardous 
substances, agents or processes, or to temperatures, noise levels or 
vibrations damaging to the health; and work for long hours or night 
work where the child is unreasonably confined to the premises.
    A second phase of the ILAB/IPEC South America Small-scale Mining 
project is planned, but not yet confirmed. At this time, the applicant 
is not required to account for this project in the application, 
however, USDOL/ILAB reserves the right to modify any project which may 
duplicate the second phase of this ILAB/IPEC project.
    The education activities that would be undertaken by the applicant 
awarded the cooperative agreement (hereafter referred to as 
``Grantee'') need to address the major obstacles and gaps that 
currently serve as barriers to the education of children living in the 
areas of the ILAB/IPEC South America Small-scale Mining Project. In 
addressing the obstacles and barriers to quality basic education, the 
Grantee will work within the parameters of the broader implementing 
environment including the national educational reforms operating in 
each country (described in more detail in Appendices C and D). In 
preparing responses to this solicitation, applicants should show a 
thorough understanding of the realities and constraints operating in 
the mining communities that are being targeted.
    In Bolivia, the education program funded under this cooperative 
agreement should build on activities begun by the USDOL-funded ILAB/
IPEC project in the Department of Potos!, in the communities of 
Llallagua and Potos!. This area has been chosen because it has the 
largest known concentration of children working in mine-related 
activities. The 1992 National Census projected that in 1998 there would 
be approximately 124,000 inhabitants in the city of Potos!, more than 
35,000 (29 percent) of which belong to the local mining community 
(Study on Cerro Rico, Potos!, 2001). Of these 35,000, more than 6,000 
are children involved in mine-related labor, but exact data on their 
school attendance or educational needs are not fully known. The same 
study shows that Potosi has a 51 percent level of poverty, which is 
above the national average. In the mining areas, the poverty level is 
significantly higher.
    In Per, the focus should be in the Department of Puno, 
Province of San Antonio de Putina, in the district of Ananea and the 
surrounding mining communities of Ananea/La Rinconada/Cerro Lunar, and 
selected areas in the districts of Putina and/or Sandia. The project 
should build on activities begun by the USDOL-funded ILAB/IPEC project 
in La Rinconada. Some of the communities are located at an altitude of 
5,400 meters (17,550 feet), and the Grantee will be confronted with 
limited services and a challenging work environment. This area has been 
chosen because it has one of the largest populations of child miners in 
the country. It is estimated that there are 26,264 children working in 
gold mining in the Ananea area of Puno where several mining communities 
are located

[[Page 36230]]

(Piazza, Children Working in Small-scale Traditional Gold Mining in 
Per#, 2001). It is also estimated that of approximately 5,000 children 
living in La Rinconada, only about 1,000 attend school.

C. Barriers to Quality Education for Child Laborers

    Experts agree that improvements in the quality of education are an 
essential component in the variety of interventions that can be 
successful in eliminating child labor. Whereas the USDOL-funded ILAB/
IPEC project aims to address many of the causes of child labor, the 
activities funded under this solicitation should complement and 
supplement them by addressing the numerous barriers to education 
confronted by the children. Although ongoing efforts exist in Bolivia 
and Per to withdraw current and prevent future generations of 
children and adolescents from leaving school and entering the work 
force (see Appendices C and D), many of these efforts are isolated, or 
fail to directly address the needs of the children targeted by this 
project. Most of these barriers are common to both countries, and they 
have been categorized relative to the broad goals of the Child Labor 
Education Initiative.
1. Insufficient awareness on the importance of education for all 
children and inadequate mobilization of a wide array of actors to 
improve and expand education infrastructures
    There are a number of barriers and challenges in efforts to raise 
awareness which include:
     Parents/families in the Andean highlands, often as a 
byproduct of cultural beliefs and societal norms, view work as a better 
option than school. This view can become more ingrained when the 
quality of education is poor, classes are irrelevant and few 
alternative recreational opportunities exist for children.
     Teachers, health providers and authorities often do not 
understand the social, educational, nutritional, emotional, and/or 
health needs of child laborers. If these needs were satisfied, children 
would have more of a chance to attend school.
     Child labor laws are not known and therefore not enforced. 
In addition, some children believe in the need and the right to work as 
minors, and have organized to demand better working conditions.
2. Low quality formal and transitional education systems that 
discourage working children and those at risk of working from attending 
school
    The low quality of education found in project target areas is a 
result of many factors. These include:
     Poorly trained, poorly paid and poorly motivated teachers 
with little understanding of the realities of working children.
     Curricula that are irrelevant to children living in these 
regions.
     Lack of learning and teaching materials.
     Limited budget earmarks for education.
     Poor educational infrastructure in remote rural areas such 
as those of this project.
     Lack of understanding by teachers of the goals and 
strategies of education reform, and/or lack of willingness of teachers 
to accept it.
     Few opportunities for vocational education and training, 
particularly for adolescents and families of adolescents working in the 
worst forms of child labor. In addition, existing vocational training 
programs are not always based on an analysis of future employment 
opportunities.
3. Inadequate National Institutions and Policies on Education and Child 
Labor
    There are a number of gaps that contribute to the weaknesses of 
institutions. These in turn affect the quality of implementation of 
policies and/or programs on education and child labor. Institutional 
and policy constraints include:
     Lack of national, departmental and local level data/
information on the extent/nature of child/adolescent labor. The 
collection of reliable data is hampered by differing definitions of 
what constitutes work, limited candor in discussing a sensitive topic, 
and limited funds and/or political will for in-depth studies.
     Lack of baseline information on education achievement and 
needs of child/adolescent labor population in target areas. For 
example, the link between child labor, formal school dropout, and 
access to and attendance in non-formal school is still not well 
understood. Studies to date on working and night school students 
present contradictory evidence. A study conducted by UNICEF in 2001, La 
Escuela Nocturna: Educacin Nocturna para Ni$os y 
Adolescentes en El Alto (Night School: Night Education for Children and 
Adolescents in El Alto), found, contrary to expectation that only about 
56% of students were working, while Gottret, et al., in La Escuela: 
Educacin para ni$os y adolescentes trabajadores en Bolivia 
(A study on education for children and adolescent workers in Bolivia), 
reported that 80% of night school students were working.
     Lack of methods to gauge the educational achievement of 
working children.
     Lack of information on community demographics, which 
limits local officials in their ability to program and distribute 
scarce budget resources for many social services including education. 
Additions to existing infrastructure or teacher appointments are often 
denied by regional authorities that maintain that the need is non-
existent or smaller than that estimated by local residents.
     Missing linkages between health and education services. 
Children who go to school hungry have trouble concentrating on their 
lessons, and children who work in mine-related labor face specific 
threats and side-effects to their health that are not being addressed 
(including exposure to mercury, dust, and damp and cold working spaces) 
and the possible effect of these exposures to their cognitive 
development and educational performance.
     Community institutions have inherent weaknesses that 
hamper their effectiveness or potential impact. For example, school 
committees have proven to be good at making improvements to education 
infrastructure but have not developed any expertise in the area of 
oversight and monitoring of quality education.
     Inexperienced municipal organizations are becoming 
increasingly responsible for making education-related decisions as 
education decentralization strategies take hold. With little prior 
experience or training, decisions are often not cost-effective or do 
not follow good educational principles.
4. Challenges to Achieving Long-Term Sustainability of Efforts
    Sustainability is ultimately linked to project impact and the 
ability of individuals, communities and a nation to ensure that the 
activities or changes implemented by a project endure. A project's 
impact is manifested at the level of individuals, organizations, and 
systems. For individual children and their families this would mean a 
positive and enduring change in their life conditions as a result of 
project interventions. At the level of organizations and systems, 
sustained impact would involve continued commitment and ability 
(including

[[Page 36231]]

financial commitment and policy change) to continue the actions 
generated by the project as long as they are still needed, including 
enforcement of existing policies that target child labor and school 
attendance. In both Bolivia and Peru, there are a number of factors 
that affect the ability of a project to achieve sustainable impact at 
these multiple levels:
     Poverty of families and lack of other income alternatives 
to child labor.
     Insufficient organizational commitment due to lack of 
skills, resources or ability to raise resources.
     Lack of enforcement of child labor and education laws, and 
related policy reforms.
     Low levels of exchange and use of ``lessons learned'' from 
current and previously implemented projects.

II. Authority

    ILAB is authorized to award and administer this program by the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2001, Public Law 106-554, 114 Stat. 
2763A-10 (2000).

III. Application Process

A. Eligible Applicants

    Any commercial, international or non-profit organization capable of 
successfully developing and implementing education programs for child 
laborers or children at risk is eligible to apply for this cooperative 
agreement(s). Partnerships of more than one organization are also 
eligible, and applicants are strongly encouraged to work with 
organizations already undertaking projects in Bolivia and Per, 
including local NGOs and faith-based organizations (see Appendices C 
and D). 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. 501(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 in English per 
country plus two (2) copies of the application(s), 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, July 9, 2002. Accompanying documents must also be in 
English. To aid with review of applications, USDOL also encourages 
applicants to submit two (2) additional paper copies of the application 
(five total). Applicants who do not provide additional copies will not 
be penalized.
    An application for each country must consist of two (2) separate 
parts. Part I of an 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 B). Part II must contain a technical application 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 25 
single-sided (8\1/2\ inches x 11 inches), double-spaced, 10 to 12 pitch 
typed pages per country, for which a response is submitted. ANY 
APPLICATIONS 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 
application must include a table of contents and an abstract 
summarizing the application in not more than two (2) pages. These pages 
are also not included in the page limits. Additional supporting 
materials should also be in English.
    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

    The grant application package must be received at the designated 
place by the date and time specified or it will not be considered. Any 
application received at the Office of Procurement Services after 4:45 
pm EST, July 9, 2002, will not be considered unless it is received 
before the award is made and:
    1. It was sent by registered or certified mail not later than the 
fifth calendar day before July 9, 2002;
    2. It is determined by the Government that the late receipt was due 
solely to mishandling by the Government after receipt at the U.S. 
Department of Labor at the address indicated; or
    3. It was sent by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day 
Service-Post Office to Addressee, not later than 5 p.m. at the place of 
mailing two (2) working days, excluding weekends and Federal holidays, 
prior to July 9, 2002.
    The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a 
late application sent by registered or certified mail is the U.S. 
Postal Service postmark on the envelope or wrapper and on the original 
receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. If the postmark is not legible, 
an application received after the above closing time and date shall be 
processed as if mailed late. ``Postmark'' means a printed, stamped or 
otherwise placed impression (not a postage meter machine impression) 
that is readily identifiable without further action as having been 
applied and affixed by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service on the 
date of mailing. Therefore applicants should request that the postal 
clerk place a legible hand cancellation ``bull's-eye'' postmark on both 
the receipt and the envelope or wrapper.
    The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a 
late application sent by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day 
Service-Post Office to Addressee is the date entered by the Post Office 
receiving clerk on the ``Express Mail Next Day Service-Post Office to 
Addressee'' label and the postmark on the envelope or wrapper and on 
the original receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. ``Postmark'' has the 
same meaning as defined above. Therefore, applicants should request 
that the postal clerk place a legible hand cancellation ``bull's-eye'' 
postmark on both the receipt and the envelope or wrapper.
    The only acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at 
the U.S. Department of Labor is the date/time stamp of the Procurement 
Services Center on the application wrapper or other documentary 
evidence or receipt maintained by that office.
    Applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX) will not 
be accepted. Applications sent by other delivery services, such as 
Federal Express, UPS, etc., will be accepted, however, the applicant 
bears the responsibility for timely submission. Because of delay in the 
receipt of mail in the Washington, DC area, it is recommended that you 
confirm receipt of your application by contacting Lisa Harvey, U.S. 
Department of Labor, Procurement Services Center, telephone (202) 693-
4570 (this is not a toll-free number), prior to the closing deadline. 
All inquires should reference SGA 02-04.

[[Page 36232]]

D. Funding Levels

    Up to US $3 million is available for implementation in the two 
countries, approximately US $1.5 million for Per, and US $1.5 
million for Bolivia. USDOL/ILAB will award up to two cooperative 
agreements, one for each country, but if one organization submits the 
best applications for both countries, then only one cooperative 
agreement will be awarded. An organization may apply for one or both 
projects. Partnerships of more than one organization may also apply to 
implement one or both programs.

E. Length of Cooperative Agreement Period

    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

    The applicant will propose innovative and cost-effective approaches 
that will meet the education needs of children living in the 
communities targeted by the project in each country. In proposing 
approaches, applicants should support the goals of USDOL/ILAB's EI: (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.
    Project key personnel should work closely with the ILO/IPEC's 
project manager of the USDOL-funded ILAB/IPEC project. The requirements 
listed below are the basis from which the Grantee(s) will develop a 
project document after award. In developing responses, applicants 
should take into account information available in Appendices C and D, 
and project documents and supporting documentation available on-line 
(and listed in Appendix E). Below is a listing of country-specific 
requirements to guide applicants in the development of responses to 
this solicitation.

A. Statement of Work

    For each country which the applicant is submitting an application, 
the application should suggest approaches to address the barriers to 
quality education for child laborers identified in Section I.C above, 
while taking into account the implementing environment and resources 
available from programs or activities already existing in the country. 
Activities in general should not duplicate existing efforts in target 
communities but rather, should complement them. Also, the education 
activities proposed in this solicitation should coordinate closely with 
and complement, but not duplicate, activities of the ILAB/IPEC South 
America Small-scale Mining Project in Bolivia and Per.
Bolivia
    The EI project should build on initial work done by ILO/IPEC in 
Potos! and Llallagua. The applicant should propose creative and 
innovative approaches to improve access, quality, and relevance of 
education for working children, especially child/adolescent miners and 
children at risk of working in mining-related activities in the 
Department of Potos!.
    The proposed project should aim to improve education access and 
quality. Project interventions should try to increase enrollment and 
attendance in target schools, reduce dropout rates, and increase 
promotion to the next grade. The project could include a number of 
interventions such as awareness raising, school management/teacher 
training, school committee strengthening, and educational materials to 
target schools in rural areas (see Appendix C for implementing 
environment in Bolivia).
    Because of the limited resources available to this project, the 
applicant might consider improving the quality of night schools in the 
Department of Potos!, where most working children/adolescents who study 
receive their education. At the same time, the applicant is encouraged 
to suggest other ways to improve educational quality for this target 
population.
    In developing proposed project interventions, where relevant, 
applicants may consider suggesting innovative approaches to work with 
local communities, faith-based organizations, and governmental 
organizations at the local and national level.
Per
    The applicant should propose creative and innovative approaches to 
improve access, quality, and relevance of primary and secondary 
education for working children, especially child/adolescent miners and 
children at risk of working in mining in the Department of Puno in the 
area surrounding the mining communities of Ananea/La Rinconada/Cerro 
Lunar and including selected schools in the districts of Putina and/or 
Sandia. Project interventions should increase enrollment and attendance 
in target schools, reduce dropout, and increase promotion.
    The applicant should suggest a strategy and logistics for improving 
the quality of education in the target mining communities and other 
nearby rural communities in the Department of Puno. The application 
should elaborate on how schools will be selected, how collaboration 
with local educational authorities will be undertaken, and the number 
of teachers to be included in the intervention. Target schools should 
be strategically selected to balance the project's goal of making 
sustainable improvements in the quality of education for working 
children. By the end of the project, improvements in the achievement 
levels of students in target schools should be evident in scores on 
standardized (preferably Ministry of Education) achievement tests.
    In developing interventions, where relevant, applicants may 
consider suggesting innovative approaches to work with local 
communities, faith-based organizations, and governmental organizations 
at the local and national level.

B. Deliverables

    Unless otherwise indicated, the Grantee(s) must submit copies of 
all required reports to ILAB by the specified due dates.
    1. Project Designs. A project document in a format 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, means of verification), 
project implementation timetable and project budget. The project design 
will be drawn from the application 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 ICLP on a quarterly basis by 31 
March, 30 June, 30 September, and 31 December. The Grantee must also 
furnish a separate financial report (SF 272) to ICLP on the quarterly 
basis mentioned above. The format for the technical progress report 
will be the format developed by ICLP 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;

[[Page 36233]]

    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;
    f. Aggregate amount of costs incurred during the reporting period, 
and
    g. Progress on indicators (to be reported annually).
    3. Annual Work Plan. An annual work plan will be developed within 2 
months of project award and approved by ILAB so as to ensure 
coordination with other relevant government and social actors in the 
two 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 
will be developed, in collaboration with ILAB, including beginning and 
ending dates for the project, planned and actual dates for mid-term 
review, and final end of project evaluations. The monitoring plan will 
be prepared after completion of baseline surveys, including revision of 
indicators provided in project document, targets, and means of 
verification. Progress on indicators will be reported semi-annually.
    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(s) 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 by it or its sub-contractors 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. 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 applications, 
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(s) 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(s) 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 Government wide Debarment and 
Suspension (Nonprocurement) and Government wide Requirements for Drug-
Free Workplace (Grants).
    29 CFR Part 99--Federal Standards for Audits of States, Local 
Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations.
    2. Sub-contracts. Sub-contracts must be awarded in accordance with 
29 CFR 95.40-48. In compliance with Executive Orders 12876 as amended, 
13230, 12928 and 13021 as amended, the Grantee(s) is strongly 
encouraged to provide sub-contracting 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 as having primary responsibility for the conduct 
and completion of all work in project(s) it proposes (see Section 
V.B.3). 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(s) agrees to inform the (GOTR) whenever it 
appears impossible for these individual(s) to continue work on the 
project as planned. The Grantee(s) may nominate substitute personnel 
and submit the nominations to the GOTR; however, the Grantee(s) 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

[[Page 36234]]

(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 
cooperative agreement period, if practicable.
    5. Site Visits. USDOL, 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 USDOL makes any site 
visit on the premises of the Grantee(s) or a sub-contractor(s) under 
this cooperative agreement(s), the Grantee(s) shall provide and shall 
require its sub-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. A technical 
panel will objectively rate each complete application 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 application 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 applications, the evaluation process described above will be 
repeated to consider such revisions. The Grant Officer will make final 
selection determination based on what is most advantageous to the 
Government, considering factors such as: Panel findings and the 
availability of funds. The Grant Officer's determination for award 
under this SGA 02-04 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, ILAB 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 application.

B. Rating Criteria and Selection

    The technical panel will review applications against the various 
criteria on the basis of 100 points with an additional five 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 (40 points)
    a. Overview. This section of the application must explain:
    (1) The applicant's proposed innovative methods for performing all 
the specific areas of work requirements presented in this solicitation.
    (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 should 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 the 
project. Also, the applicant should explain the rationale for using 
this approach. In addition, this section of the application should 
demonstrate the applicant's thorough knowledge and understanding of the 
issues involved in providing education to working children; best-
practice solutions to address their needs; and the implementing 
environment in Bolivia and/or Per.
    b. Implementation Plan. The applicant should submit an 
implementation plan, preferably with a visual such as a Gantt chart, 
for the project. The implementation plan must list the outcomes, 
objectives and activities during the life of the project, 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 should 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 should include a project 
organizational chart, demonstrating management structure, key 
personnel positions, and indicating proposed links with Government, 
civil society leaders, educators, and other significant local 
actors.
    (2) Develop a list of activities and explain how each relates to 
the overall development objective of reducing child labor through 
education.
    (3) Explain how appropriate awareness raising, training, and 
pedagogic materials will be developed.
    (4) Demonstrate how the applicant will strengthen national 
institutions and policies on education and combating child labor.
    (5) Demonstrate how the applicant would systematically report on 
project performance to measure the achievement of the project 
objective(s).
    (6) Demonstrate how the applicant would build national and local 
capacity to ensure that project efforts to reduce child labor and 
the effects of child labor through the provision of education are 
sustained after completion of the project.

    c. Budget Plan. Develop a country-specific budget of up to US $1.5 
million for the Bolivia project and US $1.5 million for the Peru 
project. This section of the application must explain the costs for 
performing all of the requirements presented in this solicitation and 
for producing all required reports and other deliverables presented in 
this solicitation; costs must include labor, equipment, travel, and 
other related costs. Preference may be given to applicants with lower 
administrative 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 
sub-contractors or consultants who will be retained;
    (2) A description of the functional relationship between 
elements of the project's organization;
    (3) The identity of the individual responsible for project 
management and the lines of authority between this individual and 
other elements of the project; and
    (4) A description of how the implementation plan will be 
integrated into and support the projects being financed by USDOL 
through ILAB/IPEC.

    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

[[Page 36235]]

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 (35 points)
    The evaluation criteria in this category are as follows:
    a. The applicant has international experience in the Latin American 
region implementing basic and vocational education programs that 
address issues of access and quality for disadvantaged children 
including working children. The applicant should provide ILAB with a 
listing of all its offices in the region and country or how the 
applicant plans to establish the necessary field presence for the 
projects.
    b. The applicant must show ability to support a field office 
through infrastructure, communication systems, technical assistance, 
and other systems that enhance capacity to perform in a difficult field 
environment. The applicant should also establish an office that gives 
it the capability to work directly with government ministries, 
educators, civil society leaders, and other local organizations, e.g., 
community-based or faith-based groups; the applicant can document that 
it has already established relations of this nature in the target 
country or can show that it has the capacity to readily establish such 
relations.
    The application should include information about previous grants or 
contracts relevant to this solicitation including:
    a. The organization for which the work was done;
    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 25-page maximum page 
requirement.
3. Experience and Qualifications of Key Personnel (25 points)
    This section of the application must include sufficient information 
to judge the quality and competence of staff proposed to be assigned to 
the project to assure that they meet the required qualifications. 
Successful performance of the proposed work depends heavily on the 
qualifications of the individuals who will be working on this project. 
Accordingly, in its evaluation of the applicant's application, 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. 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 sub-contractors 
or outside assistance are proposed, organizational control must be 
clearly delineated to ensure responsiveness to the needs of USDOL. 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 regionally located Project 
Director for each country (Key Personnel) to oversee the project and be 
responsible for implementation of the requirements of the cooperative 
agreement in each country. The Project Director must have an FRS 4 
written and spoken level of Spanish and English as translation/
interpretation services are scarce in targeted communities. The Project 
Director must also have a minimum of three years of professional 
experience in a leadership role in implementation of complex education 
or training 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 education or training 
(or similar) projects. Preferred candidates will also have knowledge of 
child labor eradication.
    b. The applicant must also designate an Education Specialist (Key 
Personnel) who will provide leadership in developing the technical 
aspects of this project in collaboration with the Project Director. 
Given the scarce availability of translation/interpretation services in 
the targeted communities, this person must have at least an advanced 
working knowledge of Spanish and English. The Education Specialist must 
also 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 must 
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, psychosocial counseling, and education 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 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, e.g., 
manager, team leader, consultant, etc. It should be 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 sub-contracting. Note that management and professional 
technical staff members comprising the applicant's proposed team should 
be

[[Page 36236]]

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 sub-contractors or outside assistance are 
proposed, organizational control must be clearly delineated to ensure 
responsiveness to the needs of USDOL.
    4. Leverage of Funding (5 points)
    The Department will give up to five (5) additional rating points to 
applications that include non-Federal resources that significantly 
expand the dollar amount, size and scope of the application. Of special 
interest is an applicant(s)'s ability to provide school health and food 
assistance, and income-generation and/or credit or vocational education 
programs in support of adults in the families of target children, or 
for older children who complete education programs and are ready for 
self-employment. These programs will not be financed by the project, 
but can supplement and enhance project objectives. 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 17th day of May, 2002.
Lawrence J. Kuss,
Grant Officer.

Appendix A: SF 424--Application Form
Appendix B: SF 424A--Budget Information Form
Appendix C: Implementing Environment in Bolivia
Appendix D: Implementing Environment in Per
Appendix E: Background Material Available on the Web

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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN23MY02.065


    Note: Use Column A to record funds requested for the initial 
period of performance (i.e. 12 months, 18 months, etc.); Column B to 
record changes to Column A (i.e. requests for additional funds or 
line item changes; and Column C to record the totals (A plus B).

Instructions for Part II--Budget Information

Section A--Budget Summary by Categories

    1. Personnel: Show salaries to be paid for project personnel 
which you are required to provide with W2 forms.
    2. Fringe Benefits: Indicate the rate and amount of fringe 
benefits.
    3. Travel: Indicate the amount requested for staff travel. 
Include funds to cover at least one trip to Washington, DC for 
project director or designee.
    4. Equipment: Indicate the cost of non-expendable personal 
property that has a useful life of more than one year with a per 
unit cost of $5,000 or more. Also include a detailed description of 
equipment to be purchased including price information.
    5. Supplies: Include the cost of consumable supplies and 
materials to be used during the project period.
    6. Contractual: Show the amount to be used for (1) procurement 
contracts (except those which belong on other lines such as supplies 
and equipment); and (2) sub-contracts/grants.
    7. Other: Indicate all direct costs not clearly covered by lines 
1 through 6 above, including consultants.
    8. Total, Direct Costs: Add lines 1 through 7.

[[Page 36241]]

    9. Indirect Costs: Indicate the rate and amount of indirect 
costs. Please include a copy of your negotiated Indirect Cost 
Agreement.
    10. Training /Stipend Cost: (If allowable)
    11. Total Federal Funds Requested: Show total of lines 8 through 
10.

Section B--Cost Sharing/Matching Summary

    Indicate the actual rate and amount of cost sharing/matching 
when there is a cost sharing/matching requirement. Also include 
percentage of total project cost and indicate source of cost 
sharing/matching funds, i.e. other Federal source or other Non-
Federal source.

    Note: Please include a detailed cost analysis of each line item.

Appendix C: Implementing Environment in Bolivia

I. Legal Framework

Child Labor Laws

    In Bolivia, children less than 14 years of age may not legally 
work except as apprentices. Children less than 18 years of age are 
prohibited from work that could retard their physical growth, that 
requires great strength, or that is dangerous (Ley General del 
Trabajo, del 8 de diciembre de 1942, Decreto Supremo del 4 de agosto 
de 1940).

Education Laws and Structure

    As part of the education reform of 1994, compulsory education 
was defined as eight years and was divided into three cycles: three 
years of basic learning, three years of essential skills, and two 
years of applied learning. These cycles are for children of 
approximately six to 14 years of age. Pre-school education is not 
yet obligatory because the government is not in a position to offer 
it nationally. Among other things, the Law of Education Reform calls 
for the introduction of an intercultural focus at all levels of 
education and the application of a bilingual component. The reform 
has survived through three different administrations and is the 
first experience of continuity of any social policy in Bolivia. (For 
a more extensive review of the education reform, please see link to 
UNESCO: Education For All Country Reports in Appendix E).
    The education system is decentralized and overseen by the 
following institutions:
     The Prefectura (Prefecture), as the representative of 
the central government, is responsible for hiring personnel at the 
district level.
     The Servicio Departamental de Educacin 
(SEDUCA) is under the control of the Prefectura and is responsible 
for the administration of public education and the supervision of 
private education at the departmental level. The Director of SEDUCA 
is responsible for formulating the Departmental education plan, for 
supervising and evaluating district education directors, and for the 
completion of annual goals and objectives.
     The Direcciones Distritales de los Municipios 
(Municipal District Offices) are responsible for buildings and 
equipment.
     The alcaldes (mayors), supported by the consejos 
municipales (municipal councils), administer education at the local 
level.
     The Direcciones de N#cleos Escolares (Offices of School 
Networks) administer groups or networks of schools, organized 
according to geographic, cultural, and linguistic criteria, that 
include at least one school with all educational levels and are 
supported by one asesor pedaggico.
     The Direcciones de Unidades Escolares (Individual 
School Offices) administer individual schools.
    For more information on the Bolivian education system, see 
Ministry of Education link in Appendix E.

II. Extent and Nature of Child Labor

Statistics

     In the most recent national census (1992), it was 
estimated that 32 percent of Bolivian children/adolescents between 
seven and 19 years of age were in the workforce. Twenty-nine percent 
of this group is located in cities and 71 percent in rural areas 
(Plan Nacional de Accin por la Ni$ez y Adolescencia en 
situacin de Riesgo en Bolivia 2001-2005).
     More recently, the World Bank (World Development 
Indicators 2000 CD Rom, the World Bank, Washington DC, 2000) 
reported that 12.6 percent of Bolivian children ages 10-14 are 
working (although it is likely that the above figures underestimate 
the number of child laborers since most child labor takes place in 
the informal sector).
     For child/adolescent workers who work during the day, 
night schools have become one of the only educational alternatives. 
In 1997 there were 523 night schools in Bolivia, the majority of 
them (62.72 percent) concentrated in the country's three largest 
cities of La Paz, Cochabamba, and Santa Cruz.

Type of Work in Which Children Are Engaged

    The worst forms of child labor in Bolivia have been identified 
as mining, commercial sexual exploitation, sugar cane harvest, 
Brazil nut harvest, and domestic work (in houses other than one's 
own) by children less than 14 years old.

III. Efforts

Government

    Rural education has been designated a priority area in the 
education reform, and the Ministerio de Educacin, Cultura 
y Deportes's (Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports') Plan 
Huascar n has promised to put computers and parabolic disks for 
Internet connection in 5,000 rural communities to help improve rural 
education in the most isolated areas.
    The Viceministro de Educacin Alternativa 
(Viceministry for Alternative Education), established by the reform 
(Law 1565), develops programs to benefit children and adolescents 
whose needs are not met by the formal education system. 
Educacin Juvenil Alternativa (EJA) is in the process of 
developing a curriculum for educacin nocturna (night 
school) that will respond to the needs and interests of the night 
school population, estimated to be 80 percent working and street 
children (Gottret, et al., La Escuela: Educacin para 
ni$os y adolescentes trabajadores en Bolivia).
    The Ministry of Labor (MOL) has expressed interest in working 
with other ministries to implement existing laws in the Labor Code 
in 2002 regarding adolescents between the ages of 14 and 17, 
including working with Bolivia's main technical training program 
(INFOCAL) and also including working children/adolescents in its 
departmental scope.
    The Comisin Interinstitucional para la 
Erradicacin del Trabajo Infantil (Interinstitutional 
Comisin for the Eradication of Child Labor), headed by 
the MOL, is composed of representatives from government 
institutions, civil society, and international organizations and is 
the author of a 10-year (2000-2010) plan for the progressive 
eradication of child labor. There is also a mining sub-committee 
made up of 15 institutions, eight of which participate regularly.
    Preliminary national studies have been completed in three of the 
sectors considered to be worst forms: Mining, sugar cane, and Brazil 
nuts. Studies of two other worst forms, child sexual exploitation 
and domestic workers, are underway.

International Donors

    The education reform is financed by World Bank and Inter-
American Development Bank credit, and by donations and technical 
assistance from European donors. ILO/IPEC is implementing the USDOL 
Eradication of Child Labor in Artisan Gold Mining Project described 
in the context of the solicitation. UNICEF has conducted various 
child labor studies and has implemented awareness raising workshops 
in all departments. UNICEF also works in both basic and alternative 
education and has trained teachers in basic bilingual education.

International NGOs

    CARE has worked in recent years on girls' education, developing 
a curriculum to make education more targeted to girls. They have 
also sponsored a Saturday program covering topics such as human 
rights, children's rights, and alternative math courses for working 
girls. They are working in eight evening schools in La Paz and El 
Alto.
    Fe y Alger!a (Faith and Happiness) is working nation-wide in 
Bolivia, including in 14 schools in the Department of Potos!. Fe y 
Alegr!a teachers are employed by the Ministry of Education, but Fe y 
Alegr!a provides the administration of the schools and teacher 
training.
    Save the Children has a basic education program called Primary 
Education Now! in Oruro. The program works to improve the quality of 
education in peri-urban schools by training teachers and renovating 
and constructing classrooms, bathrooms or kitchens and providing 
computers, audio-visual equipment, children's literature and 
didactic material. The program also provides health and nutrition 
services to children and strengthens parent associations and school 
boards.

[[Page 36242]]

Non-Governmental Organizations

    Centro Boliviano de Investigacin y Accin 
Educativas (CEBIAE--Bolivian Center for Research and Education 
Action) has been addressing education issues for over 26 years, and 
for the past three years has been working on education quality at 
the school level, and incorporating greater social participation in 
public education.
    CEBIAE is currently working with local education officials to 
train teachers in reform methods in Potosi within the framework of 
the institutional plan ``Education for Local Development in 
Municipal Districts, 2001-2004.'' See Appendix E for more 
information on CEBIAE.
    Confederacion de Trabajadores de Educacin Urbana 
(Confederation of Urban Education Workers). According to a union 
representative, Bolivian teachers make about 600 Bolivianos (a 
little less than $100) per month. Teachers prefer to work for 
private schools because the remuneration is better than in the 
public system. According to the Confederation, the Ministry of 
Education is not willing to negotiate with teachers, so there will 
likely be strikes within the lifetime of the project. Night school 
teachers are members of the Association of Adult Education, a 
network of the Confederation.
    Cruz Roja (The Red Cross) in Potos! is providing a vocational 
training program for 60 adolescents. The program is structured in 
three modules of three months each, one theoretical, one practical, 
and one a combination of theory and practice. Thirty of the 60 
participants have been placed in jobs.
    El Centro de Investigacin y Apoyo Campesino (CIAC--
The Center for Research and Rural Aid), located in the southern 
Andean region (Potos! and Tarija) of Bolivia, was founded to design 
and execute programs in support of rural communities. In the field 
of education, CIAC provides teacher training and training for juntas 
escolares in rural schools. CIAC and three other NGOs (Caritas, 
ACLO, and Causnanchispaj) are running rural boarding schools for 
children whose community schools include only the first three 
grades.
    Programa Alternativo de Prevencin Integral de la 
Marginalidad en la Poblacin Urbana Infanto-Juvenil de y 
en la Calle (ENDA--Alternative Social Program to Prevent Marginality 
in Urban Youth and Street Children). ENDA's goals are: Reducing risk 
to working and street children, improving their socialization, and 
supporting their re-integration into the family and community. To 
accomplish these goals the organization provides safe houses, 
training/job placement, health services, and performs research.
    Fundacin de la Primera Dama. The Foundation of the 
First Lady of the Republic of Bolivia's mission is to develop 
support programs for high-risk social groups. The First Lady's 
Office has developed programs and projects for street children, 
rural and marginal urban students, people with disabilities, and the 
elderly. See Appendix E for more information.
    Qharuru has 13 years of experience providing education, health, 
and other basic services, as well as vocational training, to working 
children in a center owned by the organization in La Paz. In 
addition to the center, Qharuru implements other projects that have 
included research, a program with shoeshine children, development of 
night school curricula, and a theater program to prevent drug use.

Appendix D: Implementing Environment in Per

I. Legal Framework

Child Labor Laws

    In Per, the legal minimum age of employment is 14; 
however, children between 12 and 14 may obtain permission from the 
Ministry of Labor to work four hours a day in light work. 
Adolescents aged 15-17 may work for six hours a day provided they 
are attending school regularly. In more hazardous sectors, such as 
mining, the legal minimum work age is 15. Work that can harm a 
child's physical, mental, or emotional health and development, 
including underground work, heavy lifting/carrying, and work that 
interferes with school attendance is prohibited under the age of 18.

Education Laws and Structure

    In 1993, the Peruvian Congress extended the years of obligatory 
schooling to 13: three pre-school years (starting at age three) and 
a total of 10 years of primary and secondary school, to be phased in 
progressively. In order to phase in the additional years, it was 
planned to add one school year, each calendar year, over several 
years.
    As part of the national education reform, the Ministry of 
Education has developed a model that moves away from teaching/
instruction and puts emphasis on learning/training. It involves:
     A curriculum that takes local realities (including 
multiculturalism) into account.
     Flexibility for one third of the curriculum to be 
developed locally.
     An emphasis on solving concrete problems of every day 
life and improving the quality of life.
    In the short run, the new approach will focus on factors 
affecting educational quality such as teacher training; production 
and distribution of free educational materials; expansion, 
improvement and maintenance of infrastructure; school director 
training, and social support programs such as distribution of food, 
furniture, and clothing.
    In the medium run, the goal will be to expand the coverage of 
the education system (especially in the pre-school and secondary 
areas) in disperse rural areas, and to improve teaching methodology.
    Goals in alternative education include modification of the 
primary and secondary curricula to be appropriate for the 
adolescent/adult population, a flexible, contextual, competency-
based, modular curriculum, radio learning, day-care programs, 
supplemental nutrition programs, and the establishment of an 
accreditation system for technical education.

II. Extent and Nature of Child Labor

Statistics

     According to the Yearbook of Labor Statistics, in 1999, 
5.5 percent of children in Per between the ages of 10 and 
14 and 44 percent of children between the ages of 15-19 were working 
(ILO, Geneva, 2000, Table 1A).
     On tests conducted by the Ministry of Education in 
1998, of 25 departments, the Department of Puno (location of the 
proposed projects) was among the six with the lowest scores on three 
of the four tests.
     In most rural schools in Per, class contact 
hours are inadequate (an estimated 200 hours/year compared with an 
average 1,050 hours/year for Latin America), many students are over-
age for their grade, and there are high levels of absenteeism, 
repetition and dropout.

Type of Work in Which Children Are Engaged

    The worst forms of child labor in Per have not been 
formally identified, but children are most commonly found working in 
the agricultural sector, in garbage scavenging, in the loading and 
unloading of produce in markets, in fireworks factories, in urban 
centers working as shoe shiners, and in stone quarries. Working 
children and adolescents are also found making bricks, participating 
in informal mining-related activities, and being commercially 
exploited and exploited for sexual means.

III. Efforts

Government

    The Ministry of Labor implements the Projoven (Proyouth) Program 
which helps low income youth enter the labor market through training 
and apprenticeship programs. The program, begun in 1996, has trained 
almost 25,000 youths in such technical areas as sewing/tailoring, 
administration, tourism, mechanics, carpentry, construction, bread 
making, shoe repair, agro-industry, and fishing.
    The Ministry of Education has developed the Intercultural 
Bilingual Education Program to provide universal access to quality 
education, and nearly 5,000 teachers are being trained to address 
close to 100,000 students in eight languages. The Ministry of 
Education's Plan Huascar n will provide Internet access to all 
schools including rural schools.
    PROMUDEH is promoting a new initiative, Plan de Accin 
para la Infancia 2002-2006. The plan will include efforts to protect 
child workers with a goal of the eventual elimination of child 
labor.
    The National Plan to Eliminate Child Labor, developed by the 
Cyomit Nacional para la Erradicacin del Trabajo Infantil 
y Proteccin de Adolescentes que Trabajan (National 
Committee for the Eradication of Child Labor and the Protection of 
Working Adolescents), has not yet been approved. In 2001, the 
Committee set up a number of sector sub-committees, including one on 
mining and one on education. The Committee has since become 
inactive, but the sub-committees continue to function and the sub-
committee on mining has successfully brought the issue of child 
labor in the mining sector to national attention. Its members have 
formed a separate entity, the Red de Miner!a Artesanal (the Small-
scale Mining Network) which has developed its own one-year action 
plan.

[[Page 36243]]

    Ministerio de Promocin de la Mujer y Desarrollo 
Humano (PROMUDEH--Ministry for the Promotion of Women and Human 
Development). Through the National Institute of Family Well-being, 
PROMUDEH addresses populations at risk, such as children, 
adolescents, women and older adults living in poverty. PROMUDEH's 
Educadores de Calle Program (Street Educators) is made up of a team 
of young professionals who attend to at-risk populations, among them 
working children, to reintegrate them into family, school, and 
community.

International Donors

    Through CARE, USAID began to work in education with the 
objective of improving opportunities for rural girls. Important 
accomplishments were raising social awareness, building a national 
network for girls' education called FLORECER, and passing a girls' 
education law. In 2002, USAID will implement pilot programs with new 
approaches to rural education, and in 2003, the World Bank will 
adapt lessons learned from the pilot projects to the remaining rural 
areas.
    The International Labor Organization's International Program on 
the Elimination of Child Labor is implementing the USDOL-funded 
Program to Prevent and Progressively Eliminate Child Labor in Small-
scale Traditional Gold Mining in Bolivia, Ecuador and Per 
(referred to in this solicitation). In Per, the project is 
working in Mollehuaca, Puno and Santa Filomena, focusing on 
awareness raising, institutional strengthening, education 
improvement, and withdrawal of children from mining.
    UNICEF's program for 2001-2005 focuses on extremely poor and 
excluded children with a goal of equitable and inclusive public 
policies. Two programs have been developed:
    (1) The Initiatives for Social Inclusion Program operates at the 
local level and emphasizes equitable access to health care, 
especially in early childhood; quality education; exercise of 
citizenship; and adolescent participation.
    (2) The Promotion and Monitoring of Rights Program, at the 
national level, strengthens access to information and knowledge 
through three national projects.
    UNICEF also implements the USAID-funded Abriendo Puertas 
(Opening Doors to Rural Girls' Education), a project initiated in 
1999 to address the issues of rights, gender equality, bilingual/
intercultural education and citizenship.

Private Sector

    During the 1990s a ``Law to Promote Investment in Education'' 
(Legislative Decree 882) served as the legal framework to promote 
private sector support for education. The Ministry of Education has 
signed contracts with a number of large private corporations/
companies and there is an increasing amount of private and municipal 
participation in education.
    Generally, Peruvians invest a high level of personal income in 
education (Per#vian Education at the Crossroads: Challenges and 
Opportunities for the 21st Century, World Bank, 2001). One community 
that is part of the USDOL/ILAB South America Small-scale Mining 
Project has conducted a fundraiser for school improvement, and 
members of another community have provided the labor to construct 
new classrooms. These investments reflect a national commitment to 
education as the path to development. Another positive sign for 
sustainability of interventions in Per are nascent private 
sector (BellSouth) contributions for education programs and 
scholarships.

International NGOs in Per

    CARE-Per, through the USAID project Nuevos Horizontes 
para la Educacin de las Ni$as (New Horizons for Girls' 
Education), organized the National Network for Girls Education and 
achieved congressional approval for the Law to Promote Education for 
Rural Girls. The law mandated universal school enrollment for rural 
girls; gender equity in teaching, infrastructure, and school 
management; and training for girls and families on psychosocial and 
reproductive health.
    Save the Children (SAVE) has also implemented various studies 
involving education and child labor. In addition, School 
Municipality is a SAVE project in which children and adolescents 
participate democratically in school, and Parent School is a 
community school that helps raise parent awareness on child and 
human rights.
    SAVE also works to integrate the goals of the Municipal Child 
and Adolescent Defense Offices (DEMUNA) with communities. These 
offices protect and promote the rights of children and adolescents, 
solve conflicts through conciliation, and promote strengthening of 
the family.

National NGOs in Per

    AIDECA offers technical improvements to eliminate the need for 
child labor in the USDOL/ILAB South America Small-scale Mining 
Project in Mollehuaca.
    Centro Proceso Social (Social Process Center) is an organization 
in Lima working to help child trash pickers in the northern cone of 
Lima. The project has developed an approach for reinserting trash-
picking children in school by using social educators to help with 
academic reinforcement and to conduct consciousness raising for 
parents.
    Centro de Estudios Sociales y Publicaciones (CESIP), Programa 
Derechos de Ni$os y Adolescentes (Social Studies and Publications 
Center, Program on Children's and Adolescents' Rights). CESIP's 
mission is to reduce social inequality and inequity stemming from 
factors of gender, age, social class, and ethnic origin. CESIP has 
implemented part of the USDOL/ILAB South America Small-scale Mining 
Project in Mollehuaca with interventions covering such issues as 
school furniture, teacher training, and development of didactic 
material. Other CESIP programs address the prevention of child/
adolescent labor through: School participation; child labor 
awareness raising with kids, teachers, parents groups, and 
community; improvement of educational quality through 
extracurricular activities; Saturday schools; and alternative income 
generation programs.
    In a program for Bell South, CESIP developed a mochila escolar 
(school bag) initiative called PRO NI$O (Pro-Child) which supplies 
materials and resources to a selected group of children. The 
program's aim is to reintegrate children who have left school or to 
support those at risk of failing. The program includes a revolving 
fund for mothers of target children in exchange for reducing work 
hours or removing children from work and reenrolling them in school.
    A new program Beca Semilla (Seed scholarship), also sponsored by 
Bell South, reinforces the participation of adolescents, promoting 
technical skills to enable participants to make occupational changes 
and leave the worst forms of work.
    Centro de Investigacin y Desarrollo de la 
Educacin (Center for Education Research and Development) 
specializes in development research/publication and teaching 
innovations.
    Confederacin Nacional de Instituciones Empresariales 
Privadas (CONFIEP--National Confederation of Private Business 
Institutions). A special committee within this organization convened 
to look at social conscience issues and eventually became 
``Per 2021.'' It is now an independent organization that 
serves as a model for involving the private sector in eradication of 
child labor.
    Cooperaccin (Cooperation) is the NGO responsible for 
the USDOL/ILAB South America Small-scale Mining Project in Santa 
Filomena, Peru, where its representatives have focused on education 
and health as the most important elements in helping children attend 
and remain in school.
    Cooperaccin has been successful in improving the 
quality of teaching. Before the intervention of the USDOL/ILAB South 
America Small-scale Mining Project, no high school existed and only 
45 percent of children in the community attended school. Now, with 
the addition of a high school, 85 percent of children attend. Also 
in Santa Filomena, the high school and health posts constructed by 
the community have been adopted and taken over by the state. 
Cooperaccin used diagnostics and study results to 
leverage requests for support to regional government offices.
    In Santa Filomena, Cooperaccion has incorporated 
local topics into the curriculum and developed a one-day per month 
``school for parents'' that sensitizes parents to child labor 
issues. Cooperaccion has also taken advantage of ``Seguro 
Escolar'' (School Insurance), a program that provides health 
services to children up to age 17 if teachers verify they are 
attending school classes.
    Foro Educativo (Education Forum) is an education think tank that 
generates applications through participative processes, then seeks 
to create consensus on the ideas to influence educational policy.
    EDUCA, Instituto de Fomento de una Educacin de 
Calidad (Institution for the Promotion of Quality Education). 
EDUCA's mission is the improvement of educational quality through 
creative approaches. EDUCA is an organization of teachers and other 
professionals committed to training other teachers and communities 
in how to transform institutions and practice to create Peruvian 
entrepreneurs.
    Grupo de Iniciativa Nacional por los Derechos del Ni$o (GIN--
National Initiative

[[Page 36244]]

Group for Children's Rights) is a network of 30 institutions, formed 
in the 1980s, to work in favor of children's rights. GIN performs 
follow-up on the implementation of the Convenio de los Derechos del 
Ni$o (Convention on the Rights of the Child) and conducts awareness 
raising campaigns against child labor.
    Red por un Futuro sin Trabajo Infantil. (Network for a Future 
without Child Labor). This network includes fifteen institutions 
working on the eradication of child labor.
    Red Titicaca, Instituto de Educacin y 
Comunicacin Puno (Titicaca Network, Education and 
Communication Institute, Puno) is implementing the DOL/ILAB South 
America Small-scale Mining Project in Puno. Its approach involves 
the entire community, including parents, leaders, authorities, and 
teachers. It emphasizes working with teachers who are discouraged 
and unmotivated. Workshops have improved the teachers' commitment 
and additional training is planned for the coming year. Awareness 
raising with parents increased their motivation to work for 
education and as a result they provided the labor for the 
construction of six classrooms.
    Sindicato Unitario de Trabajadores en la Educacin del 
Per# (SUTEP--Peruvian Teachers Union). Only 10,000 of Per's 
public school teachers are not members of SUTEP, a union that counts 
295,000 public school teachers in its membership. SUTEP has worked 
through the ILO using promoters to raise awareness on the 
eradication of child labor.
    Tarea (Task) specializes in improving public education through 
policy, local development, and awareness raising.
    Warma Tarinakuy developed a project in 1996 in a red-light 
district of Lima where children worked in the streets, semi-
abandoned by their working parents. The project attempted to fill 
gaps in the continuity of schooling through non-formal education. 
Warma Tarinakuy also works with the children of gang members, on 
issues including cultural identity, self-confidence, and capacity 
building.

Appendix E: Background Material Available on the Web

    Applicants desiring additional information and documents that 
can assist in the preparation of responses to this solicitation can 
find the following documents on the USDOL web site at http://www.dol.gov/dol/ilab/public/programs/iclp/ or at the following web 
addresses:
    1. Project Document for ``Program to Prevent and Progressively 
Eliminate Child Labor in Small-scale Traditional Gold Mining in 
South America.''
    2. Bolivia Country Report.
    3. Per Country Report.
    4. Programa IPEC-Miner!a Artesanal en Amrica del Sur, ``El 
Trabajo Infantil en la Miner!a Artesanal del Oro.''
    5. Estudios sobre el Trabajo Infantil en la Minera: 
Caso Potos!.
    6. Piazza, Maria del Carmen, ``Children Working in Small-scale 
Traditional Gold-Mining in Per'', 2001.
    7. Zamora and Barrera, ``Rendimiento escolar y estado 
nutricional,'' Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y 
Deportes, (www.vieps.gov.bo).
    8. Bolivia. CEBIAE. Centro Boliviano (http://www.cebiae.edu.bo).
    9. UNESCO: Education for All Country Reports, (http://
www2.unesco.org/wef/countryreports/country--all.html).
    10. Bolivian Ministry of Education, (www.veips.gov.bo).
    11. Fundacin de la Primera Dama, (http://www.pridama.gov.bo/despacho/despacho.htm).

[FR Doc. 02-12960 Filed 5-22-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-28-P