[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 107 (Thursday, June 3, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31417-31432]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-12525]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Combating Exploitive Child Labor Through Education in the Middle 
East and North Africa (MENA) Region; Combating Exploitive Child Labor 
Through Education in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Zambia

June 3, 2004.
AGENCY: Bureau of International Labor Affairs, Department of Labor.
    Announcement Type: New. Notice of Availability of Funds and 
Solicitation for Cooperative Agreement Applications.
    Funding Opportunity Number: SGA 04-09.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: Not 
applicable.
    Key Dates: Deadline for Submission of Application is July 6, 2004.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of International Labor 
Affairs, will award up to U.S. $24 million through one or more 
cooperative agreements to an organization or organizations to improve 
access to quality education programs as a means to combat exploitive 
child labor in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region (up to $8 
million) and in the African sub-region of Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda, 
and Zambia (up to $16 million). The activities funded will complement 
and expand upon existing projects and programs to improve basic 
education in these regions, and, where applicable, provide access to 
basic education to children in areas with a high incidence of 
exploitive child labor. For both regions, applications must be regional 
in approach and respond to the entire Statement of Work outlined in 
this Solicitation for Cooperative Agreement Applications. In the MENA 
region, activities under this cooperative agreement must focus on the 
prevention and elimination of exploitive child labor through basic 
education throughout the region, with direct education interventions in 
Lebanon and Yemen, and must also specifically address the need to 
expand access to girls' education, involve civil society, and build 
models to strengthen institutional capacity to eliminate exploitive 
child

[[Page 31418]]

labor throughout the region. In the African sub-region of Ethiopia, 
Mozambique, Rwanda, and Zambia, activities under this cooperative 
agreement must prevent and eliminate exploitive child labor by 
improving access and quality of education for HIV/AIDS-affected 
children engaged in or at-risk of entering exploitive child labor.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), Bureau of International Labor 
Affairs (ILAB), announces the availability of funds to be granted by 
cooperative agreement to one or more qualifying organizations for the 
purpose of preventing child labor by expanding access to and quality of 
basic education and strengthening government and civil society's 
capacity to address the education needs of working children and those 
at-risk of entering work in the MENA region, and in the African sub-
region of Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Zambia. ILAB is authorized 
to award and administer this program by the Consolidated Appropriations 
Act, 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-199, 118 Stat. 3 (2004). The cooperative 
agreement or cooperative agreements awarded under this initiative will 
be managed by ILAB's International Child Labor Program to assure 
achievement of the stated goals. Applicants are encouraged to be 
creative in proposing cost-effective interventions that will have a 
demonstrable impact in promoting school attendance in areas of those 
countries where children are engaged in or are most at-risk of working 
in the worst forms of child labor.

A. Background and Program Scope

1. USDOL Support of Global Elimination of Exploitive Child Labor
    The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that 211 
million children ages 5 to 14 were working around the world in 2000. 
Children who work full-time are generally unable to attend school, 
although many child workers balance economic survival with schooling 
from an early age, often to the detriment of their education. Since 
1995, USDOL has provided over U.S. $275 million in technical assistance 
funding to combat exploitive child labor in over 60 countries around 
the world.
    Programs funded by USDOL range from targeted action programs in 
specific sectors to more comprehensive efforts that target activities 
defined by ILO Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor. 
From FY 2001 to FY 2004, the U.S. Congress has appropriated U.S. $148 
million to USDOL for a Child Labor Education Initiative to fund 
programs aimed at increasing access to quality, basic education in 
areas with a high incidence of abusive and exploitive child labor. The 
cooperative agreement(s) awarded under this solicitation will be funded 
through this initiative.
    USDOL's Child Labor Education Initiative seeks to nurture the 
development, health, safety and future employability of children around 
the world by increasing access to basic education for working children 
and those at-risk of entering work. Elimination of exploitive child 
labor depends in part on improving access to, quality of, and relevance 
of education.
    The Child Labor Education Initiative has four goals:
    a. Raise awareness of the importance of education for all children 
and mobilize a wide array of actors to improve and expand education 
infrastructures;
    b. Strengthen formal and transitional education systems that 
encourage working children and those at-risk of working to attend 
school;
    c. Strengthen national institutions and policies on education and 
child labor; and
    d. Ensure the long-term sustainability of these efforts.
2. Barriers to Education for Working Children, Regional Backgrounds, 
and Focus of Solicitation
    Throughout the world, there are complex causes of exploitive child 
labor as well as barriers to education for children engaged in or at-
risk of entering exploitive child labor. These include: Poverty; 
education system barriers; infrastructure barriers; legal and policy 
barriers; resource gaps; institutional barriers; informational gaps; 
demographic characteristics of children and/or families; cultural and 
traditional practices; and weak labor markets. Although these elements 
and characteristics tend to exist throughout the world in areas with a 
high incidence of exploitive child labor, they manifest themselves in 
specific ways in each region/country of interest in this solicitation.
    Applications in response to the solicitation for MENA or Africa 
must be regional in approach, i.e., applications must include all of 
the countries in the region and promote regional activities and sharing 
of best practices and lessons learned to enhance and improve education 
and exploitive child labor policies and practices among project 
countries. The regional focus of the project should also emphasize 
policy and program approaches that, through the sharing of knowledge 
and lessons learned from other countries, augment an individual 
country's capacity to address the education barriers faced by working 
children, allowing more of them to attend and complete quality 
educational programs.
    The activities under this cooperative agreement in the MENA region 
must focus on the prevention and elimination of exploitive child labor 
through basic education, through direct education interventions in 
Lebanon and Yemen, and must expand access to girls' education, 
strengthen civil society, and build institutional capacity to eliminate 
exploitive child labor throughout the MENA region. In the African sub-
region of Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Zambia, activities under 
this cooperative agreement must prevent and eliminate child labor by 
improving access to and quality of education for HIV/AIDS-affected 
children engaged in or at-risk of entering exploitive child labor. 
Applicants must be able to identify the specific barriers to education 
and the education needs of specific categories of children targeted in 
their proposed project (e.g., children withdrawn from work, children at 
high risk of dropping out of school into the labor force, and/or 
children still working in a particular sector) and how capacity 
building and policy change can be used to address these barriers to 
education and the education needs.
    Background information on education and exploitive child labor in 
each of the regions/countries of interest is provided below. For 
additional information on exploitive child labor in these regions/
countries, applicants are referred to The Department of Labor's 2003 
Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor available at http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/media/reports/iclp/tda2003/overview.htm or in hard 
copy from Lisa Harvey, U.S. Department of Labor, Procurement Services 
Center, telephone (202) 693-4570 (this is not a toll-free-number) or e-
mail: [email protected].
The MENA Region
    In 2000, the ILO estimated that 6.4 percent of children ages 5 to 
14, or 13.4 million children, were working in the MENA region. However, 
the real magnitude of the problem may be much larger when children 
working in the informal sector are counted, such as those who work in 
private households as domestic servants and street children who are 
forced into commercial sexual exploitation and other illicit 
activities.
    Studies indicate that exploitive child labor in the MENA region is 
concentrated in low-income groups or areas, urban slums, and remote

[[Page 31419]]

peripheral villages. In rural areas, children are likely to work on 
farms in activities such as herding and harvesting, or in domestic or 
artisanal work within the small or extended family, for little or no 
wages. In urban areas, children are engaged in mechanical work 
(especially in automobile repair), market or street vending, in 
construction, factories, workshops, restaurants, and in private homes 
as domestic servants. Children working in urban slums and living in the 
streets are particularly vulnerable to a wide range of exploitive 
practices. Increasingly, urban children in the region are drawn into 
illicit activities such as drug trafficking and the commercial sex 
industry.
    The majority of working children in the MENA region do not attend 
school. Those who combine school and work often lack adequate food or 
sleep, or sufficient time to study and prepare homework. Such children 
complete fewer years of schooling than those who do not work, dropping 
out at a young age. By not attending school, or by attending for only 
short periods of time, working children do not gain many of the skills 
they need to obtain stable and more highly remunerated employment as 
adults.
    Despite these challenges, some governments have been making 
significant efforts to combat child labor, particularly in its worst 
forms. In recent years, a number of the MENA countries have raised the 
minimum age for admission to employment to coincide with the age for 
completion of compulsory education. Minimum age restrictions for 
employment in most of the MENA countries range between 14 and 16 years 
of age. Secondly, some countries in the region have prohibited children 
under the age of 16 to 18 years from performing certain hazardous kinds 
of work (e.g., working in mines, with chemicals, or at night). Finally, 
as of December 2003, all of the MENA countries had ratified ILO 
Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor.
    Ministries of Labor and employers and workers organizations in 
Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Yemen, for example, have 
established child labor units to combat the problem of exploitive child 
labor in a systematic and comprehensive manner. While some MENA 
countries have been engaged on the issue of exploitive child labor for 
some time, others are still in the process of developing their national 
plans of action, and the issue of exploitive child labor has yet to be 
addressed seriously. Across the region, there is a need to raise 
awareness about child labor among policy makers and civil society and 
to collect more reliable data on the extent and nature of exploitive 
child labor.
    In recent years, the ILO's International Program on the Elimination 
of Child Labor (ILO-IPEC), with support from USDOL, has assisted a 
number of countries in the MENA region by enhancing the capacity of key 
partners and assisting governments to combat exploitive child labor 
through developing and implementing national policy and program 
frameworks; models for prevention, withdrawal, and rehabilitation; and 
comprehensive advocacy programs.
    ILO-IPEC is supporting the Governments of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, 
Morocco and Yemen to adopt and implement an explicit child labor policy 
as an integral component of their national development efforts. This 
child labor policy will aim to identify national priorities and realize 
objectives for the elimination of exploitive child labor through a 
coherent national policy for the elimination of exploitive child labor.
    ILO-IPEC and other international organizations have implemented 
projects that aim to remove children from exploitive child labor and 
enroll them in school. In addition, a host of projects have been 
undertaken to promote access to quality basic education. Some of the 
education ministries in the region have developed scholarship programs, 
flexible schedules, and alternative curricula designed to enable all 
children to obtain a quality basic education. A number of local non-
governmental organizations (NGOs), development agencies, and 
international organizations, such as UNICEF, Save the Children, and the 
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), have instituted 
programs to promote primary education.
    Despite these efforts to eliminate exploitive child labor and 
promote basic education, significant gaps have not been addressed and 
continue to deprive working children of access to quality basic 
education. Although some barriers are more prominent in certain 
countries than others, in general across the region, these needs 
include:
    a. Lack of coordination of efforts among governmental and non-
governmental stakeholders to combat exploitive child labor with efforts 
to promote basic education;
    b. Lack of government recognition of the link between education and 
exploitive child labor;
    c. Lack of community awareness of the dangers inherent in 
exploitive child labor;
    d. Lack of information sharing on exploitive child labor and 
education among governmental and non-governmental organizations and 
actors;
    e. Lack of teacher training on exploitive child labor and on how to 
effectively instruct at-risk and working children;
    f. Lack of relevant curriculum and instruction to provide students 
with the necessary skills to secure suitable employment opportunities;
    g. Lack of adequately trained teachers and insufficient teacher 
incentives;
    h. Lack of access to schools, particularly in rural areas;
    i. Lack of gender parity in access to, participation in, and 
retention in school; and
    j. Lack of non-formal or other affordable schooling alternatives.
    The MENA project must consist of two components: (1) Addressing 
education barriers for working children at the regional level; and (2) 
implementing direct education services at the country level in Lebanon 
and Yemen. The regional activities will help to pave the way for more 
focused educational interventions for future projects in the region, 
and the direct education service delivery component will center around 
national models in Lebanon and Yemen. Both countries have already made 
significant progress on conducting research to better understand the 
characteristics of child labor, raising awareness among policymakers 
and civil society on the problem of exploitive child labor and its 
negative consequences, and mobilizing society to take action against 
it. As such, both countries are prepared to support direct education 
interventions to serve as pilot projects that can later be extended to 
other countries in the region when the social dialogue surrounding 
exploitive child labor there is more fully developed.
    The regional component of this project must focus on promoting 
policy reform through capacity building to support the strengthening of 
civil society mechanisms to eliminate exploitive child labor, raise 
awareness on the issue, and promote dialogue among government and civil 
society organizations. The target population for this solicitation is 
working children and those at-risk of working or exploitation, 
particularly girls, over-age youth, youth in urban slum and squatter 
settlements, rural, refugee, and bedouin (nomadic) children. Applicants 
must identify and select from among these possible target groups, and 
seek to fill current gaps or needs in the provision of basic education 
to the chosen target population. Strategies are expected to

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complement activities of the President's Middle East Partnership 
Initiative (MEPI), USAID, ILO-IPEC, and other development initiatives 
where most appropriate. (MEPI is a Presidential initiative, implemented 
by the U.S. Department of State. MEPI was founded to support economic, 
political, and educational reform efforts in the Middle East and to 
champion opportunities for all people of the region, especially women 
and youth. For more information about MEPI and a list of the countries 
included in the initiative, please visit the U.S. Department of State 
Web site at: http://mepi.state.gov/mepi/ mepi/).
    Due to the need to strengthen civil society, reinforce government 
efforts to combat exploitive child labor and promote sustainability in 
the region, applicants are encouraged to predominantly support policy 
mechanisms and build capacity to undertake educational reforms that 
enable working children to benefit from education programs.
    The regional component of the Child Labor Education Initiative 
awarded under this cooperative agreement must complement existing 
approaches by focusing on ways to: (1) Enhance the viability of 
schooling as an alternative to exploitive child labor; (2) mobilize 
stakeholders to participate in promoting schooling as a means to combat 
child labor; and (3) build the capacity of future national experts who 
will contribute directly to government policies through their 
commitment to and expertise in using school interventions as models to 
reduce exploitive child labor.
    In response to the regional component of this solicitation, 
applicants are encouraged to:
    a. Promote innovative approaches to address barriers and the 
sharing of good practices and lessons learned on exploitive child labor 
and education in the MENA region, particularly among the designated 
countries for MEPI and with other USDOL funded projects in the region;
    b. Promote awareness raising of core labor standards and 
educational strategies for vulnerable children through in-service 
training;
    c. Support the institutionalization of reforms that might lead to 
improved incorporation of working children into educational settings, 
by mobilizing stakeholders (at the local and national level) and by 
developing the capability to manage interventions using local resources 
and networks;
    d. Stimulate increased accountability and creative incentives for 
schools to enroll and retain children who are at-risk of entering 
abusive labor;
    e. Strengthen and build the capacity of NGOs, including faith-based 
organizations, community-based organizations, and the private sector, 
through organizational development and training, to provide educational 
programs;
    f. Encourage intra-governmental collaboration among relevant 
agencies within the MENA region, particularly in the designated 
countries for MEPI, that will enhance the quality of basic education;
    g. Complement the reform objectives of the MEPI Partnership Schools 
Program as well as the strategies set out in the 2003 United Nations 
Development Program (UNDP) Arab Human Development Report to build a 
more knowledge-oriented society throughout the MENA region; and
    h. Support innovative, cross-sectoral and international strategies 
that will ensure institutional development and the active participation 
of key stakeholders in combating exploitive child labor.
    In addition to responding to the regional component of this 
solicitation, all applications for the MENA region must include 
strategies for implementing models of direct education intervention in 
Lebanon and Yemen. Applicants are strongly encouraged to focus program 
interventions in Lebanon and Yemen on at least two areas: (1) At the 
national education policy level to mainstream child labor within the 
national education strategy; and (2) at the regional and local levels 
targeting children working in exploitive child labor and the 
communities where they live and work. In Lebanon and Yemen, direct 
education service delivery interventions must be designed as 
demonstration projects with direct policy applications.
    Direct education intervention efforts under this solicitation are 
expected to provide access to basic and vocational education to 
children working in exploitive activities, particularly in developing 
innovative ways to provide remedial education, accelerated learning, 
and other forms of non-formal education to bridge the gaps that exist 
in education delivery to these vulnerable children. Applicants are 
encouraged to develop creative and innovative methods to make schools 
more accommodating and relevant to children engaged in or at-risk of 
entering exploitive child labor, such as through awareness raising for 
school personnel, by integrating children of legal working age into 
vocational and technical education programs, introducing a flexible 
school calendar, or by providing services that are relevant to the 
educational needs of working children, including programs, curriculum, 
schedule, equipment, and classroom materials.
    Until now, most interventions to address exploitive child labor in 
Lebanon and Yemen have focused on the more visible children in urban 
areas, such as working street children. However, in Lebanon the 
following regions suffer from a prevalence of exploitive child labor 
and a lack of appropriate interventions: Beqaa, South Lebanon, North 
Lebanon, in particular, Bab el Tebbaneh, Northern Tripoli, and Akkar, 
and the suburbs of Beirut (specifically Ghobeiry, Ouzai, Bourj Hammoud, 
Sin el Fil-Nabaa, and Bourj el-Barajneh). Applicants under this 
solicitation must provide or facilitate the provision of educational 
opportunities to children engaged in or at-risk of entering exploitive 
child labor in three to five of the regions identified above in order 
to reach children at-risk of or working in exploitive child labor.
    In Yemen, the majority of working children are girls who labor in 
agriculture. Although girls in this sector labor under hazardous 
conditions with few educational opportunities, they have traditionally 
been seen as being safe working in a family environment. The regions of 
Hajjah, Mahwait, Dammar, Bayda, Ibb, and Abyan have been identified as 
areas with large numbers of child agricultural workers. Applicants 
under this solicitation must focus educational interventions in three 
to five of the regions identified above in order to reach children 
engaged in hazardous agricultural work that prevents school enrollment 
and children who are at high risk of entering hazardous child labor. 
The total number of target regions for both countries should not exceed 
ten.
    Note to All Applicants: Applicants are encouraged to consider the 
number of ongoing projects and amount of resources already in existence 
when making resource allocations for the region. Applicants are 
particularly encouraged to coordinate actions with the ongoing ILO-IPEC 
Programs and/or USDOL Child Labor Education Initiatives in the region. 
Due to the unique needs and gaps in the MENA region, applicants are 
strongly encouraged to respond to regional needs, particularly in terms 
of efforts to promote gender parity in access to, participation and 
retention in basic education. Applicants are urged to adopt strategies 
that will ensure sustainable results and to involve the

[[Page 31421]]

private sector, policymakers and civil society to the greatest extent 
possible.
    Country background information on Lebanon and Yemen is provided in 
Appendix B.
Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Zambia
    In 2000, the ILO estimated that 22.7 percent of children ages 5 to 
14, or 48 million children, were working in Sub-Saharan Africa. 
Compared to other regions, the proportion of the total child population 
that is working in Sub-Saharan Africa is the highest in the world. 
Child labor most frequently occurs within the context of the family 
economy where children are encouraged to work in order to contribute to 
the family income. The percentage of working children ages 10-14 varies 
within the region, ranging as low as 11.5 percent in Zambia to as high 
as 41 percent in Ethiopia and Rwanda. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has 
increased children's participation in work, and impacted their ability 
to access basic education.
    HIV/AIDS-affected children are those who have HIV/AIDS; those who 
have lost one or both parents to the disease; those who live in a 
household with a parent or other family member who is ill; those who 
live in families in which resources--financial or emotional--are 
overstretched as a result of increased numbers of children for whom 
they are responsible; those who live in communities severely affected--
economically and socially--by the impact of HIV/AIDS; and those whose 
circumstances place them at risk of HIV infections, such as through 
commercial sexual exploitation, or infection acquired in the workplace 
(e.g., domestic service). There are currently approximately 2.5 million 
HIV/AIDS orphans in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda and Zambia. This 
number is expected to rise to an estimated 3.8 million by 2010.
    HIV/AIDS-affected children face a range of problems including 
limited access to basic necessities (including education), 
psychological trauma due to the collapse of their families, 
stigmatization and discrimination, and increased vulnerability to 
exploitive child labor. There is insufficient data available in the 
African sub-region to determine the specific forms of exploitive child 
labor in which all children affected by HIV/AIDS are participating. 
However, recent country-specific and regional reports provide evidence 
that this population is particularly vulnerable to the following labor 
activities:
    Agriculture: The majority of children working in the sub-region are 
found in subsistence and commercial agriculture in rural areas. 
Children often work long hours and are exposed to pesticides, 
fertilizers, snake and insect bites, unhealthy physical exertion, and 
exposure to extreme weather conditions. Children are rarely provided 
with protective gear and may work with dangerous equipment.
    Domestic Work: Domestic work is more common among girls than boys, 
and orphans are especially vulnerable to this work. Children working as 
domestic servants are often treated harshly by their employers and 
required to work extremely long hours for minimal wages. Even when 
child domestics are permitted to attend school, the number of hours and 
the rigors this work entails lead to sporadic attendance and poor 
participation.
    Urban Informal Sector/Street Work: The number of street children in 
the African sub-region is increasing. Street children are found working 
in urban environments in a variety of activities. In addition to 
begging and engaging in petty crime, these activities can include 
street vending and hawking, stone crushing, washing cars, working as 
taxi conductors, market work, carrying items, as well as other informal 
activities. Urban street children may also be increasingly at-risk of 
engaging in commercial sexual exploitation. Several studies in the 
region indicate that large numbers of children living on the streets 
are orphans.
    Commercial Sexual Exploitation: Commercial sexual exploitation of 
children is present in cities and towns in the sub-region and in some 
countries, such as Ethiopia and Mozambique, it is on the rise. Children 
engaged in commercial sexual exploitation are exposed to physical abuse 
and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV/AIDS. Recent 
reports suggest that children engaged in this activity are likely to 
have lost at least one parent.
    Child Trafficking: Trafficking of children for domestic work, work 
in agriculture, and commercial sexual exploitation is also reported to 
be a problem in some of the countries of the sub-region. Children 
orphaned by HIV/AIDS are at-risk of being trafficked by families or 
caregivers who cannot provide for them.
Barriers to and Gaps in the Education System in HIV/AIDS-Affected Areas
    The HIV/AIDS pandemic affects the availability of resources for 
education by reducing family incomes and requiring families to increase 
financial allocations for medical expenses. Similarly, public funds 
that might previously have been available for education have been 
diverted to fund health and AIDS related programs. The HIV/AIDS crisis 
has also negatively impacted community contributions to school related 
improvements. There are also other systemic problems that prevent HIV/
AIDS-affected children who are working or at-risk of working in 
exploitive child labor from taking full advantage of education 
opportunities. These include:
    a. Lack of schools, especially in rural areas and at the secondary 
level;
    b. Lack of transportation to schools, especially for girls, who may 
be placed at-risk of sexual assault and discouraged from pursuing a 
secondary education;
    c. Denial of access to education for HIV/AIDS-affected children by 
family members or teachers;
    d. Shortage of teachers, and support for HIV/AIDS educators. 
(Teachers are one of the professional groups most vulnerable to HIV/
AIDS infection. Teachers infected by HIV/AIDS have much higher 
absenteeism rates and may suffer stress so severe that it interferes 
with the quality of their teaching);
    e. Insufficient classroom space and teaching staff to meet the 
needs of growing school populations, especially in rural areas;
    f. High cost of school participation for families that must buy 
uniforms, and pay school enrollment, materials, examination and 
transportation fees;
    g. Insufficient political will, corruption, weak legal frameworks, 
and a lack of enforcement of child labor and compulsory and free 
education laws;
    h. Poor quality, irrelevant curricula and instructional methods 
that parents and community members perceive to be ineffective for 
preparing their children to participate in the workforce;
    i. Mistreatment of children in schools, including sexual 
harassment, corporal punishment, and discrimination based on gender, 
HIV/AIDS status and other factors;
    j. Lack of support for families affected by HIV/AIDS, which limits 
their capacity to prioritize the educational needs of their children;
    k. Lack of training, compensation, professional support and 
supervision for teachers;
    l. Lack of quality instructional materials (e.g., books and 
equipment), inadequate school facilities and equipment, (latrines, 
desks, chairs) and limited support for children who speak regional or 
indigenous languages; and
    m. Limited opportunities for non-formal, vocational, and technical 
training. (HIV/AIDS-affected children are often unable to access these 
limited

[[Page 31422]]

opportunities due to their inability to pay vocational school fees. The 
opportunities that do exist are normally only available to children who 
have completed secondary school).
    The number of HIV/AIDS orphans is expected to grow over the next 
decade, leaving many more children vulnerable to working in exploitive 
child labor. The Child Labor Education Initiative project awarded under 
this solicitation in the sub-region of Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda, 
and Zambia should address all of the following objectives:
    (1) Increase the capacity of families and communities to provide 
for the basic needs of HIV/AIDS-affected children. This may include 
strategies to strengthen families' ability to cope with economic 
hardships without withdrawing children from school, the development of 
community-specific education interventions, and efforts to strengthen 
community mobilization and support networks.
    (2) Improve access to basic education, as well as vocational and 
technical training, for working children and children vulnerable to 
engaging in exploitive child labor. Innovative forms of education 
delivery are expected to be designed to address the special needs of 
HIV/AIDS-affected children. A special emphasis must be given to ensure 
that education opportunities are flexible for children of legal working 
age, who must combine education with non-hazardous, part-time work.
    (3) Improve the quality of basic, non-formal, and vocational 
education by introducing life skills curricula, coordinating with 
school feeding programs, building the capacity of school management, 
supporting teacher training, providing school materials, and addressing 
infrastructure constraints such as lack of water, latrines, desks, and 
chairs.
    (4) Raise awareness about the dangers of child labor and the 
importance of education. Community sensitization campaigns should 
target teachers, school administrators, and community leaders and focus 
on improving their understanding of the difficulties faced by orphans 
and children affected by HIV/AIDS. Teachers must be trained in 
counseling skills and equipped with teaching strategies to address the 
special needs of this vulnerable population. Activities that promote 
youth leadership are also encouraged.
    (5) Conduct targeted research and studies to improve the knowledge 
base concerning the relationship between HIV/AIDS and children working 
in exploitive child labor, as well as how the disease affects 
enrollment and attendance in basic education. Additional research could 
focus on labor market studies and labor saving technologies.
    (6) Support government efforts to implement national policies 
instituting free education, and build government capacity to provide 
for the special educational needs of orphans and HIV/AIDS-affected 
children through targeted technical assistance and training, advocating 
for new policy development, providing support for enforcement of 
existing education and child labor laws, and supporting HIV/AIDS 
awareness and prevention programs.
    Country specific information is provided in Appendix B.
    Note to Applicants for All Countries: Applicants are encouraged to 
include letters of acknowledgment and/or endorsement of their 
application from the host government's Ministry of Labor and Ministry 
of Education with the proposal. For additional information on 
exploitive child labor in these countries, applicants are strongly 
encouraged to refer to The Department of Labor's 2003 Findings on the 
Worst Forms of Child Labor available at http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/media/reports/iclp/tda2003/overview.htm.

B. Statement of Work

    Taking into account the challenges to educating working children in 
each region/country of interest, the applicant must facilitate, and 
implement, as appropriate, creative and innovative approaches to 
promote policies and services that will enhance the provision of 
educational opportunities to children engaged in or removed from 
exploitive child labor. The expected outcomes/results of the project 
are: (1) Increase educational opportunities and access (enrollment) for 
children who are engaged in, at-risk of, and/or removed from exploitive 
child labor; (2) encourage retention in, and completion of educational 
programs; and (3) expand the successful transition of children in non-
formal education into formal schools or vocational programs.
    In the course of implementation, each project must promote the 
goals of USDOL's Child Labor Education Initiative listed above in 
Section I (A) (1). Because of the limited available resources under 
this award, applicants should implement programs that complement 
existing efforts, particularly those funded by USDOL, including 
Timebound Programs for the elimination of the worst forms of child 
labor and other projects implemented by ILO-IPEC, and, where 
appropriate, replicate or enhance successful models to serve expanded 
numbers of children and communities. However, applicants should not 
duplicate existing efforts and/or projects and should work within host 
government child labor and education frameworks. In order to avoid 
duplication, enhance collaboration, expand impact, and develop 
synergies, the cooperative agreement awardee (hereafter referred to as 
``Grantee'') should work cooperatively with national stakeholders in 
developing project interventions. Applicants are strongly encouraged to 
discuss proposed interventions, strategies, and activities with host 
government officials during the preparation of an application for this 
cooperative agreement.
    Partnerships between more than one organization are also eligible 
and encouraged, in particular with qualified, regionally-based 
organizations in order to build local capacity; in such a case, 
however, a lead organization must be identified. Applicants whose 
strategies include the direct delivery of education are encouraged to 
enroll at least one-quarter of the targeted children the Grantee is 
attempting to reach in educational activities during the first year of 
project implementation. Under this cooperative agreement, vocational 
training for adolescents and income generating alternatives for parents 
are allowable activities.
    Although USDOL is open to all proposals for innovative solutions to 
address the challenges of providing increased access to education to 
the children targeted, the applicant must, at a minimum, prepare 
responses following the outline of a preliminary project document 
presented in Appendix A and discussed in sections IV(B) and VI(C)(1). 
This response will be the foundation for the final project document 
that must be approved after award of the cooperative agreement. If the 
application does not propose interventions aimed toward the target 
groups and geographical areas as identified in section I(A)(2), then 
the application will be considered unresponsive.
    Note to All Applicants: Grantees are expected to consult with and 
work cooperatively with stakeholders in the countries, including the 
Ministries of Education, Labor, and other relevant ministries, NGOs, 
national steering/advisory committees on child labor, education, faith 
and community-based organizations, and working children and their 
families. Grantees must ensure that their proposed activities and 
interventions are within those of the countries' national child labor 
and education frameworks and priorities, as applicable. Grantees are 
strongly encouraged to collaborate with existing projects, particularly 
those funded by

[[Page 31423]]

USDOL, including Timebound Programs and other projects implemented by 
ILO-IPEC. However, applicants are reminded that this is a stand-alone 
project and that other Federal awards cannot supplement as matching 
funds a project awarded under this cooperative agreement as described 
in section V(A)(4).

II. Award Information

    Type of assistance instrument: cooperative agreement. USDOL's 
involvement in project implementation and oversight is outlined in 
section VI(C). The duration of the projects funded by this solicitation 
is four (4) years. The start date of program activities will be 
negotiated upon awarding of the cooperative agreement, but will be no 
later than September 30, 2004.
    Up to U.S. $24 million will be awarded under this solicitation, 
with up to $8 million in the MENA region (including Lebanon and Yemen); 
and up to $16 million in the African sub-region of Ethiopia, 
Mozambique, Rwanda, and Zambia. USDOL may award one or more cooperative 
agreements to one, several, or a partnership of more than one 
organization that may apply to implement the program. A Grantee must 
obtain prior USDOL approval for any sub-contractor before award of the 
cooperative agreement.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

    Any commercial, international, educational, or non-profit 
organization, including any faith-based or community-based 
organization, capable of successfully developing and implementing 
education programs for working children or children at-risk of entering 
exploitive work in the regions/countries of interest is eligible to 
apply. Partnerships of more than one organization are also eligible, 
and applicants are strongly encouraged to work with organizations 
already undertaking projects in the regions/countries of interest, 
particularly local and regional NGOs, including faith-based and 
community-based organizations. In the case of partnership applications, 
a lead organization must be identified. An applicant must demonstrate a 
regional/country presence, independently or through a relationship with 
another organization(s) with regional/country presence, which gives it 
the ability to initiate program activities upon award of the 
cooperative agreement. Applicants applying for more than one region 
must submit a separate application for each region. If applications for 
the African sub-region and the MENA region are combined, they will not 
be considered. (All applicants are requested to complete the Survey on 
Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants (Office of Management and 
Budget--OMB No. 1225-0083), which is available online at http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/grants/sga0409/bkgrdSGA0409.htm). The capability of an 
applicant or applicants to perform necessary aspects of this 
solicitation will be determined under the criteria outlined in the 
Application Review Information section of this solicitation, section 
V(A).
    Please note that to be eligible, cooperative agreement applicants 
classified under the Internal Revenue Code as a 501(c)(4) entity (see 
26 U.S.C. 501(c)(4)) may not engage in lobbying activities. According 
to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, codified at 2 U.S.C. 1611, an 
organization, as described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986, that engages in lobbying activities will not be eligible 
for the receipt of Federal funds constituting an award, grant, 
cooperative agreement, or loan.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

    This solicitation does not require applicants to share costs or 
provide matching funds. However, the leveraging of resources (from 
sources other than Federal funds) and in-kind contributions is strongly 
encouraged and is a ranking factor worth five additional points, as 
described in section V(A)(4).

C. Other Eligibility Criteria

    In accordance with 29 CFR part 98, entities that are debarred or 
suspended shall be excluded from Federal financial assistance and are 
ineligible to receive funding under this solicitation. Past performance 
of organizations that have implemented or are implementing Child Labor 
Education Initiative projects or activities for USDOL will be taken 
into account in the review of technical applications. Past performance 
will be rated by the timeliness of deliverables, and the responsiveness 
of the organization and its staff to USDOL communications regarding 
deliverables and cooperative agreement or contractual requirements. 
Lack of past experience with USDOL projects, cooperative agreements, 
grants, or contracts is not a bar to eligibility or selection under 
this solicitation.
    With regard to legal rules pertaining to inherently religious 
activities by organizations that receive Federal Financial Assistance, 
neutral, non-religious criteria that neither favor nor disfavor 
religion will be employed in the selection of cooperative agreement 
recipients and must be employed by Grantees in the selection of 
subawardees.
    The U.S. Government is generally prohibited from providing direct 
financial assistance for inherently religious activities. Funds awarded 
under this solicitation may not be used for religious instruction, 
worship, prayer, proselytizing or other inherently religious 
activities.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address To Request Application Package

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

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

    One (1) blue ink-signed original, complete application in English 
plus two (2) copies (in English) of the application, must be submitted 
to the U.S. Department of Labor, Procurement Services Center, 200 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N-5416, Attention: Lisa Harvey, 
Reference Solicitation 04-09, Washington, DC 20210, not later than 4:45 
p.m. Eastern Time, July 6, 2004. Applicants may submit applications for 
one or both regions. In the case where an applicant is interested in 
applying for a cooperative agreement in both regions, a separate 
application must be submitted for each region.
    The application must consist of two (2) separate parts, as well as 
a table of contents and an abstract summarizing the application in not 
more than two (2) pages. The table of contents and abstract are not 
included in the 45-page limit for part II (see below).
    Part I of the application, the Program Design/Budget-Cost Proposal, 
must contain the Standard Form (SF) 424, Application for Federal 
Assistance and Sections A-F of the Budget Information Form SF 424A, 
available from ILAB's Web site at http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/grants/sga0409/bkgrdSGA0409.htm. Copies of these forms are also available 
online from the General Services Administration Web site at http://contacts.gsa.gov/webforms.nsf/0/B835648D66D1

[[Page 31424]]

B8F985256A72004C58C2/ $file/sf424.pdf and http://contacts.gsa.gov/ 
webforms.nsf/0/5AEB1FA6FB3B83238 5256A72004C8E77/$file/Sf424a.pdf. The 
individual signing the SF 424 on behalf of the applicant must be 
authorized to bind the applicant. The budget/cost proposal must be 
written in 10-12 pitch font size.
    Part II is a technical application that identifies and explains the 
proposed program and demonstrates the applicant's capabilities to carry 
out that proposal. The technical application must identify how it will 
carry out the Statement of Work (section I(A)(2) of this solicitation) 
and address each of the Application Review Criteria found in section 
V(A).
    The Part II technical application must not exceed 45 single-sided 
(8\1/2\'' x 11''), double-spaced, one inch margin, 10 to 12 pitch typed 
pages for each region, and must include responses to the application 
evaluation criteria outlined in Section V(A) of this solicitation. Part 
II must include a project design document submitted in the format shown 
in Appendix A, and discussed further in Section VI(C)(1). The 
application must include the name, address, telephone and fax numbers, 
and e-mail address (if applicable) of a key contact person at the 
applicant's organization in case questions should arise.
    Applications will only be accepted in English. To be considered 
responsive to this solicitation, the application must consist of the 
above-mentioned separate parts. Any applications that do not conform to 
these standards may be deemed non-responsive to this solicitation and 
may not be evaluated. Standard forms and attachments are not included 
in the 45-page limit for Part II. However, additional information not 
required under this solicitation will not be considered.

C. Submission Dates, Times, and Address

    Applications must be delivered by 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time, July 6, 
2004, to: U.S. Department of Labor, Procurement Services Center, 200 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N-5416, Attention: Lisa Harvey, 
Reference: Solicitation 04-09, Washington, DC 20210. Applications sent 
by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (fax) will not be accepted. 
Applications sent by delivery services other than the United States 
Postal Services, such as Federal Express or UPS, will be accepted; 
however, the applicant bears the responsibility for timely submission. 
The application package must be received at the designated place by the 
date and time specified or it will not be considered. Any application 
received at the Procurement Services Center after the submission date 
and time will not be considered unless it is received before the award 
is made and:
    1. It is determined by the Government that the late receipt was due 
solely to mishandling by the Government after receipt at USDOL at the 
address indicated;
    2. It was sent by registered or certified mail not later than the 
fifth calendar day before July 6, 2004; 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 6, 2004.
    The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a 
late application sent by registered or certified mail is the U.S. 
Postal Service postmark on the envelope or wrapper and on the original 
receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. If the postmark is not legible, 
an application received after the above closing time and date shall be 
processed as if mailed late. ``Postmark'' means a printed, stamped, or 
otherwise placed impression (not a postage meter machine impression) 
that is readily identifiable without further action as having been 
applied and affixed by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service on the 
date of mailing. Therefore, applicants should request that the postal 
clerk place a legible hand cancellation ``bull's-eye'' postmark on both 
the receipt and the envelope or wrapper.
    The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a 
late application sent by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day 
Service-Post Office to Addressee is the date entered by the Post Office 
clerk on the ``Express Mail Next Day Service-Post Office to Addressee'' 
label and the postmark on the envelope or wrapper on the original 
receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. ``Postmark'' has the same meaning 
as defined above. Therefore, applicants should request that the postal 
clerk place a legible hand cancellation ``bull's-eye'' postmark on both 
the receipt and the envelope or wrapper. The only acceptable evidence 
to establish the time of receipt at USDOL is the date/time stamp of the 
Procurement Service Center on the application wrapper or other 
documentary evidence of receipt maintained by that office. It is 
recommended that you confirm receipt of your application with your 
delivery service.
    Confirmation of receipt can be obtained from Lisa Harvey, U.S. 
Department of Labor, Procurement Services Center, telephone (202) 693-
4570 (this is not a toll-free-number) or e-mail: [email protected]. 
All applicants are advised that U.S. mail delivery in the Washington DC 
area can be slow and erratic due to concerns involving contamination. 
All applicants must take this into consideration when preparing to meet 
the application deadline.

D. Intergovernmental Review

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

E. Funding Restrictions

    1. In addition to those specified under OMB Circular A-122, the 
following costs are also unallowable:
    a. Construction with funds under this cooperative agreement should 
not exceed 10 percent of the project budget's direct costs and should 
be, preferably, limited to improving existing school infrastructure and 
facilities in the project's targeted communities. USDOL encourages 
applicants to cost-share and/or leverage funds or in-kind contributions 
from local partners (but not from other Federal awards) when proposing 
construction activities in order to ensure sustainability.
    b. Under this cooperative agreement, vocational training for 
adolescents and income generating alternatives for parents are 
allowable activities. However, federal funds under this cooperative 
agreement cannot be used to provide micro-credits, revolving funds, or 
loan guarantees.
    c. Awards will not allow reimbursement of pre-award costs.
    2. The following activities are also unallowable under this 
solicitation:
    a. Under this cooperative agreement, awareness raising and advocacy 
activities cannot include lobbying or fund-raising (see OMB Circular A-
122).
    b. The U.S. Government is opposed to prostitution and related 
activities, which are inherently harmful and dehumanizing, and 
contribute to the phenomenon of trafficking in persons. U.S. non-
governmental organizations, and their sub-contractors, cannot use U.S. 
Government funds to lobby for, promote or advocate the legalization or 
regulation of prostitution as a legitimate form of work. Foreign non-
governmental organizations, and their sub-contractors, that receive 
U.S. Government funds to fight trafficking in persons cannot lobby for, 
promote or advocate the legalization or regulation of prostitution as a 
legitimate form of work. It is the responsibility of the primary 
Grantee to ensure its sub-contractors meet these

[[Page 31425]]

criteria. (The U.S. Government is currently developing language to 
specifically address Public International Organizations' implementation 
of the above anti-prostitution prohibition. If a project under this SGA 
is awarded to such an organization, appropriate substitute language for 
the above prohibition will be included in the project's cooperative 
agreement).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Harvey. E-mail address: 
[email protected].

V. Application Review Information

A. Application Evaluation Criteria

    Technical panels will review applications written in the specified 
format (see section I, section IV(B) and Appendix A) against the 
various criteria on the basis of 100 points. Up to five additional 
points will be given for the inclusion of non-Federal or leveraged 
resources as described in section V(A) (4). Applicants are requested to 
prepare their technical proposal (45 page maximum) on the basis of the 
following rating factors, which are presented in the order of emphasis 
that they will receive, and the maximum rating points for each factor.

Program Design/Budget-Cost Effectiveness--45 points.
Organizational Capacity--30 points.
Management Plan/Key Personnel/Staffing--25 points.
Leveraging Resources--5 extra points.
1. Project/Program Design/Budget-Cost Effectiveness (45 Points)
    This part of the application constitutes the preliminary project 
document described in section I(B), section VI(C)(1), and outlined in 
Appendix A. The applicant's proposal must describe in detail the 
proposed approach to comply with each requirement.
    This component of the application must demonstrate the applicant's 
thorough knowledge and understanding of the issues, barriers and 
challenges involved in providing education to children engaged in or 
at-risk of engaging in exploitive child labor, particularly its worst 
forms; best-practice solutions to address their needs; and the policy 
and implementing environment in the selected region. When preparing the 
project document outline, the applicant must at a minimum include a 
description of:
    a. Children Targeted--The applicant must identify which and how 
many children are expected to benefit from the project, including the 
sectors in which they work, geographical location, and other relevant 
characteristics. Children are defined as persons under the age of 18 
who have been engaged in the worst forms of child labor as defined by 
ILO Convention 182, or those under the legal working age of the country 
and who are engaged in other hazardous and/or exploitive activities.
    b. Needs/Gaps/Barriers--The applicant must describe the specific 
gaps/educational needs of the children targeted that the project will 
address.
    c. Proposed Strategy--The applicant must discuss the proposed 
regional strategy to address gaps/needs/barriers of the children 
targeted and its rationale.
    d. Description of Activities--The applicant must provide a detailed 
description of proposed activities that relate to the gaps/needs/
barriers to be addressed, including training and technical assistance 
to be provided to project staff, host country nationals, and community 
groups involved in the project. The proposed approach is expected to 
build upon existing activities, government policies, and plans, and 
avoid needless duplication.
    e. Work Plan--The applicant must provide a detailed work plan and 
timeline for the proposed project, preferably with a visual such as a 
Gantt chart. Applicants whose strategies include the provision of 
direct delivery of education are also encouraged to enroll one-quarter 
of the targeted children in educational activities during the first 
year of project implementation.
    f. Program Management and Performance Assessment--The applicant 
must describe: (1) How management will ensure that the goals and 
objectives will be met; (2) how information and data will be collected 
and used to demonstrate the impacts of the project; and (3) what 
systems will be put in place for self-assessment, evaluation and 
continuous improvement. Note to All Applicants: USDOL has already 
developed common Child Labor Education Initiative indicators and a 
database system for monitoring children's educational progress that can 
be used and adapted by Grantees after award so that they do not need to 
set up this type of system from scratch. Guidance on common indicators 
will be provided after award, thus applicants should focus their 
program management and performance assessment responses toward the 
development of their project's monitoring strategy in support of the 
four goals of the Child Labor Education Initiative set out in Section 
I(A)(1). For more information on the Child Labor Education Initiative's 
common indicators, please visit http://www.clear-measure.com.
    g. Budget/Cost Effectiveness--The applicant must show how the 
budget reflects program goals and design in a cost-effective way to 
reflect budget/performance integration. The budget must be linked to 
the activities and outputs of the work plan listed above. This section 
of the application is expected to explain the costs for performing all 
of the requirements presented in this solicitation, and for producing 
all required reports and other deliverables. Costs must include labor, 
equipment, travel, annual audits, evaluations, and other related costs. 
Applications are expected to allocate sufficient resources to proposed 
studies, assessments, surveys, and monitoring and evaluation 
activities. When developing their applications, applicants must 
allocate the largest proportion of resources to educational activities 
aimed at targeted children, rather than direct administrative costs. 
Preference may be given to applicants with realistically low 
administrative costs and with a budget breakdown that provides a larger 
amount of resources to project activities. All costs should be 
reported, as they will become part of the cooperative agreement upon 
award. In their cost proposal, applicants must reflect a breakdown of 
the total administrative costs into direct administrative costs and 
indirect administrative costs. This section will be evaluated in 
accordance with applicable Federal laws and regulations. The budget 
must comply with Federal cost principles (which can be found in the 
applicable OMB Circulars).
    Applicants are encouraged to discuss the possibility of exemption 
from customs and Value Added Tax (VAT) with host government officials 
during the preparation of an application for this cooperative 
agreement. While USDOL encourages host governments to not apply custom 
or VAT taxes to USDOL-funded programs, some host governments may 
nevertheless choose to assess such taxes. USDOL may not be able to 
provide assistance in this regard. Applicants should take into account 
such costs in budget preparation. If major costs are omitted, a Grantee 
may not be allowed to include them later.
2. Organizational Capacity (30 Points)
    Under this criterion, the applicant must present the qualifications 
of the organization(s) implementing the program/project. The evaluation 
criteria in this category are as follows:
    a. International Experience--The organization applying for the 
award has international experience implementing basic, transitional, 
non-formal or vocational education programs that

[[Page 31426]]

address issues of access, quality, and policy reform for vulnerable 
children including children engaged in or at-risk of exploitive child 
labor, preferably in the regions and countries of interest.
    b. Regional/Country Presence--An applicant, or its partners, must 
be formally recognized by the host government(s) using the appropriate 
mechanism, e.g., Memorandum of Understanding, or local registration of 
organization. An applicant must also demonstrate a regional/country 
presence, independently or through a relationship with another 
organization(s) with regional/country presence, which gives it the 
ability to initiate program activities upon award of the cooperative 
agreement, as well as the capability to work directly with government 
ministries, educators, civil society leaders, and other local faith-
based or community organizations. For applicants that do not have 
independent regional/country presence, documentation of the 
relationship with the organization(s) with such a presence must be 
provided. Applicants are strongly encouraged to work collaboratively 
with local partners and organizations.
    c. Fiscal Oversight--The organization shows evidence of a sound 
financial system. The results of the most current independent, external 
financial audit must accompany the application as an attachment (and 
will not count in the maximum page requirement), and applicants without 
one will not be considered.
    d. Coordination--If two or more organizations are applying for the 
award in the form of a partnership, they must demonstrate an approach 
to ensure the successful collaboration including clear delineation of 
respective roles and responsibilities. The applicants must also 
identify the lead organization and submit the partnership or sub-
contract agreement as an attachment to be counted in the maximum page 
requirement.
    e. Experience--The application must include information about 
previous grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts of the applicant 
that are relevant to this solicitation including:
    (1) The organizations for which the work was done;
    (2) A contact person in that organization with their current phone 
number;
    (3) The dollar value of the grant, contract, or cooperative 
agreement for the project;
    (4) The time frame and professional effort involved in the project;
    (5) A brief summary of the work performed; and
    (6) A brief summary of accomplishments.
    This information on previous grants, cooperative agreements, and 
contracts held by the applicant must be provided in appendices and will 
not count in the maximum page requirement.
    Note to all applicants: Past performance of organizations that have 
implemented or are implementing Child Labor Education Initiative 
projects or activities for USDOL will be taken into account in the 
review of technical applications (See section III(1)(C) above).
3. Management Plan/Key Personnel/Staffing (25 Points)
    Successful performance of the proposed work depends heavily on the 
management skills and qualifications of the individuals committed to 
the project. Accordingly, in its evaluation of each application, USDOL 
will place emphasis on the applicant's management approach and 
commitment of personnel qualified for the work involved in 
accomplishing the assigned tasks. This section of the application must 
include sufficient information to judge management and staffing plans, 
and the experience and competence of program staff proposed for the 
project to assure that they meet the required qualifications.
    Note to All Applicants: USDOL strongly recommends that key 
personnel allocate at least 50 percent of their time to the project and 
be present within the region, specifically in one of the project 
countries. USDOL prefers that key personnel positions not be combined 
unless the applicant can propose a cost-effective strategy that ensures 
that all key management and technical functions (as identified in this 
solicitation) are clearly defined and satisfied. Key personnel must 
sign letters of agreement to serve on the project, and indicate 
availability to commence work within three weeks of cooperative 
agreement award. Applicants must submit these letters as an Appendix B 
to the application (these will not count toward the page limit).
    a. Key personnel--The applicant must identify all key personnel 
proposed to carry out the requirements of this solicitation. 
Information provided on the experience and educational background of 
personnel should include the following:
    (1) The identity of key personnel assigned to the project. ``Key 
personnel'' are staff (Project Director, Education Specialist, and 
Monitoring and Evaluation Officer) who are essential to the successful 
operation of the project and completion of the proposed work and, 
therefore, may not be replaced or have hours reduced without the 
approval of the Grant Officer.
    (2) The educational background and experience of all staff to be 
assigned to the project.
    (3) The special capabilities of staff that demonstrate prior 
experience in organizing, managing and performing similar efforts.
    (4) 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 sub-contracting.
    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 by the Grantee should be clearly delineated to 
ensure responsiveness to the needs of USDOL.
    For each region for which an application is submitted, the 
applicant must designate the key personnel listed below. If key 
personnel are not designated, the application will not be considered. 
In this section, the following information must be furnished:
    (a) A Project Director to oversee the project and be responsible 
for implementation of the requirements of the cooperative agreement. 
The Project 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; educational 
assessment of disadvantaged students; development of community 
participation in the improvement of basic education for disadvantaged 
children; and monitoring and evaluation of basic education projects. 
Consideration will be given to candidates with additional years of 
experience including experience working with officials of ministries of 
education and/or labor. Preferred candidates must also have knowledge 
of exploitive child labor issues, and experience in the development of 
transitional, formal, and vocational education of children removed from 
exploitive child labor and/or victims of the worst forms of child 
labor. Fluency in English is required and working knowledge of the 
official language(s)

[[Page 31427]]

spoken in the target countries is preferred.
    (b) An Education Specialist who is expected to provide leadership 
in developing the technical aspects of this project in collaboration 
with the Project Director. This person must 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 exploitive child labor/education 
policy and monitoring and evaluation is an asset. Working knowledge of 
English is preferred, as is a similar knowledge of the official 
language(s) spoken in the target region/countries.
    (c) A Monitoring and Evaluation Officer who must serve at least 
part-time and oversee the implementation of the project's monitoring 
and evaluation strategies and requirements. This person should have at 
least three years progressively responsible experience in the 
monitoring and evaluation of international development projects, 
preferably in education and training or a related field. Related 
experience can include strategic planning and performance measurement, 
indicator selection, quantitative and qualitative data collection and 
analysis methodologies, and knowledge of the Government Performance and 
Results Act (GPRA). Individuals with a demonstrated ability to build 
capacity of the project team and partners in these areas will be given 
special consideration.
    b. Other Personnel--The applicant must identify other program 
personnel proposed to carry out the requirements of this solicitation.
    c. Management Plan--The management plan must include the following:
    (1) A description of the functional relationship between elements 
of the project's management structure; and
    (2) The responsibilities of project staff and management and the 
lines of authority between project staff and other elements of the 
project.
    d. Staff Loading Plan--The staff loading plan must identify all key 
tasks and the person-days required to complete each task. Labor 
estimated for each task must be broken down by individuals assigned to 
the task, including sub-contractors and consultants. All key tasks 
should be charted to show time required to perform them by months or 
weeks.
    e. Roles and Responsibilities--The applicant must include a resume 
and description of the roles and responsibilities of all proposed 
personnel. Resumes must be attached in an appendix and will not count 
toward the maximum page limit. At a minimum, each resume must include: 
The individual's current employment status and previous work 
experience, including position title, duties, dates in position, 
employing organizations, and educational background. Duties must be 
clearly defined in terms of role performed, e.g., manager, team leader, 
and/or consultant. Indicate whether the individual is currently 
employed by the applicant, and (if so) for how long.
4. Leverage of Grant Funding (5 Points)
    USDOL 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. These 
programs will not be financed by the project, but can complement and 
enhance project objectives. Applicants are also encouraged to leverage 
activities, such as micro-credit, revolving funds, or loan guarantees, 
which are not directly allowable under the cooperative agreement. To be 
eligible for the additional points, 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.

B. Review and Selection 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 
panel recommendations to the Grant Officer are advisory in nature. The 
Grant Officer may elect to select a Grantee on the basis of the initial 
application submission or the Grant Officer may establish a competitive 
or technically acceptable range from which qualified applicants will be 
selected. If deemed appropriate, the Grant Officer may call for the 
preparation and receipt of final revisions of applications, following 
which the evaluation process described above may be repeated, in whole 
or in part, to consider such revisions. The Grant Officer will make 
final selection determinations based on panel findings and 
consideration of factors that represent the greatest advantage to the 
government, such as geographic distribution of the competitive 
applications, cost, the availability of funds and other factors. The 
Grant Officer's determinations for awards under this solicitation are 
final.
    Note to All Applicants: 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 may enter into negotiations 
about such items as program components, funding levels, and 
administrative systems in place to support cooperative agreement 
implementation. 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. Award may also be 
contingent upon an exchange of project support letters between USDOL 
and the relevant ministries in target countries. USDOL is not obligated 
to make any awards as a result of this solicitation, and only the Grant 
Officer can bind USDOL to the provision of funds under this 
solicitation. Unless specifically provided in the cooperative 
agreement, USDOL's acceptance of a proposal and/or award of Federal 
funds does not waive any cooperative agreement requirements and/or 
procedures.

C. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

    Designation decisions will be made, where possible, within 45 days 
after the deadline for submission of proposals.

VI. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notices

    The Grant Officer will notify applicants of designation results as 
follows:
    Designation Letter: The designation letter signed by the Grant 
Officer will serve as official notice of an organization's selection. 
The designation letter will be accompanied by a cooperative agreement 
and USDOL/ILAB's Management Procedures and Guidelines (MPG).
    Non-Designation Letter: Any organization not designated will be 
notified formally of the non-designation and given the basic reasons 
for the determination.
    Notification by a person or entity other than the Grant Officer 
that an organization has or has not been designated is not valid.

[[Page 31428]]

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

1. General
    Grantee organizations are subject to applicable U.S. Federal laws 
(including provisions of regulations and appropriations law) and the 
applicable OMB Circulars. If during project implementation a Grantee is 
found in violation of U.S. government law, the terms of the cooperative 
agreement awarded under this solicitation may be modified by USDOL, 
costs may be disallowed and recovered, the cooperative agreement may be 
terminated, and USDOL may take other action permitted by law. 
Determinations of allowable costs will be made in accordance with the 
applicable U.S. Federal cost principles. Grantees must also submit to 
an annual independent audit, and costs for such an audit should be 
included in direct or indirect costs, whichever is appropriate.
    The cooperative agreements awarded under this solicitation are 
subject to the following administrative standards and provisions, and 
any other applicable standards that come into effect during the term of 
the grant agreement, if applicable, to a particular Grantee:
    a. 29 CFR part 31--Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs 
of the Department of Labor--Effectuation of Title VI of the Civil 
Rights Act of 1964.
    b. 29 CFR part 32--Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in 
Programs and Activities Receiving or Benefiting from Federal Financial 
Assistance.
    c. 29 CFR part 33--Enforcement of Nondiscrimination on the Basis of 
Handicap in Programs or Activities Conducted by the Department of 
Labor.
    d. 29 CFR part 36--Federal Standards for Nondiscrimination on the 
Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal 
Financial Assistance.
    e. 29 CFR part 93--New Restrictions on Lobbying.
    f. 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.
    g. 29 CFR part 96--Federal Standards for Audit of Federally Funded 
Grants, Contracts and Agreements.
    h. 29 CFR part 98--Federal Standards for Government-wide Debarment 
and Suspension (Nonprocurement) and Government-wide Requirements for 
Drug-Free Workplace (Grants).
    i. 29 CFR part 99--Federal Standards for Audits of States, Local 
Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations.
    Applicants are reminded to budget for compliance with the 
administrative requirements set forth. This includes the cost of 
performing administrative activities such as annual financial audits, 
closeout, mid-term and final evaluations, document preparation, as well 
as compliance with procurement and property standards. Copies of all 
regulations referenced in this solicitation are available at no cost, 
on-line, at http://www.dol.gov.
    Grantees should be aware that terms outlined in this solicitation, 
the cooperative agreement, and the MPGs are applicable to the 
implementation of projects awarded under this solicitation.
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, Grantees are strongly encouraged to provide sub-
contracting opportunities to Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Tribal Colleges and 
Universities. To the extent possible, sub-contracts awarded after the 
cooperative agreement is signed must be awarded through a formal 
competitive bidding process, unless prior written approval is obtained 
from USDOL/ILAB.
3. Key Personnel
    As stated in section V(A)(3), the application must list the 
individual(s) who has/have been designated as having primary 
responsibility for the conduct and completion of all project work. The 
applicant must submit written proof that key personnel (Project 
Director, Education Specialist, and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer) 
will be available to begin work on the project no later than three 
weeks after award. Grantees agree to inform the Grant Officer's 
Technical Representative (GOTR) whenever it appears impossible for this 
individual(s) to continue work on the project as planned. A Grantee may 
nominate substitute key personnel and submit the nominations to the 
GOTR; however, a Grantee must obtain prior approval from the Grant 
Officer for all changes to key personnel (Project Director, Education 
Specialist, and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer). If the Grant 
Officer is unable to approve the key personnel change, he/she reserves 
the right to terminate the cooperative agreement or disallow costs.
4. Encumbrance of Cooperative Agreement Funds
    Cooperative agreement funds may not be encumbered/obligated by a 
Grantee before or after the 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 may involve only 
specified commitments for which a need existed during the cooperative 
agreement period and that are supported by approved contracts, purchase 
orders, requisitions, invoices, bills, or other evidence of liability 
consistent with a Grantee's purchasing procedures and incurred within 
the cooperative agreement period. All encumbrances/obligations incurred 
during the cooperative agreement period must be liquidated within 90 
days after the end of the cooperative agreement period, if practicable.
    All equipment purchased with project funds must be inventoried and 
secured throughout the life of the project. At the end of the project, 
USDOL and the Grantees are expected to determine how to best allocate 
equipment purchased with project funds in order to ensure 
sustainability of efforts in the project's implementing areas.
5. Site Visits
    USDOL, through its authorized representatives, has the right, at 
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 a 
Grantee or a sub-contractor(s) under this cooperative agreement, a 
Grantee must provide and must require its sub-contractors to provide 
all reasonable facilities and assistance for the safety and convenience 
of government representatives in the performance of their duties. All 
site visits and evaluations are expected to be performed in a manner 
that will not unduly delay the implementation of the project.

C. Reporting and Deliverables

    In addition to meeting the above requirements, a Grantee is 
expected to monitor the implementation of the program, report to USDOL 
on a quarterly basis, and undergo evaluations of program results. 
Guidance on USDOL procedures and management requirements will be 
provided to Grantees in the MPGs with the cooperative agreement. The 
project

[[Page 31429]]

budget must include funds to: plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate 
programs and activities (including mid-term and final evaluations and 
annual audits); conduct studies pertinent to project implementation; 
establish education baselines to measure program results; and finance 
travel by field staff and key personnel to meet annually with USDOL 
officials in Washington DC. Applicants based both within and outside 
the United States should also budget for travel by field staff and 
other key personnel to Washington DC at the beginning of the project 
for a post-award meeting with USDOL. Indicators of project performance 
will also be proposed by a Grantee and approved by USDOL in the 
Performance Monitoring Plan as discussed in section VI (C) (4) below. 
Unless otherwise indicated, a Grantee must submit copies of all 
required reports to ILAB by the specified due dates. Note to All 
Applicants: USDOL provides its Grantees with training and technical 
assistance to refine the quality of deliverables. This assistance 
includes workshops to refine project design and improve performance 
monitoring plans, and reporting on common Child Labor Education 
Initiative indicators.
    Exact timeframes for completion of deliverables will be addressed 
in the cooperative agreement and the MPGs. Specific deliverables are 
the following:
1. Preliminary and Final Project Design Document
    As stated in section IV(B), applications must include a preliminary 
project design document in the format described in Appendix A, with 
design elements linked to a logical framework matrix. (Note: The 
supporting logical framework matrix will not count in the 45-page limit 
but should be included as an annex to the project document. To guide 
applicants, a sample logical framework matrix for a hypothetical Child 
Labor Education Initiative project is available at http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/grants/sga0409/bkgrdSGA0409.htm.). The project document must 
include a background/justification section, project strategy (goal, 
purpose, outputs, activities, performance indicators, means of 
verification, assumptions), project implementation timetable and 
project budget. The narrative must address the criteria/themes 
described in the Program Design/Budget-Cost Effectiveness section 
(section V(A)(1) above).
    Within six months after the time of the award, the Grantee must 
deliver the final project design document, based on the application 
written in response to this solicitation, including the results of 
additional consultation with stakeholders, partners, and ILAB. The 
final project design document is expected to also include sections that 
address coordination strategies, project management and sustainability.
2. Progress and Financial Reports
    The format for the progress reports will be provided in the MPG 
distributed after the award. Grantees must furnish a typed Technical 
Progress Report and a Financial Status Report (SF269) to USDOL/ILAB on 
a quarterly basis by 31 March, 30 June, 30 September, and 31 December 
of each year during the cooperative agreement period. Also, a copy of 
the Federal Cash Transactions Report (SF 272) should be submitted to 
ILAB upon submission to the Health and Human Services--Payment 
Management System (HHS-PMS).
3. Annual Work Plan
    Grantees must develop an annual work plan within six months of 
project award for approval by ILAB so as to ensure coordination with 
other relevant social actors throughout the region. Subsequent annual 
work plans must be delivered no later than one year after the previous 
one.
4. Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
    Grantees must develop a performance monitoring and evaluation plan, 
in collaboration with USDOL/ILAB, including beginning and ending dates 
for the project, performance indicators and methods and cost of data 
collection, planned and actual dates for mid-term review, and final end 
of project evaluations. The performance monitoring plan must be 
developed in conjunction with the logical framework project design and 
common indicators for GPRA reporting selected by ILAB, as described in 
section V(A)(1)(f). The plan must also include a limited number of key 
performance indicators that can be realistically measured within the 
cost parameters allocated to project monitoring. Baseline data 
collection is expected to be tied to the performance indicators of the 
project design document and the performance monitoring plan. A 
monitoring and evaluation plan must be submitted to ILAB within six 
months of project award.
5. Project Evaluations
    Grantees and the GOTR will determine on a case-by-case basis 
whether mid-term evaluations will be conducted by an external 
evaluation team. All final evaluations must be external and independent 
in nature. A Grantee must respond in writing to any comments and 
recommendations resulting from the mid-term evaluation. The budget must 
include the projected cost of mid-term and final evaluations.

VII. Agency Contacts

    All inquiries regarding this solicitation should be directed to: 
Ms. Lisa Harvey, U.S. Department of Labor, Procurement Services Center, 
200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N-5416, Washington, DC 20210; 
telephone (202) 693-4570 (this is not a toll-free-number) or e-mail: 
[email protected].

VIII. Other Information

A. Materials Prepared Under the Cooperative Agreement

    Grantees must submit to USDOL/ILAB, for approval, all media-
related, awareness-raising, and educational materials developed by the 
Grantee or its sub-contractors before they are reproduced, published, 
or used. USDOL/ILAB considers that materials include brochures, 
pamphlets, videotapes, slide-tape shows, curricula, and any other 
training materials used in the program. USDOL/ILAB will review 
materials for technical accuracy.

B. Acknowledgment of USDOL Funding

    USDOL has established procedures and guidelines regarding 
acknowledgement of funding. USDOL requires, in most circumstances, that 
the following be displayed on printed materials:
    ``Funding provided by the United States Department of Labor under 
Cooperative Agreement No. E-9-X-X-XXXX.''
    With regard to press releases, requests for proposals, bid 
solicitations, and other documents describing projects or programs 
funded in whole or in part under this cooperative agreement, all 
Grantees are required to consult with USDOL/ILAB on: acknowledgment of 
USDOL funding; general policy issues regarding international child 
labor; and informing USDOL, to the extent possible, of major press 
events and/or interviews. More detailed guidance on acknowledgement of 
USDOL funding will be provided upon award to the Grantee(s) in the 
cooperative agreement and MPG.
    In consultation with USDOL/ILAB, USDOL will be acknowledged in one 
of the following ways:
    1. The USDOL logo may be applied to USDOL-funded material prepared 
for worldwide distribution, including posters, videos, pamphlets, 
research documents, national survey results, impact evaluations, best 
practice

[[Page 31430]]

reports, and other publications of global interest. A Grantee must 
consult with USDOL/ILAB on whether the logo may 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/ILAB has 
given a Grantee written permission to use the logo on the item.
    2. The following notice must appear on all documents: ``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.''

C. Privacy and Freedom of Information

    Any information submitted in response to this solicitation will be 
subject to the provisions of the Privacy Act and the Freedom of 
Information Act, as appropriate.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 26th day of May, 2004.
Johnny Arnold,
Acting Grant Officer.

Appendix A: Project Document Format

Executive Summary

1. Background and Justification
2. Target Groups
3. Program Approach and Strategy
    3.1 Narrative of Approach and Strategy (linked to Logical 
Framework matrix, Annex A)
    3.2 Project Implementation Timeline (Gantt Chart of Activities 
linked to Logical Framework in Annex A)
    3.3 Budget (with cost of Activities linked to Outputs-Based 
Budget in Annex B)
4. Project Monitoring and Evaluation
    4.1 Indicators and Means of Verification
    4.2 Baseline Data Collection Plan
5. Institutional and Management Framework
    5.1 Institutional Arrangements for Implementation
    5.2 Collaborating and Implementing Institutions (Partners) and 
Responsibilities
    5.3 Other Donor or International Organization Activity and 
Coordination
    5.4 Project Management Organizational Chart
6. Inputs
    6.1 Inputs provided by USDOL
    6.2 Inputs provided by the Grantee
    6.3 National and/or Other Contributions
7. Sustainability
Annex A: Full presentation of the Logical Framework matrix
Annex B: Outputs-Based Budget example
(A worked example of a Logical Framework matrix, an Outputs-Based 
Budget, and other background documentation for this solicitation are 
available from the USDOL/ILAB Web site at http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/grants/sga0409/bkgrdSGA0409.htm.)

Appendix B: Country Background Section

MENA Region

Lebanon

    In 2000, UNICEF estimated that 45.3 percent of children ages 6 
to 14 years were working in Lebanon inside and outside their homes 
for paid and unpaid work. The highest proportions of working 
children exist in South Lebanon and in the Beqaa region, although 
the work of children is also prevalent in Northern Lebanon and in 
the suburbs of Beirut. UNICEF estimates that girls represent over 
half of the children ages 6 to 14 who are engaged in work. Non-
Lebanese children, including Syrian nationals and Palestinian 
refugees, constitute 10 to 20 percent of children working in the 
formal sector, but a larger portion of children are working on the 
street.
    Children between ages 6 to 14 years are employed in metal works, 
handicraft and artisan establishments, in sales, construction work, 
and the operation of machinery. Approximately 11 percent of working 
children are employed in agriculture. In 2000, national reports 
estimated that 25,000 children ages 7 to 14 were working in tobacco 
cultivation. Ninety percent of children working in tobacco 
cultivation are unpaid, some having entered the labor force as early 
as 3 years old. Some of these children are forced by their parents 
to work in the fields or beg in the streets to help support their 
families. The commercial sexual exploitation of children is reported 
to occur, although it is not considered by the general population to 
be a systemic or widespread problem.
    Though exploitive child labor is a problem in Lebanon, efforts 
have been made by the government to address the problem. The Labor 
Code of 1996 established the minimum age for employment at 14 years. 
The Labor Code prohibits children ages 13 and younger from engaging 
in any kind of work. Children ages 14 to 17 may be employed under 
special conditions relating to matters such as working hours and 
conditions, and type of work. The Ministry of Labor is responsible 
for the enforcement of child labor laws through its labor 
inspectors.
    Lebanese law adopted in 1998 provides for free and compulsory 
education; however, education is only compulsory for 5 years 
(through grade 5 or age 12) and students are responsible for 
registration and other fees, even in State-run public institutions 
(although all students in public schools have been exempted from 
registration fees in the past two years). Since the civil war, 
educational standards in the ``free'' public institutions have 
declined, and demand for entrance into private fee-paying schools 
has progressively decreased due to the deteriorating economic 
situation, which has in turn led to declining living standards for a 
large fraction of the population. State-run schools lack appropriate 
facilities, equipment and trained staff. Approximately 45 percent of 
children stop schooling before completing basic education, or grade 
6. Since the minimum age for employment is 14 years, children who 
drop out of school after the compulsory primary level are at-risk of 
becoming involved in exploitive child labor.
    Exploitive child labor adversely affects the education of 
working children in Lebanon, leading to work-related absenteeism and 
contributing to high dropout rates before reaching the secondary-
school level. The government has received technical and financial 
support and credit from various international bodies, such as UNICEF 
and the World Bank, in order to enroll working children ages 14 to 
18 in a continuing education program, and to restore the credibility 
of the public education system through improvements in quality, 
efficiency, and increased access, respectively. In 2002, the 
Government of Lebanon launched an Education for All Forum, which is 
expected to develop the country's national action plan.
    The ILO-IPEC National Program for the Elimination of Child Labor 
in Lebanon, funded by the French government in 2000, was the first 
program of its kind in Lebanon to address mainstreaming child labor 
at the national institutional level and through direct interventions 
to withdraw children from exploitive labor. The national program 
included 10 small-scale direct action programs, and served as a 
model of collaboration between ILO-IPEC, various Ministries, 
district administrators, municipalities, employers' organizations, 
and local NGOs working together to combat exploitive child labor 
while emphasizing the role of education to retain potential 
dropouts.

Yemen

    According to the 1999 Yemen Poverty Monitoring Survey conducted 
by the Central Statistical Office, the number of children ages 6 to 
14 engaged in work in Yemen was estimated to be 700,000 or about 12 
percent of the age group. An additional 37 percent of children from 
this age group are reportedly neither involved in work nor attending 
school. It is also estimated that 120,000 children ages 6 to 8 years 
work either inside or outside the home. Rural child workers account 
for 94 percent of the total number of working children, with the 
overwhelming majority of children working in the agricultural sector 
and for their families. Children living in rural areas are more than 
five times as likely to work as children in urban areas. The 
probability of a child working increases with age. Girls are more 
likely than boys to be involved in work and are less likely than 
boys to attend school full-time.
    Though exploitive child labor is widespread in Yemen and the 
prevalence of children engaged in work appears to be rising, efforts 
have been made by the Government of Yemen to address the problem 
through a commitment to education for all and strengthening safety 
nets by reaching out to the most disadvantaged groups. A new Child 
Rights Law was issued in 2002 and sets the general minimum working 
age at 14 years and at 15 years for industrial work. The law extends 
legal protection to child workers, but it excludes children working 
for their families, a category that accounts for the overwhelming 
majority (87 percent) of child workers.
    The educational development priorities of the Government of 
Yemen are detailed in the

[[Page 31431]]

Basic Education Development Strategy, which the Government of Yemen 
developed in 2000 in collaboration with the World Bank to improve 
access to education in rural areas, reduce school cost, and improve 
quality of education, and which includes child labor in a special 
component for children at-risk. Though education is compulsory for 
children from ages 6 to 15 years and school enrollment rates have 
improved over the past decade, further expansion of enrollment is 
posing a tremendous challenge. Over two million children remain out 
of school and a large gender gap in enrollment in favor of boys 
persists.
    The government has received technical and financial support from 
various international bodies, such as UNICEF, UNDP and the World 
Bank, in order to give highest priority to primary education and 
increased access to education for girls in remote rural areas. USAID 
has recently provided funding to support a basic education project 
in the rural regions of Al Jawf, Amran, Mareb, Saadah, and Shabwah. 
In 2002, Yemen became eligible to receive funding under the World 
Bank's Education for All Fast Track Initiative that aims to provide 
all children with primary school education by the year 2015.
    Child labor is not directly mentioned in Yemen's main 
development plans. However, the ILO-IPEC National Program on the 
Elimination of Child Labor in Yemen, funded by USDOL in 2000, is the 
first program of its kind in Yemen that addresses mainstreaming 
child labor at the national institutional level and through direct 
interventions to withdraw children from exploitive labor. One of the 
main objectives of the national program is putting in place a 
National Policy and Program Framework on Child Labor by the end of 
the program in November 2004.
    Many government institutions have been engaged in addressing 
exploitive child labor through the national program, including trade 
unions and employers' organizations, NGOs and community groups. In 
March 2003, a research initiative of the ILO, UNICEF, and World Bank 
produced a report that presents strategic options for addressing 
child labor and suggests prioritization of interventions.
    Other development plans such as the Yemen Strategic Vision 2025, 
Second Five-year Plan for Economic and Social Development (2001-
2005), and the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (2003-2005) provide 
a framework to national efforts directed at the root causes of 
exploitive child labor including addressing poverty, lack of 
schooling, low access to basic services, and various other issues 
contributing to exploitive child labor. One of the main challenges 
and opportunities for implementing a Child Labor Education 
Initiative in Yemen is finding innovative ways for families and 
communities to generate income to offset the loss of contributions 
to family survival resulting from their children entering and 
persisting in school. Leveraging social welfare programs and 
projects such as the Social Welfare Fund, Social Fund for the 
Development, and Public Works Project could benefit the target 
population. Child Labor Education Initiative efforts to address 
exploitive child labor through education in Yemen should operate in 
tandem with the Government of Yemen's overall education and poverty 
alleviation policies and programs.

African Sub-Region

Ethiopia

    In 2003, there were an estimated 30 million children in 
Ethiopia, 1.2 million of whom had lost their mother or both parents 
to HIV/AIDS. This number is expected to rise to over 2 million by 
2010. There are also an estimated 230,000 children under 14 living 
with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. HIV/AIDS orphans in Ethiopia are 
increasingly found living in urban environments and are vulnerable 
to working in the worst forms of child labor. They also face limited 
access to food, healthcare and basic education `` and may be 
traumatized due to their ordeals living without parents or 
caregivers. Official government estimates put the number of street 
children at 150,000 to 200,000, many of whom are suspected orphans. 
As a preventive strategy to protect HIV/AIDS-affected children from 
exploitive labor, these children must have access to quality basic 
education.
    According to the 2001 Ethiopian Child Labor Survey Report, 
approximately 85 percent of children ages 5 to 14 years were 
involved in productive or household activities. In rural areas, 
children are often found working for their families in agriculture 
and tending to livestock. In urban areas, children work in domestic 
work, street peddling, construction, manufacturing, and in the 
market. Street children often work in the informal sector as shoe 
shiners and beggars, and young girls are increasingly engaged in 
commercial sexual exploitation. Internal trafficking of children for 
forced labor and external trafficking of children for commercial 
sexual exploitation is also reportedly a problem.
    The government provides free and compulsory education, but there 
are not enough schools or teachers to accommodate all children. 
Access to education in rural areas is especially limited. Girls' 
enrollment and completion rates remain lower than boys. Teacher 
absenteeism due to HIV/AIDS has had an especially negative impact on 
quality of education. HIV/AIDS-affected children must often work 
long hours to help their family or caregivers. Orphans living with 
relatives are usually the first children in the family to be denied 
an education. Children affected by HIV/AIDS may have insufficient 
opportunities to enroll in primary education. There are few 
opportunities in Ethiopia for vocational, non-formal and technical 
education.
    The Government of Ethiopia is an associated country of ILO-IPEC 
and has ratified ILO Conventions 138 and 182. The Ministry of Labor 
and Social Affairs is the chair of the National Steering Committee 
against Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children. The government 
collaborates with several international organizations on education-
related projects.

Mozambique

    HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Mozambique have increased 
dramatically since 1992. In 2001, the estimated number of persons 
between the ages of 15 to 49 years infected with HIV was 1.1 
million. In the same year, 420,000 children under the age of 15 were 
estimated to have lost one or both parents to AIDS. These 
projections indicate a growing burden on remaining caregivers and 
increased vulnerability among orphaned children, many of whom may 
resort to hazardous labor in an effort to support themselves, 
siblings, and ill family members. There is a need to provide these 
vulnerable children with quality basic educational opportunities as 
a strategy to combat their participation in exploitive labor.
    In 2001, the ILO estimated that 32.1 percent of children ages 10 
to 14 years in Mozambique were working. As in other African 
countries, many traditional Mozambicans view the work of children as 
necessary and a natural part of a child's education and development. 
However, much of the work done by children in Mozambique can be 
hazardous to their healthy development.
    In a child labor rapid assessment survey conducted in 1999, the 
Ministry of Labor and UNICEF described several specific worst forms 
of child labor as being particularly prevalent in Mozambique: 
domestic work, trading and hawking, agriculture and fishing, and 
commercial sexual exploitation. The type of labor that children 
engage in tended to differ according to gender. Boys tended to work 
in informal trading on the streets, in markets and at bus stations 
and bus stops. Many of them also worked in commercial agriculture, 
particularly in cotton fields in the Cabo Delgado and Nampula 
provinces and in fishing and forestry. Girls tended to work as 
domestic workers and traders, as well as in commercial agriculture. 
In some cases, girls were involved in commercial sexual 
exploitation. There have also been reports of child trafficking and 
evidence of children working in factories and small mining. In 
addition to the hazards children are exposed to while carrying out 
these jobs, the work children engage in often conflicts with 
schooling.
    Education is compulsory and free through the age of 12, but 
there is a matriculation fee for each child, and children are 
responsible for purchasing books and school supplies. Enforcement of 
compulsory education laws is inconsistent due to the lack of 
resources and the lack of schools. In 2000, the gross primary 
enrollment rate was 91.5 percent, and the net primary enrollment 
rate was 54.4 percent. The high gross enrollment rate reflects the 
number of overage children enrolled in their respective grade, and 
the relatively low net enrollment rate reflects the need for 
increased access to education. Enrollment and drop out rates differ 
according to geographic location and gender. Children, particularly 
girls, living in the Northern and Central provinces and rural areas 
tend to suffer disproportionably.
    The government of Mozambique has ratified ILO Conventions 138 
and 182. The government has worked closely with UNICEF on a Draft 
Strategy for the Eradication of Child Labor, and has implemented 
several programs and projects aimed at protecting children from 
sexual exploitation and trafficking.

[[Page 31432]]

Rwanda

    In 1994, at least 800,000 people were killed in a genocide. 
Nearly two million more fled to neighboring countries. The genocide 
and massive population displacement resulted in a dramatic increase 
in the number of orphans and vulnerable children in need of support, 
and a subsequent period of civil conflict in 1997 and 1998 further 
exacerbated the problem. In addition, the systematic rape and the 
purposeful transmission of HIV/AIDS was used as a weapon of genocide 
in order to infect and eventually kill a population after the war 
ended. This legacy of HIV/AIDS carries with it a particular stigma 
in Rwanda. Between the genocide and ongoing public health concerns, 
Rwanda has been hard-hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In 2001, the HIV/
AIDS adult prevalence rate was 8.9 percent. There are 500,000 
Rwandans living with the disease, 13 percent of whom (or 65,000) are 
children under 15. These children are extremely vulnerable to 
entering exploitive labor and need to have access to quality basic 
education.
    Today, approximately one million children in Rwanda are orphans. 
Of that total, an estimated 264,000 children are HIV/AIDS orphans. 
As many as 13 percent of all households are being run by children 
(between 200,000 and 300,000 children). And as many as 9,000 
children are living or working on the streets. Orphaned children 
engage in various forms of labor, including domestic labor, sexual 
exploitation, agricultural work on tea/coffee/pyrethrum plantations, 
and work in quarries and mines. Nationally, 41.3 percent of children 
between the ages of 10 and 14 work, but anecdotal evidence suggests 
that dire household poverty forces the majority of orphans to work 
in some capacity.
    Education is free and compulsory from the ages of 7 to 12, but 
in practice, grants designed to eliminate school fees are not yet 
available to many schools due to slow implementation of the 
government policy. Other costs of education remain, including 
purchasing uniforms and school supplies, and possible contributions 
to the school to cover repairs or teachers' expenses. Public schools 
lack basic supplies and cannot accommodate all primary age school 
children, and private schools are inaccessible or too costly for the 
majority of the population. Ninety-five percent of child-headed 
households lack adequate access to education due to prohibitive 
costs and conflicting responsibilities, among other limitations. On 
a national level, the primary school completion rate is extremely 
low, and the secondary school enrollment rate is below 10 percent. 
Over half of primary school teachers lack basic qualifications. 
Opportunities for non-formal education or vocational training are 
extremely limited.
    The Government of Rwanda is an associated country of ILO-IPEC 
and has ratified ILO Conventions 138 and 182. The Ministry for Local 
Administration, Information and Social Affairs has opened safe 
houses for street children at-risk of entering exploitive labor. The 
government has established a list of the worst forms of child labor 
in Rwanda, and is working with UNICEF to address some of these worst 
forms.

Zambia

    An estimated 800,000 children in Zambia have lost one or both 
parents to HIV/AIDS. These orphans are more likely to be found 
living in urban environments with relatives or on the streets where 
they must work to make a living. A majority of street children on 
the streets of Lusaka are orphans. Orphans are less likely to be 
attending school, may experience severe psychosocial trauma due to 
the loss of their parents, and may be in danger of both physical and 
sexual abuse. They have limited access to basic necessities 
including food, water, and health care, and often must resort to 
working in dangerous labor conditions to survive.
    The Zambian Central Statistics Office estimated in 1999 that 
11.5 percent of children ages 5 to 14 years were working, of which 
approximately 90 percent were engaged in agricultural work. Only one 
quarter of these children combined work with attendance at school. 
Children are engaged in a variety of other occupations as well, 
including stone crushing, fishing, manufacturing, domestic service, 
and vending and food production. Young girls are increasingly found 
working in prostitution leaving them extremely vulnerable to 
contracting the HIV/AIDS virus. Street children also engage in 
informal work activities, such as carrying parcels or guarding cars.
    In 2002, the Ministry of Education instituted free primary 
education for 7 years, although it is not compulsory. Some rural 
communities have not fully implemented this policy and children who 
cannot contribute fees to the school or who cannot afford to buy a 
uniform are still being turned away from entering the classroom. 
Substantial barriers to quality basic education remain and the 
number of schools and teachers are insufficient to meet the 
increasing demand for education. Teacher absenteeism due to HIV/AIDS 
has had an especially negative impact on quality of education. 
Orphans and vulnerable children face other difficulties, such as 
long work hours that prevent school attendance, stigma and abuse, 
and cost of school materials. Quality of education in some schools 
in Zambia continues to be substandard.
    The Government of Zambia is a member country of ILO-IPEC and has 
ratified ILO Conventions 138 and 182. A National Plan of Action on 
Child Labor was developed in 2000 and approved by the government in 
December 2001. The government's National Policy on Children and 
Labor Market policy include chapters on child labor.
[FR Doc. 04-12525 Filed 6-2-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-28-P