[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 101 (Thursday, May 25, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30175-30197]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-4857]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Combating Exploitative Child Labor Through Education in Egypt, 
Peru and Tanzania

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 06-06.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: Not 
applicable.
    Key Dates: Deadline for Submission of Application is July 24, 2006.
    Executive Summary: The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of 
International Labor Affairs, will award up to USD 15 million through 
three or more Cooperative Agreements to an organization or 
organizations to improve access to and quality of education programs as 
a means to combat exploitative child labor in Egypt (up to USD 5 
million), Peru (up to USD 5 million) and Tanzania (up to USD 5 
million). Projects funded under this solicitation will provide 
educational and training opportunities to children and/or youth under 
the age of 18, as a means of removing and/or preventing them from 
engaging in exploitative work or the worst forms of child labor, and 
will ensure their retention in and completion of the education or 
training program(s) in which they are enrolled. The activities funded 
will complement and expand upon existing projects and programs aimed at 
eliminating the worst forms of child labor and improving basic 
education in the target countries. Applications must respond to the 
entire Scope of Work outlined in this solicitation for each country for 
which an application is submitted.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), Bureau of International Labor 
Affairs (ILAB), announces the availability of funds to be awarded by 
Cooperative Agreement to one or more

[[Page 30176]]

qualifying organizations for the purpose of withdrawing and preventing 
children from entering into exploitative child labor by (a) expanding 
access to and improving the quality of basic education; (b) 
strengthening the capacity of government and civil society to address 
child labor and education; and (c) collecting data on this target 
population.
    Entities applying under this solicitation must develop and 
implement strategies consistent with the overall purpose of USDOL's 
Child Labor Education Initiative as described below. ILAB is authorized 
to award and administer this program by the Consolidated Appropriations 
Act of 2006 (Pub. L. 109-149), see Conference Report (H. Rept. 109-
337). Cooperative Agreements awarded under this initiative will be 
managed by ILAB's International Child Labor Program (ICLP). The 
duration of the projects funded by this solicitation is three to four 
years. The start date of program activities will be negotiated upon 
award of the Cooperative Agreement, but will be no later than September 
30, 2006.
    Part 1 of this section provides an overview of USDOL's support of 
the global elimination of exploitative child labor. Part 2 provides 
USDOL definitions of key terminology. Part 3 provides an overview of 
the barriers to education for working children. Part 4 describes the 
scope of work of the awards themselves, and Part 5 provides an overview 
of country-specific information and cross-cutting themes to be 
incorporated in the project design.

1. Background: USDOL Support for the Global Elimination of Exploitative 
Child Labor

    The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that 211 
million children ages 5 to 14 were working around the world in 2000. 
Full-time child workers are generally unable to attend school, and 
part-time child laborers balance economic survival with schooling from 
an early age, often to the detriment of their education. Since 1995, 
USDOL has provided approximately USD 477 million in technical 
assistance funding to combat exploitative child labor in more than 70 
countries around the world.
    Programs funded by USDOL range from targeted action programs in 
specific sectors of work to more comprehensive efforts that target the 
worst forms of child labor as defined by ILO Convention 182. From FY 
2001 to FY 2006, the U.S. Congress has appropriated over USD 205 
million to USDOL for a Child Labor Education Initiative (EI) to fund 
programs aimed at nurturing the development, health, safety and 
enhanced future employability of children around the world by 
increasing access to quality, basic education for working children and 
those at risk of entering work, in areas with a high incidence of 
abusive and exploitative child labor.
    In addition to withdrawing and preventing children and/or youth 
from exploitative child labor through direct education and training 
opportunities, the EI has four goals:
    i. Raise awareness of the importance of education for all children 
and mobilize a wide array of actors to improve and expand education 
infrastructures;
    ii. Strengthen formal and transitional education systems that 
encourage working children and those at risk of working to attend 
school;
    iii. Strengthen national institutions and policies on education and 
child labor; and
    iv. Ensure the long-term sustainability of these efforts.

2. Definitions

    Exploitative child labor refers to the worst forms of child labor 
outlined in ILO Convention 182 and all types of work that prevent a 
child from obtaining an education or impede a child's ability to learn 
as outlined in ILO Convention 138. (See Appendix B for a visual 
presentation of the categories of exploitative child labor).
    ILO Convention 182, Article 3, defines the worst forms of child 
labor as comprised of:
    (a) All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as 
the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom and 
forced or compulsory labor, including forced or compulsory recruitment 
of children for use in armed conflict;
    (b) The use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, the 
production of pornography or for pornographic performances;
    (c) The use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit 
activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs 
as defined in the relevant international treaties;
    (d) Work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is 
carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of 
children.
    ILO Convention 138, Minimum Age Convention, Article 7.1(b) is also 
used to identify exploitative child labor. Article 7.1(b) states that 
children within a particular age range shall not participate in work 
that will ``prejudice their attendance at school, their participation 
in vocational orientation or training programmes approved by the 
competent authority or their capacity to benefit from the instruction 
received.''
    Unconditional worst forms of child labor refers to the worst forms 
of child labor that fall under Article 3(a)-(c) of ILO Convention 182. 
For USDOL's Child Labor Education Initiative, children involved in the 
unconditional worst forms of child labor must no longer be working in 
an unconditional worst form of child labor to be considered as 
withdrawn from exploitative work. That is, no improvements in the 
working conditions of children involved in slavery or slavery-like 
practices, prostitution or pornography, or illicit activities will 
create an acceptable environment for children to work, even for one 
hour.
    Hazardous child labor refers to work that falls under Article 3(d) 
of ILO Convention 182. Applicants are encouraged to consult 
Recommendation 190 accompanying Convention 182 for additional guidance 
on identifying hazardous work.
    In some cases, the work conditions of children involved in 
hazardous work may be improved so as to make the work conditions 
acceptable for children. This may include, for example, reducing hours 
of work or changing the type of work children perform (i.e., 
disallowing children in agriculture from working with heavy machinery 
or pesticide applications). However, conditions can be improved to make 
work acceptable only for children who may legally work according to the 
specific laws of the implementing country. If, for example, a nine-
year-old child is working in hazardous child labor in a country whose 
minimum age is 15 years, this child should be completely withdrawn from 
child labor, since conditions cannot be improved to make it legally 
acceptable for the child to work.
    USDOL defines children withdrawn and prevented as follows:
    Children withdrawn from exploitative work refers to those children 
who were found to be working in exploitative child labor and no longer 
work under such conditions as a result of a direct project 
intervention. This category includes: (a) Children who have been 
completely withdrawn from work, which is required by ILO Convention 182 
for unconditional worst forms of child labor, and (b) children who were 
involved in hazardous work (Article 3(d) of Convention 182) or work 
that impedes a child's education (ILO Convention 138) but are no longer 
working under hazardous conditions or impeded from schooling due to 
improved working conditions (i.e.,

[[Page 30177]]

fewer hours or safer workplaces) or because they have moved into a new, 
acceptable form of work. To be considered as withdrawn from 
exploitative child labor each child must also have benefited or be 
benefiting from a direct educational service (as defined below) 
provided by the project.
    Children prevented from entering exploitative child labor refers to 
children not yet working but who are considered to be at high-risk of 
engaging in exploitative child labor (see definition above), for 
example, siblings of (ex-) working children. A ``high-risk'' situation 
refers to a set of conditions or circumstances (i.e., family 
environment or situation, vicinity of economic activities prone to 
employ children, etc.) under which the child lives or to which he or 
she is exposed. In order to be considered as ``prevented,'' these 
children must also have benefited or be benefiting from a direct 
educational service (as defined below) provided by the project.
    Direct beneficiaries are children who, as a result of a USDOL-
funded project, are (a) withdrawn or prevented from entering 
exploitative child labor and (b) are provided with a direct educational 
service (as defined below) that results in their enrollment in at least 
one of the four categories of educational activities listed below. 
Note: For a child to be counted as a direct beneficiary for the 
purposes of USDOL Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) 
reporting, the Cooperative Agreement awardee (hereafter referred to as 
``Grantee'') must complete the following three (3) steps:
    (1) Assess the specific needs of each child targeted by the project 
in order for the child to (a) be withdrawn from or prevented from 
entering exploitative labor and (b) to be enrolled in an educational 
activity;
    (2) Develop and implement an appropriate strategy for the child 
that provides a direct educational service that supports their 
enrollment in at least one of the educational activities defined below; 
and
    (3) Monitor and report to USDOL on the work (e.g., Is the child 
working in an exploitative labor situation?) and education status 
(e.g., Is the child still attending an educational or training 
program?) of each child beneficiary.
    Direct educational services may involve either (a) or (b):
    (a) The provision of at least one of the following educational 
activities:
    (1) Non-formal or basic literacy education--This type of 
educational activity may include transitional, levelling, or literacy 
classes so that a child may either be mainstreamed into formal 
education and/or can participate in vocational training activities;
    (2) Vocational, pre-vocational, or skills training--This type of 
training is designed to develop a particular, marketable skill (e.g., 
mechanics, sewing); or
    (b) The provision of goods and/or services (if lack thereof is a 
barrier to education) that meets the specific needs of the targeted 
children and results in their enrollment or retention in at least one 
of the four categories of educational activities listed below. Examples 
of goods and/or services that may meet the specific gaps/educational 
needs of targeted children include tutoring, school meals, uniforms, 
school supplies and materials, books, tuition and transportation 
vouchers, or other types of incentives. The four categories of 
educational activities that qualify for USDOL's EI are:
    (1) Non-formal or basic literacy education;
    (2) Vocational, pre-vocational, or skills training;
    (3) Formal education--This is defined as the formal school system 
within the target country; or
    (4) Mainstreaming--This type of educational activity involves a 
project transitioning children from non-formal education into the 
formal education system. Generally, mainstreaming involves the 
provision of goods and/or services (e.g., school uniforms, registration 
fees, transportation vouchers and/or tutoring) that may assist in 
placement testing and enable a child to attend and stay in school.
    Other project interventions may include such activities as 
awareness raising and social mobilization campaigns, psychosocial 
services for children, improvements in curriculum, teacher training or 
improvements to school infrastructure that are also important for 
improving access to and the quality of basic education. While grantees 
are encouraged to address the needs of working children in a 
comprehensive manner, these activities will not be considered as direct 
educational services. Therefore, individuals benefiting solely from 
these interventions cannot be counted in GPRA reporting. USDOL 
recognizes that, in many cases, a combination of services--both direct 
educational services and other project interventions as outlined in 
this paragraph--may represent the most effective strategy for 
prevention or withdrawal of a child from exploitative labor. USDOL 
encourages applicants to propose the most effective package of services 
to achieve the goal of prevention or withdrawal.
    Strengthening the capacity of government and civil society to 
address child labor and education may involve one or more of the 
following four elements:
    (1) Adaptation of the legal framework to meet international 
standards;
    Examples of actions that demonstrate progress toward this element 
include:
     The official adoption of an approved or revised list of 
hazardous work activities for children after tripartite consultation 
(e.g., through law, presidential decree);
     The adaptation of labor code or education laws to include 
or modify child labor-related issues;
     The adaptation of the criminal code to include or modify 
child labor-related issues;
     The adaptation of existing legislation concerning child 
labor or education to put it in line with Conventions 138 or 182; or
     The approval of new legislation concerning specific forms 
of child labor.
    (2) The formulation of specific policies and programs at the 
national, regional, or sectoral level within a country dealing with the 
worst forms of child labor or basic education;
    Progress toward this element can be demonstrated by the development 
of a policy, plan or program document on the worst forms of child 
labor, a specific worst form of child labor, or basic education which 
addresses the worst forms of child labor by one or more of the 
following entities:
     Any level of Government (local, regional or national);
     The National Steering Committee; or
     Social Partners.
    (3) The inclusion of child labor or basic education concerns in 
relevant development, social and anti-poverty policies and programs;
    Examples of actions that demonstrate progress toward this element 
include:
     The incorporation of basic education (in non-education 
related programs) or the elimination of child labor as an explicit 
objective in poverty reduction, development, educational or other 
social programs;
     The inclusion of child labor or basic education (in non-
education related strategies) as an indicator in poverty reduction, 
development or educational strategies, etc. (e.g. United Nations 
Development Assistance Framework, Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, 
Education for All, the United Nations Millenneum Development Goals) ;
     The inclusion of child laborers as a priority target group 
in poverty reduction, development or educational strategies; or

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     Requiring families to ensure children go to school and do 
not work in order to receive benefits from social and stipends 
programs.
    (4) The establishment of a child labor monitoring system (CLMS).
    Progress in this field can be demonstrated if one or several of the 
following systems has been established and is in operation:
     A CLMS covering various forms of child labor at the local 
and/or national level;
     A CLMS in any formal or informal sector, urban or rural; 
or
     A comprehensive plan and/or pilot program to develop and 
establish national, local or sector specific CLMS.
    The characteristics of a comprehensive and credible CLMS include 
the following:
     A focus on the child at work and/or in school;
     Involvement of all relevant partners in the field, 
including labor inspectors, if appropriate;
     Regular observation to identify children in the workplace;
     Referral of identified children to the most appropriate 
alternative to ensure that they are withdrawn from hazardous work;
     Verification that children have actually shifted from 
hazardous work to an appropriate situation (school or other); and
     Recordkeeping on the extent and nature of child labor and 
the schooling of identified child workers.

3. Barriers to Education for Working Children

    Throughout the world, there are complex causes of exploitative 
child labor as well as barriers to education for children engaged in or 
at risk of entering exploitative 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; tenuous labor markets; and weak law enforcement.
    Although these elements and characteristics tend to exist 
throughout the world in areas with a high incidence of exploitative 
child labor, they manifest themselves in specific ways in the country 
of interest in this solicitation. Therefore, specific, targeted 
interventions are required. Applicants must be able to identify the 
specific needs of children in order to ensure (1) their long-term 
withdrawal or prevention from exploitative child labor, (2) for 
children of appropriate age, a reduction in the number of hours they 
work and improvement in their working conditions in accordance with 
national labor laws and (3) their attendance, retention, and completion 
of relevant educational and/or training programs. This includes 
identifying barriers to education and the educational needs of specific 
children targeted in their project (e.g., children withdrawn from work, 
children at high-risk of dropping out of school and joining the labor 
force, and/or children still working in a particular sector) and 
defining how direct education service delivery, capacity building and 
policy change can be used to address these particular barriers and 
needs. Brief background information on education and exploitative child 
labor in the country of interest is provided below in Section I(5): 
Country-Specific Scope of Work.

4. Scope of Work--General Requirements

    Each project must promote the goals of USDOL's EI listed above in 
Section I(1). Applicants should propose an innovative project strategy 
that will build on existing efforts to withdraw children from the worst 
forms of child labor and improve the conditions of children engaged in 
other types of legal work, while concurrently enrolling and maintaining 
these children in suitable educational programs. USDOL considers 
efforts to strengthen legal frameworks to prohibit exploitative child 
labor and to improve law enforcement practices against such illicit 
child labor activities as critical strategies for achieving a long-term 
impact in combating exploitative child labor and improving access to 
basic education. Applicants are encouraged to propose creative ideas in 
addressing the nexus between better enforcement of child labor laws and 
the improvement of educational opportunities for children.
    EI projects are expected to contain at least five critical 
elements: (1) Focus on Action Research and Data Collection; (2) Direct 
Educational Services; (3) Clear and Specific Outcomes; (4) 
Collaboration and Leveraging Resources; and (5) Sustainability. 
Applicants are expected to consider the economic, social and cultural 
contexts of the country when formulating project strategies and to 
recognize that approaches applicable in one country may not be relevant 
to others. Applicants must take into account cross-cutting themes that 
could affect project results, including those outlined in Section I(5) 
for each target country, and meaningfully incorporate them into the 
proposed strategy, either to increase opportunities or reduce threats 
to successful implementation.
    i. Focus on Action Research and Data Collection. In order to 
identify gaps, unmet needs and opportunities that could be addressed 
through a USDOL Child Labor Education Initiative project, applicants 
must conduct a needs assessment in preparing their application(s) to 
make a preliminary identification of the current working and 
educational status of the children that the applicant proposes as 
direct project beneficiaries. It is expected that the information 
gathered during this assessment will be refined after award. The 
assessment, with data sources, must include information on the 
incidence and nature of exploitative child labor, particularly the 
worst forms, among target children, hours of work, age and sex 
distribution of the proposed beneficiaries, educational performance 
relative to other children, if available, and any research or other 
data that might indicate correlations between educational performance 
and child labor. In the proposed strategy, applicants must consult and 
make reference to relevant literature and documents relating to child 
labor and the education of target children.
    Applicants are also encouraged to propose strategies for collecting 
further data on exploitative child labor and children's participation 
in schooling in the early stages of the project's baseline data 
collection. Applicants must design and implement a project monitoring 
system that allows for the monitoring and tracking of direct 
beneficiaries' work and school status throughout the life of the 
project (including type of work, conditions of work, such as hours of 
work and hazardous conditions, and school attendance).
    ii. Direct Educational Services. Projects funded under this 
Cooperative Agreement solicitation must provide for the long-term 
withdrawal and prevention of children and/or youth from exploitative 
labor through the provision of a direct educational service(s) that 
ensures their enrollment, retention and completion in at least one of 
the four educational activities identified in Section I(2). 
``Withdrawn/prevented,'' ``exploitative child labor,'' and ``direct 
educational services'' are defined in detail in Section I(2). USDOL 
encourages interventions aimed at children and youth under age 18, such 
as literacy and income-generating activities. Applicants are encouraged 
to be creative in proposing cost-effective interventions that will have 
a demonstrable impact in eliminating exploitative child labor; and 
promoting school retention and completion in the geographical areas 
where children are engaged in or most at risk of working in

[[Page 30179]]

the worst forms of child labor. Applicants must demonstrate knowledge 
of the school calendar and the requirements of basic, non-formal, and 
vocational education systems, and develop an approach that successfully 
enrolls children in educational programs with the shortest delay and 
without missing an academic year or program cycle.
    iii. Clear and Specific Outcomes. Within the countries identified 
in this solicitation, the applicant must identify the geographic areas 
of greatest need and establish the number of children the project is 
targeting for withdrawal or prevention from exploitative child labor 
through the provision of direct educational services that support 
enrollment in educational activities. Applicants must use the 
definitions provided in Section I(2) when establishing these targets. 
The expected outcomes/results of the project are to: (1) Reduce the 
number of children engaged in or at risk of entering exploitative child 
labor; (2) increase educational opportunities and access (enrollment 
and attendance) for children who are at risk of, engaging in, and/or 
removed from exploitative child labor, particularly its worst forms; 
(3) ensure retention in, and completion of, educational programs; (4) 
expand the successful transition of children from non-formal education 
programs into formal schools or vocational programs; and (5) reduce 
children's return to exploitative labor.
    iv. Collaboration and Leveraging Resources. Due to the limited 
resources available under this award, applicants are expected to 
implement programs that complement existing efforts, and where 
appropriate, replicate or enhance successful models to serve a greater 
number of children and communities. In order to avoid duplication, 
enhance collaboration, expand impact, and develop synergies, the 
Grantee must work cooperatively with national stakeholders in 
developing project interventions, including the Ministries of 
Education, Labor, and other relevant ministries, and are encouraged to 
work with other key stakeholders, including non-governmental 
organizations (NGOs), national steering/advisory committees on child 
labor, education, faith and community-based organizations, and working 
children and their families.
    Furthermore, applicants are strongly encouraged to collaborate with 
existing projects, particularly those funded by USDOL, including 
Timebound Programs (TBP) and other projects implemented by the 
International Labor Organization's International Program on the 
Elimination of Child Labor (ILO-IPEC). As discussed in Section V(1)(F), 
up to five (5) extra points will be given to applications that include 
committed non-U.S. Federal Government resources that significantly 
expand the project's scope. However, applicants must not duplicate the 
activities of existing efforts and/or projects and are expected to work 
within host government child labor and education frameworks and 
priorities.


    Note to Applicants:  USDOL has notified host government ministry 
officials of the proposed project. During the preparation of an 
application for this Cooperative Agreement solicitation, applicants 
may discuss proposed interventions, strategies, and activities with 
host government officials and civil society organizations.


    v. Sustainability. USDOL considers the issue of sustainability to 
be of paramount importance and recognizes that questions of 
sustainability must be addressed at all stages, including project 
design, implementation and evaluation. From their inception, project 
strategies should foster sustainability. To USDOL, sustainability is 
linked to project impact and the ability of individuals, communities, 
and a nation to ensure that the activities or changes implemented by a 
project endure. A project's impact is manifested at the level of 
individuals, organizations, and systems. For individual children and 
their families this would mean a positive and enduring change in their 
life conditions as a result of project interventions. At the level of 
organizations and systems, sustained impact would involve continued 
commitment and ability (including financial commitment and policy 
change) by project partners to continue the actions generated by the 
project, including enforcement of existing policies that target child 
labor and schooling. Applicants are encouraged to develop approaches 
that support youth participation in project efforts to eliminate the 
worst forms of child labor. Applicants are encouraged to identify 
organizations in the country, including type of local organizations 
(i.e., rural, indigenous, etc.), which could potentially implement or 
contribute to a future project. In addition, as child labor projects 
tend to be implemented in resource-poor environments where government 
education and labor inspection systems may be limited, applicants are 
encouraged to work with local stakeholders to develop sustainable child 
labor and education monitoring systems, including community-based 
systems, that can complement government efforts to monitor children's 
working and educational status beyond the life of the project and 
enforce the country's child labor and education laws.

5. Country-Specific Scope of Work

A. Combating Child Labor Through Education in Egypt
    i. Background. An estimated 5.9 percent of children ages 6 to 14 
were counted as working in Egypt in 1998. Rural children and children 
from poor or female-headed households account for the overwhelming 
majority of working children. Approximately 70 percent of child labor 
in Egypt occurs in rural areas. Many children work long hours in the 
agricultural sector where they work in dusty environments, without 
masks or respirators, and receive little or no training on safety 
precautions for work with toxic pesticides. Children are also found 
working in a number of hazardous sectors, including leather tanneries, 
pottery kilns, glassworks, blacksmith, metal and copper workshops, 
battery and carpentry shops, mining and quarrying, carpet weaving, auto 
repair workshops, and textile and plastics factories.
    Reports indicate a widespread practice of poor rural families 
making arrangements to send daughters to cities to work as domestic 
servants in the homes of wealthy citizens. Child domestic workers are 
excluded from the protections of the labor code and may be susceptible 
to physical and sexual abuse, harsh working conditions, and 
exploitation. Urban areas are also host to large numbers of street 
children who have left their homes in the country-side to find work, 
and often to flee hostile conditions at home. The number of working 
street children in urban areas is estimated at 2 to 5 million. Street 
children work shining shoes, collecting rubbish, begging, cleaning and 
directing cars into parking spaces, and selling food and trinkets. 
Street children are particularly vulnerable to becoming involved in 
illicit activities, including stealing, smuggling, pornography, and 
prostitution. The commercial sexual exploitation of children may be 
under-acknowledged given that Egyptian cities (Alexandria and Cairo, in 
particular) are reported destinations for sex tourism. Egypt is a 
country of transit for child trafficking, particularly for underage 
girls from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union who are 
trafficked into Israel and parts of Europe for forced labor and sexual 
exploitation.
    Child labor is one of among many problems associated with poverty. 
In 1999, the most recent year for which

[[Page 30180]]

data are available, 3.1 percent of the population in Egypt were living 
on less than USD 1 a day. In addition to poverty, numerous other 
interrelated socio-cultural factors affect whether or not a child 
enters exploitative work in Egypt, including: The deterioration in 
access to quality education; low rates of female labor force 
participation and literacy; the decline of the economic and social 
benefits of education; local economic inequalities; prevailing customs 
and traditions; protracted geopolitical conflict; and globalization.
    The recent, unprecedented demographic growth in the region has had 
a profound impact on children, increasingly pushing them into the labor 
market, often at an early age. The population of Egypt exceeded 75 
million in 2004, of which approximately 44 percent were under the age 
of 19 years. Poverty levels and unemployment rates are significant in 
urban centers, especially for young people: 15-to 24-year-olds 
represent only 21 percent of the labor force in Egypt, but over 60 
percent of the unemployed population. The high levels of youth 
unemployment in Egypt increase the likelihood that youth will work 
under exploitative conditions, particularly in the informal sector, 
which accounts for approximately 55 percent of the labor force in 
Egypt.
    The Constitution guarantees free and compulsory basic education for 
children ages 6 to 15 who are Egyptian citizens. Despite the 
constitutional guarantees to universal education, parents are 
increasingly responsible for both the direct and indirect costs of 
education. Egyptian law allows public schools to charge fees for 
services, insurance, and equipment. In 2002, the gross primary 
enrollment rate was 97 percent and the net primary enrollment rate was 
91 percent. Gross and net enrollment ratios are based on the number of 
students formally registered in primary school and therefore do not 
necessarily reflect actual school attendance. Primary school attendance 
statistics are not available for Egypt. As of 2001, 98 percent of 
children who started primary school were likely to reach grade 5. A 
2000 national survey of children ages 6 to 15 years found that 14 
percent of girls were not currently attending school, compared to 8 
percent of boys. Working children are predominantly school dropouts or 
have never been enrolled in school. The 2000 Egyptian Demographic and 
Health Survey of children ages 8 to 10 found that 3.4 percent of boys 
had never attended school, compared to 8.4 percent of girls in the same 
age group.
    Due to a significant investment in building and renovating primary 
schools in the 1990s, access to primary school education in Egypt is 
now nearly universal; however, concerns about the quality of education 
persist. The following factors were cited as weaknesses in the 
education system that contribute to low school attendance among working 
children in reports from the United Nations Development Program; 
Egyptian Institute of National Planning; Egyptian Ministry of Planning; 
and the ILO: The centralized educational structure, inadequate teacher 
incentives, a shortage of trained teachers, misallocation of resources, 
overcrowding, corporal punishment in schools, lack of participatory 
learning techniques, irrelevant curricula, and inadequate school 
infrastructure, such as sanitation facilities.
    ii. Relevant Policies, Programs and Projects. The Government's 
National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) is implementing a 
national plan to increase educational opportunities for girls and 
combat the worst forms of child labor, among other goals. The NCCM is 
executing action programs related to the plan's objectives in 
collaboration with the Ministry of Manpower and Migration (MOMM), 
Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF), ILO, UNICEF, and the Ministries 
of Social Affairs, Agriculture, Education, Health, and Interior. While 
the action programs being implemented to support the national plan 
began with technical support from ILO-IPEC and the American Federation 
of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) Solidarity 
Center, the projects are now operated independently by the NCCM, ETUF, 
UNICEF, and MOMM without continued support from ILO-IPEC or the 
Solidarity Center. Efforts by NCCM and MOMM to collaborate with other 
line ministries and NGOs to increase awareness of child labor and 
strengthen enforcement of existing laws, include:
     Training police officers to raise awareness of child 
rights and best practices for dealing with at-risk children and youth 
in partnership with the Ministry of Interior;
     Conducting an awareness raising campaign in all 26 
governorates to highlight the negative impact of child labor on 
children, their families and employers and to educate them about 
relevant legislation and enforcement issues in partnership with the 
Ministry of Information;
     Identifying governorates with high dropout rates in 
collaboration with the Ministry of Education, in order to increase 
child labor inspection in those areas;
     Preventing underage children from working in the cotton 
harvesting sector and providing children working legally with the 
necessary protection while engaging in agricultural activities in 
partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture.
    The NCCM is implementing projects in the governorates of Sharkia, 
Menofia, Minya, and Damietta to shift working children into non-
hazardous activities and gradually eliminate all forms of child labor. 
Additionally, the NCCM is executing a large-scale project supported by 
the European Union and other donors, which addresses children's issues, 
focusing on 7 priority areas: Child labor, street children, disabled 
children, early childhood education, drug abuse, girls' education, and 
prevention of harmful practices against girls. The Egyptian Prime 
Minister recently earmarked 100 million Egyptian pounds (USD 17.5 
million) in matching funds towards this initiative.
    Since 2003, the NCCM and UNICEF have been implementing the National 
Strategy for the Protection and Rehabilitation of Street Children 
(launched under the auspices of the First Lady), which aims to 
rehabilitate and reintegrate street children back into society. In June 
2005, the NCCM and UNICEF jointly organized a 3-day conference in Cairo 
entitled ``Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Regional Consultation on 
Violence Against Children,'' at which Egypt's First Lady, Mrs. Suzanne 
Mubarak, announced the establishment of a national hotline to receive 
complaints of abused children, including child laborers. Following the 
conference, the NCCM established a permanent committee to combat all 
forms of violence against children, which will include branches in all 
governorates and representatives from the Ministries of Interior, 
Social Affairs, Justice, Education and Health, as well as 
representatives from civil society.
    In January 2006, ILO-IPEC launched a campaign against child labor 
under the banner Red Card to Child Labor. The campaign is organized in 
cooperation with the NCCM, Federation International de Football 
Association (FIFA) and the African Football Confederation, and 
sponsored by the First Lady. ILO-IPEC is also currently working with a 
number of NGOs such as the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social 
Services (CEOSS), CARITAS, Terre des hommes, the Boy Scouts, and the 
Red Crescent to raise awareness on child labor. The new Minister of 
Labor has also expressed her full-fledged support to this campaign and 
to the fight against child labor in general. In previous programs 
supported by ILO-

[[Page 30181]]

IPEC, 11 governorates benefited from programs to provide education 
services for working children, and 5 of these governorates have been 
declared ``child labor free.''
    Large-scale programs and initiatives have focused on the expansion 
and improvement of basic education in Egypt. The Government of Egypt 
has established a National Taskforce for Girls' Education to promote 
girls' education and eliminate gender disparities in the education 
system by the year 2015. Other programs include USAID's basic education 
programs and the World Bank's Education Enhancement Project in Egypt, 
both of which are ongoing. The World Bank's Education Enhancement 
Program Project is working to ensure universal access to basic 
education, with an emphasis on girls, and to improve the quality of 
education. In February 2005, the World Bank also began supporting a USD 
108 million Early Childhood Education Enhancement Project, which aims 
to increase access to and improve the quality of pre-primary education, 
and increase the capacity of the Ministry of Education to improve 
kindergarten programs. USAID's Basic Education and Policy Support 
Activity (BEPS) program provided policy support on child labor and 
education issues, but this project is no longer active.
    iii. Scope of Work. Applicants must propose activities that build 
upon and complement the work that has been previously carried out by 
other relevant programs and avoid any unnecessary duplication of 
effort. The applicant must take into account cross-cutting themes and 
specific considerations that could affect project results in Egypt, and 
meaningfully incorporate them into the proposed strategy, either to 
increase opportunities or reduce threats to successful implementation. 
In Egypt these could include one or more of the following:
    (1) Rural/Urban focus. Applicants should demonstrate thorough 
knowledge of child labor and barriers to education for working children 
in both rural and urban areas. The project should develop targeted 
strategies to decentralize inspection systems, improve monitoring 
mechanisms, raise awareness and improve access to education and 
training for working or at-risk children and youth that address the 
contextual realities and needs at the local level.
    (2) Targeted groups. The project should focus direct interventions 
primarily on withdrawing children and youth under 18 years of age from 
exploitative labor, with particular emphasis on the worst forms of 
child labor.
    (3) Targeted sectors. In rural areas, the project should 
specifically target exploitative child labor in the mining and 
quarrying and the cotton-farming sectors. In urban areas, the project 
should target child labor in formal establishments such as factories 
and workshops, as well as informal activity in the streets, markets and 
tourist centers. The project may also target children (mostly girls) 
who are sent from rural areas into the cities to work as domestic 
servants, either in the sending or receiving areas (or both). 
Applicants may also identify other child labor sectors/areas of 
intervention, but must provide convincing reasons why the targeted 
sector/focus merits funding.
    (4) Targeted regions. In addition to complementing the upstream 
policy and awareness activities of the NCCM and ILO-IPEC in the 15 
governorates in which child labor elimination programs are already 
underway, this project should focus direct action efforts primarily in 
the 12 governorates without ongoing activities: ad-Daqahliyah, Port 
Said, Suez, al-Isma'iliyah, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Matruh, al-Bahr al-
Ahmar (Red Sea), al-Buhayrah, Kafr ash-Shaykh, al-Gharbiyah, and Suhaj.
    (5) Girls' education. The project should address the unique 
barriers to education for girls in rural as well as urban areas and 
incorporate these into the proposed interventions.
    (6) Collaboration. The project must work collaboratively with 
institutions and organizations already engaged in child labor and 
education issues in Egypt and the Middle East and North Africa region 
at the local, national and regional levels. At a minimum, national 
collaborations should take place with the ETUF, ILO-IPEC, MOMM, NCCM, 
the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Central 
Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), and the private 
sector.
    (7) Political and civil society environment. In their approach to 
project interventions, applicants should take into account the complex 
legal and political relationship between civil society groups and 
government structures. Applicants should also factor in the effect that 
personnel changes in cooperating ministries might have, and design 
strategies that minimize disruptions when such events occur. Applicants 
should demonstrate how they have managed to operate within such 
environments in the past and/or include a plan for doing so under the 
proposed project.
    (8) Weak organizational capacity and conflictive social relations. 
Evaluations of USDOL projects in the Middle East and North Africa 
region have noted incidents of weak local organizational capacity and 
conflictive social relations, including teachers' strikes leading to 
absenteeism. Applicants should indicate to what extent these challenges 
might be significant in the areas where the project would be 
implemented, how they would be addressed and how relationships with 
grassroots community organizations would be developed.
    (9) Educational relevance and cultural sensitivity. Applicants must 
develop a strategy that will increase the perceived relevance of 
education and training for working children, their parents, and the 
communities where they live. If cultural traditions and norms impact 
decisions about schooling, applicants must show how education programs 
would be sensitive and responsive to these expectations, particularly 
as they relate to girls' education.
B. Combating Child Labor Through Education in Peru
    i. Background. The urban informal sector in Latin America is 
dynamic and complex, often an alternative source of employment and 
entrepreneurship for those not able to obtain jobs in the formal 
sector. Although there are no recent statistics available on employment 
in Peru's informal sector, it is estimated that more than one-half of 
the economically active population works in this sector. Urban informal 
work makes up a large percentage of services and sales activities. 
Recent migrants from rural areas who often live in urban slums or 
barriadas and pueblos jovenes tend to find precarious livelihoods in 
the informal sector.
    According to a World Bank study published in 2005, 18.1 percent of 
the population in Peru in 2001 was living on less than USD 1 a day. 
Urban poverty has increased during the past decade. The United Nations 
Development Programme's Human Development Report shows that Peru's 
population living below the poverty line grew from 49 percent in 1997 
to 54 percent in 2002. More recent statistics are not available, but 
the rapid growth of pueblos jovenes in the outskirts of the main urban 
centers suggests a continued challenge with issues of poverty and 
migration.
    In the urban informal sector, migrants may also reproduce economic 
relationships common in rural areas that include self-employment and 
family labor, including child labor. Young people unaccompanied by 
their families, or not living with relatives,

[[Page 30182]]

may be forced to survive alone as street children. An estimated 16.5 
percent of children ages 6 to 14 were counted as working in Peru in 
1994. The number of children engaged in urban informal work in Peru is 
unknown, but given the size of the country's informal sector, it is 
likely that many children are involved. In urban and surrounding areas, 
they are involved in street-vending, fireworks production, and brick-
making. They shine shoes, wash and guard cars, perform at traffic-light 
intersections, and sell goods on public transportation and markets. 
Many children, particularly girls, move from rural to urban areas to 
work as domestic servants. Children are also involved in crime, 
including petty theft, and drug trafficking. Some children and youth 
are trafficked internally along commercial routes, where some fall 
victim to prostitution and other forms of commercial sexual 
exploitation in tourist and other locations such as beaches, markets, 
cinemas, theaters, and restaurants.
    Whether living on the streets or in slums, urban child laborers are 
exposed to high emotional and physical risks and levels of violence. 
Children working in the streets can be harassed by the police, and are 
extremely vulnerable to traffic accidents and weather conditions. Being 
on their own and struggling for survival, they generally do not attend 
school. On the other hand, children who live in slums with their 
families may manage to combine work with school attendance. Yet poor 
school quality, combined with many of the social conditions faced in 
the slums such as family breakdown, domestic violence, early 
parenthood, and crime may deter school attendance or lead to drop out.
    In Peru, the General Education Law establishes free and compulsory 
public education through secondary school. Despite the legal guarantee 
for free education, some primary school fees continue to be charged. In 
2002, the gross primary enrollment rate was 118 percent and the net 
primary enrollment was 100 percent. As of 2001, 84 percent of children 
who started primary school were likely to reach grade five. Girls 
attend school at a lower rate than boys, and school attendance is lower 
in rural than in urban areas.
    In recent years there have been positive efforts to decentralize 
school management, giving parents and teachers some decision-making 
power in relation to the school budget. However at the school 
performance level, children from poor families continue to learn 
significantly less and leave school sooner than other children. In the 
2003 Programme for International Student Assessment, Peruvian students 
from poor families scored sharply lower in reading and math than those 
from higher income families. School performance is a greater issue 
among indigenous and Afro-Latin students. While 35 percent of students 
reached sufficient levels of reading comprehension in national tests, 
that level was only reached by 0.3 percent of native Quechua and 8 
percent of native Aymara speakers.
    In Peru, the minimum age of work is 15. Various laws regulate the 
hours and types of jobs that working adolescents may perform. The 
National Police, local prosecutors, Municipal Child and Adolescent 
Defender Centers, and the Ministry of Labor and Employment Promotion 
are involved in the enforcement of child labor laws. Most labor 
inspections are conducted in the formal sector rather than the urban 
informal sector, where child labor usually occurs.
    ii. Relevant Policies, Programs and Projects. There are a number of 
efforts by the Government of Peru, international organizations, and 
NGOs to address exploitative child labor in the urban informal sector. 
Three important policy frameworks in place in Peru include the National 
Plan for the Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor, the National 
Action Plan for Children and Adolescents, and Network Now Against Child 
Sexual Exploitation. See Comit[eacute] Directivo Nacional para la 
Prevenci[oacute]n y Erradicaci[oacute]n del Trabajo Infantil (CPETI), 
Plan Nacional de Prevenci[oacute]n y Erradicaci[oacute]n del Trabajo 
Infantil, 2005 available on ICLP's Web site http://www.dol.gov/ilab/grants/bkgrd.htm.
    The Government of Peru is participating in a USDOL-funded ILO-IPEC 
program to eliminate exploitative child labor in the domestic service 
and commercial sex sectors. USDOL also supports a project to provide 
education to children involved in small-scale artisanal mining in Puno. 
In order to promote education for child domestics, the Ministry of 
Education offers night classes and has lengthened matriculation periods 
for such children. The government also supports NGOs that provide 
services to sexually exploited and trafficked minors.
    There are a number of programs that promote basic education for 
children involved in or at risk of urban informal work. The Ministry of 
Women and Social Development (MIMDES) supports the program Street 
Educators, which provides education and services to children in the 
streets and urban markets. The National Institute of Family Well-Being 
has a program that provides a variety of services to working youth, 
including school support, school reinsertion, reintegration to the 
family, and vocational training.
    The Ministry of Education implements a basic education program to 
strengthen teachers' skills and provide them with free educational 
materials. The Ministry also oversees a project to build the capacity 
to develop innovative teaching materials and operates a tutoring 
program for children formerly excluded from the public school system, 
including working children. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) 
is providing a loan to the Ministry of Labor and Employment Promotion 
to develop training activities and facilitate labor market access for 
older youth. The IDB provided a new loan in May 2005 to the Ministry of 
Economy and Finance that aims to provide support to social sector 
reforms in education, labor and other areas. The Ministry is also 
working with USAID to develop models of educational decentralization 
and strengthen local educational capacity.
    iii. Scope of Work. The primary focus of proposed strategies should 
be to develop educational programs for children aged 11 to 15, which 
will enable them to successfully progress as appropriate towards the 
completion of secondary school, vocational certification, or other 
course of study/training that substantially improve their basic 
literacy, numeracy, entrepreneurial, technical, or vocational skills. 
Applicants should focus on the urban informal sector and identify urban 
centers in Peru where they will undertake this work, such as the ones 
that have been attracting most of the internal migration and informal 
sector development in the past decades (e.g., Lima, Callao, Piura, 
Chiclayo, Trujillo, Arequipa, Juliaca, Cuzco and Iquitos). For the 
purposes of this Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA), the urban 
informal sector is used to refer to areas of economic activity in large 
metropolitan areas that are largely unregulated. Labor relations in 
this sector are largely based on casual employment, kinship, or 
personal and social relations rather than on formal contractual 
arrangements. Examples of such urban informal sector activities include 
selling goods on the street or in markets or involvement in small scale 
businesses or industries. Applicants may also identify other child 
labor sectors/areas of intervention, but must provide convincing 
reasons why the targeted sector/focus merits funding. The Government of 
Peru has identified Cajamarca, Lima and Puno as priority

[[Page 30183]]

regions/cities. These regions should be considered in as much as they 
fit within the context of this SGA.
    The application must also take into account cross-cutting themes 
that could affect project results in Peru, and meaningfully incorporate 
them into the proposed strategy, either to increase opportunities or 
reduce threats to successful implementation. In Peru these include:
    (1) Governmental and non-governmental efforts to implement the 
National Plan for the Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor.
    (2) Knowledge of the major trends in thought and practice regarding 
the informal sector in Peru and its regulation, and how this knowledge 
might be used to monitor and regulate in a productive manner the worst 
forms of child labor, and compliance with compulsory education laws.
    (3) Organizational and coordination capacity of governmental and 
non-governmental agencies that might contribute to the project's 
implementation.
    (4) The strength and innovation of many civil society and private 
sector initiatives to address social and education issues in Peru, and 
how these might be harnessed to the benefit of the project.
    (5) Changes in the political environment, including those resulting 
from the presidential election, and the corresponding changes that may 
occur in policy and personnel in cooperating governmental agencies.
    (6) The socio-economic environment in which the project will 
operate and the demographic and social characteristics of the 
beneficiaries, and how programs to increase income of families in 
marginalized urban areas might complement the efforts of the project.
C. Combating Child Labor Through Education in Tanzania
    i. Background. An estimated 35.4 percent of children ages 5 to 14 
worked in Tanzania in 2000-2001. The majority of working children are 
found in the agricultural sector (77.4 percent) and service sectors 
(22.4 percent). However, children are also found to be working in the 
manufacturing sector (0.1 percent) and other sectors (0.2 percent). 
Children work on commercial tea, coffee, sugar cane, sisal, cloves, and 
tobacco farms, and in the production of wheat, corn, green algae, 
pyrethrum and rubber. Children also work in underground mines and near 
mines in bars and restaurants. In the informal sector, children are 
engaged in scavenging, fishing, fish processing, and quarrying. Other 
children work as street vendors, cart pushers, and in garages. Children 
also work as paid domestic servants in third-party homes.
    Tanzania is reported to be a country of origin, transit and 
destination for women and children trafficked for sexual exploitation 
and forced labor. Within Tanzania, children are trafficked to work in 
mines, on farms and in domestic service. It is reported that girls are 
trafficked from Tanzania to South Africa, Saudi Arabia, the United 
Kingdom, and Europe for domestic labor. Children are also reportedly 
trafficked to North Africa and the Middle East.
    Girls as young as 7 years, and increasingly boys, are reportedly 
exploited in prostitution and other forms of commercial sexual 
exploitation. Children are trafficked, often under false pretenses, 
from rural to urban areas for exploitation in the commercial sex 
sector. Such children are often lured with false promises of work as 
house girls, barmaids, and in hair salons. There are reports of sex 
tourism involving children under the age of 18 years on the island of 
Zanzibar. Children from Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda are also exploited in 
prostitution in Tanzania. In addition, there are reports of children 
exploited in the production of pornographic films. HIV/AIDS is a 
significant factor contributing to the incidence of exploitative labor, 
including the worst forms of child labor in Tanzania. According to 
UNICEF, an estimated 2 million children have been orphaned in Tanzania, 
primarily due to HIV/AIDS.
    Education in Tanzania is compulsory for 7 years, until age 15. 
Primary school fees were eliminated in Tanzania in 2002, and this has 
led to primary schools becoming overwhelmed by the massive increase in 
children seeking to take advantage of free primary education. It has 
also resulted in a lack of resources for additional teachers, 
classrooms, and books. Moreover, families must pay for books, uniforms, 
and for enrollment fees for children beyond form 2 (the equivalent of 
the second year of high school). There are also reports of children not 
attending school because of poorly paid teachers demanding money from 
them in order to be enrolled.
    ii. Relevant Policies, Programs and Projects. In Tanzania, the 
Ministry of Labor, Youth Development, and Sports has primary 
responsibility for enforcing the country's child labor laws. The 
Ministry's Child Labor Unit works with other government ministries and 
networks with other stakeholders; gathers, analyzes, and disseminates 
child labor-related data; and trains and sensitizes labor inspectors on 
child labor issues. At the community level, child labor committees have 
been established to identify children who are not attending school and 
take measures to prevent or withdraw these children from child labor.
    The Government of Tanzania is working with ILO's International 
Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) to implement a 
Timebound Program (TBP), with the goal of eliminating the worst forms 
of child labor in the country by 2010, including exploitative child 
labor in commercial agriculture, domestic service, mining, fishing, and 
prostitution. Under the TBP, the Ministry of Labor's Child Labor Unit 
is working with ILO-IPEC to provide training for child labor 
coordinators and other officials in 11 districts to increase their 
capacity to combat the worst forms of child labor and is developing a 
community-based monitoring system to collect information and track 
trends in the incidence of child labor. The Child Labor Unit also acts 
as the secretariat for the TBP's National Child Labor Elimination 
Steering Committee (NCLESC), which is responsible for defining 
objectives and priorities for child labor interventions, approving and 
overseeing implementation of child labor action projects, and advising 
the government on various child labor issues.
    The Government of Tanzania's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper 
(PRSP) includes the elimination of child labor as an objective and 
established the Poverty Monitoring Master Plan (PMMP), which 
incorporates the percentage of children in the labor force as a poverty 
monitoring indicator and calls for an Education Fund to support 
children from poor families. In February 2005, the PRSP II document--
otherwise known as the National Strategies for Growth and Poverty 
Reduction--was finalized and approved by the Cabinet. The National 
Strategies for Growth and Poverty Reduction includes specific 
references to elimination of the worst forms of child labor and the 
provision of skills training and educational alternatives for children 
and their families.
    The Government of Tanzania supports a number of basic education 
initiatives, including the Ministry of Education's Complementary Basic 
Education in Tanzania (COBET) Program and its Vocational Education 
Training Authority (VETA). As part of the ILO-IPEC Project of Support 
to the Tanzania TBP, the COBET and CETA programs have provided basic 
education and

[[Page 30184]]

vocational training to children withdrawn or prevented from involvement 
in the worst forms of child labor in 11 target districts.
    In addition, from 2002 to 2006, a USDOL-funded, EI project 
implemented by the NGO, the Education Development Center (EDC), has 
helped further expand the coverage of informal education services in 
Tanzania by developing a radio-based curriculum for Standards 1 through 
4; establishing 288 Mambo Elimu learning centers in ten districts; and 
training community mentors to work at each center. With the project 
nearing completion, the Ministry of Education has stated its intention 
to support the continued operation of these centers, and Radio Tanzania 
has agreed to maintain broadcasting of the radio-based curriculum. An 
effort funded by the Government of Japan, through UNICEF, is also 
supporting a basic education project targeting out-of-school children 
in Tanzania by providing textbooks, reading materials on HIV/AIDS, and 
community workshops on HIV/AIDS with support from COBET.
    The government's Basic Education Master Plan aims to achieve 
universal access to basic education for children over the age of 7 and 
ensure that at least 80 percent of children complete primary education 
and are able to read and write by age 15. The government is 
implementing a 5-year Primary Education Development Plan (PEDP), begun 
in 2002, which aims to expand enrollment, improve the quality of 
teaching, and build capacity within the country's educational system. 
Under the PEDP, the government has committed up to 25 percent of its 
overall recurrent expenditures on the education sector, 62 percent of 
which is allocated to primary education. The government has received a 
USD 150 million credit from the World Bank to support this program. 
Tanzania's Development Vision 2025 and its Poverty Eradication Strategy 
2015 both identify education as a strategy for combating poverty, and 
the country's poverty eradication agenda includes ensuring all children 
the right to basic quality education. The Government of Tanzania 
receives funding from the World Bank and other donors under the 
Education for All Fast Track Initiative, which aims to provide all 
children with a primary school education by the year 2015.
    iii. Scope of Work. The primary focus of the proposed strategy 
should be to develop educational programs for children under the age of 
18 that will enable them to successfully progress towards the 
completion of secondary school or its equivalent or the transition to 
non-exploitative labor in line with Tanzania's national labor laws. The 
projects developed by the applicant can include catch-up and 
equivalency programs, basic literacy and numeracy programs, or 
entrepreneurial, technical or vocational skills.
    Applicants should identify target areas in Tanzania where they will 
undertake this work and the types of the worst forms of child labor 
from which the project will seek to withdraw or prevent children from 
engaging. The Government of Tanzania has indicated a number of areas of 
potential focus for a future USDOL-funded EI project that could build 
upon and expand the scope of efforts begun under the EDC project 
referred to above, including the following: (a) Working to raise 
awareness further in communities about child labor and child rights; 
(b) expanding upon the coverage--both in terms of districts and 
educational standards/levels--of non-formal education provided in 
Tanzania through COBET, VETA, and EDC Mambo Elimu centers; (c) helping 
to build more effective communication and decision-making processes 
from the grassroots to the various levels of government on issues 
related to child labor and basic education; and (d) assisting the 
Government of Tanzania to assess its VETA program and help make VETA 
more relevant to the supply and demands of the Tanzanian and global 
labor markets.
    The application must also take into account cross-cutting themes 
that could affect project results in Tanzania and meaningfully 
incorporate them into the proposed strategy, either to increase 
opportunities or reduce threats to successful implementation. In 
Tanzania, these include:
    (1) Governmental and non-governmental efforts to implement the 
National Timebound Program for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of 
Child Labor, including the elements of that program that have been 
incorporated into the Government of Tanzania's PRSP--otherwise known as 
the Mkukuta.
    (2) The government's Basic Education Master Plan and its 5-year 
PEDP.
    (3) Organizational and coordination capacity of governmental and 
non-governmental agencies that might contribute to the project's 
implementation.
    (4) The strength and innovation of many civil society and private 
sector initiatives to address social and education issues in Tanzania, 
and how these might be harnessed to the benefit of the project.
    (5) The socio-economic environment in which the project will 
operate and the demographic and social characteristics of the 
beneficiaries will be taken into account and addressed, and how 
programs to increase income of families in marginalized urban areas 
might complement the efforts of the project.

II. Award Information

    Type of assistance instrument: Cooperative agreement. USDOL's 
involvement in project implementation and oversight is outlined in 
Section VI(3). The duration of the project(s) funded by this 
solicitation is up to 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, 2006.
    Up to USD 15 million will be awarded under this solicitation. USDOL 
may award three or more Cooperative Agreements to one, several, or a 
partnership of more than one organization(s) that may apply to 
implement the program. A Grantee must obtain prior USDOL approval for 
any subcontractor proposed in the application before award of the 
Cooperative Agreement. The Grantee may not sub-grant any of the funds 
obligated under this cooperative agreement. See Section IV(5)(E) for 
further information on subcontracts.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

    Any commercial, international, educational, or non-profit 
organization(s), including any faith-based, community-based, or public 
international organization(s) capable of successfully developing and 
implementing educational programs that aim to withdraw or prevent 
children from exploitative child labor in the country of interest is 
eligible to apply. Neutral, non-religious criteria that neither favor 
nor disfavor religion will be employed in the selection of Cooperative 
Agreement recipients. Applications from foreign government and quasi-
government agencies will not be considered. An applicant must 
demonstrate a country presence, independently or through a relationship 
with another organization(s) with country presence, which gives it the 
ability to initiate program activities upon award of the Cooperative 
Agreement. See Section V(1)(C)(ii). Applicants may apply for more than 
one Cooperative Agreement; however, separate applications must be 
submitted for each country. If applications for

[[Page 30185]]

more than one Cooperative Agreement are combined, they will not be 
considered.
    If it is deemed the most effective and efficient strategy for 
achieving the goals outlined in the Scope of Work, USDOL may award one 
or more Cooperative Agreements to a partnership of more than one 
organization(s). If two or more applicants, who do not constitute a 
single legal entity (hereinafter referred to as ``Associations''), join 
in applying for an award, each member of the Association (hereinafter 
referred to as an ``Associate'') must be individually eligible for 
award. All references to ``the Applicant'' refer to Associations as 
well as individual applicants. All Associates must sign, and agree to 
be bound jointly and severally by, the awarded Cooperative Agreement, 
and all must designate one Associate as the ``Lead.'' Any such 
Association must submit to USDOL, as an attachment to the application, 
an Association agreement, reflecting an appropriate joint venture, 
partnership, or other contractual agreement and outlining the 
deliverables, activities, and corresponding timeline for which each 
Associate will be responsible. Copies of such agreements will not count 
toward the page limit.
    If any entity identified in the application as an Associate does 
not sign the Cooperative Agreement, the Lead must provide, within 60 
days of award, either a written subcontract agreement with such entity, 
acceptable to USDOL, or an explanation as to why that entity will not 
be participating in the Cooperative Agreement. USDOL reserves the right 
to re-evaluate the award of the Cooperative Agreement in light of any 
such change in an entity's status, and may terminate the award if USDOL 
deems appropriate.
    For the purposes of this proposal and the Cooperative Agreement 
award, the Lead will be: (1) The primary point of contact with USDOL to 
receive and respond to all inquiries, communications and orders under 
the project; (2) the only entity with authority to withdraw or draw 
down funds through the HHS system; (3) responsible for submitting to 
USDOL all deliverables, including all technical and financial reports 
related to the project, regardless of which Associate performed the 
work; (4) the sole entity to request or agree to a revision or 
amendment of the award or the project document; and (5) responsible for 
working with USDOL to close out the project. Note, however, that each 
Associate is ultimately responsible for overall project performance, 
regardless of any assignment of specific tasks, but Associates may 
agree, among themselves only, to apportion the liability for such 
performance. Each Associate must comply with all applicable federal 
regulations, and is individually subject to audit.
    In accordance with 29 CFR part 98, entities that are debarred or 
suspended from receiving federal contracts or grants shall be excluded 
from Federal financial assistance and are ineligible to receive funding 
under this solicitation.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching Funds

    This solicitation does not require applicants to share costs or 
provide matching funds. However, the leveraging of resources and in-
kind contributions is strongly encouraged and is a rating factor worth 
up to five (5) additional points (see Section V(1)(F)).

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Application Package

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

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

    Applicants must submit one (1) blue ink-signed original, complete 
application, plus three (3) copies of the application. Applicants may 
submit applications for one or more countries. However, applicants 
applying for a Cooperative Agreement in more than one country must 
submit a separate application for each country. The application must 
consist of two (2) separate parts as defined below. Applicants should 
number all pages of the application. All parts of the application must 
be written in English, in 10-12 pitch font size.
    Part I of the application, the cost proposal, must contain the 
Standard Form (SF) 424, Application for Federal Assistance and Sections 
A-F of the Budget Information Form SF 424A, available from ILAB's Web 
site at http://www.dol.gov/ilab/grants/bkgrd.htm. Copies of the SF 424 
and SF 424A are also available online at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/sf424.pdf and http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/sf424a.pdf 
respectively. The individual signing the SF 424 on behalf of the 
applicant must be authorized to bind the applicant.
    All applicants are requested to complete the Survey on Ensuring 
Equal Opportunity for Applicants (Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
No. 1890-0014), which has been provided as an attachment.
    Part II, the Technical Proposal, demonstrates the applicant's 
capabilities to plan and implement the proposed project in accordance 
with the provisions of this solicitation. The Technical Proposal must 
not exceed 45 single-sided (8\1/2\'' x 11''), double-spaced pages. The 
technical application must identify how the applicant will carry out 
the Scope of Work (Section I Parts (4) and (5)) of this solicitation. 
The following information is required:
     A two-page abstract summarizing the proposed project and 
applicant profile information including: Applicant name, contact 
information of the key contact person at the applicant's organization 
in case questions should arise (including name, address, telephone and 
fax numbers, and e-mail address, if applicable), project title, 
partnership members, proposed project activities (which must focus on 
the withdrawal and prevention of children from exploitative labor by 
the provision of direct educational services that support the 
enrollment of the target children in educational activities), funding 
level requested and the amount of leveraged resources, if applicable;
     A table of contents listing the application sections;
     A project description as described in the Application 
Evaluation Criteria found in Section V(1) of this solicitation;
     A logical framework matrix as described in Section 
V(1)(A);
     A work plan identifying major project activities, 
deadlines for completing the activities and person(s) or institution(s) 
responsible for completing these activities that is linked to the 
logical framework matrix.
    Please note that the abstract, table of contents, logical framework 
matrix and work plan are not included in the 45-page limit for Part II.
    Any applications that do not consist of the above-mentioned parts 
and conform to these standards will be deemed unresponsive to this 
solicitation and may be rejected. Any additional information not 
required under this solicitation will not be considered.

3. Submission Dates, Times, and Address

    Applications must be delivered (by hand or mail) by 4:45 p.m., 
eastern time,

[[Page 30186]]

July 24, 2006, to: U.S. Department of Labor, Procurement Services 
Center, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N-5416, Washington, DC 
20210, Attention: Lisa Harvey, Reference: Solicitation 06-06. 
Applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX) will not be 
accepted. Applications sent by non-Postal Service delivery services, 
such as Federal Express or UPS, will be accepted; however, the 
applicant bears the responsibility for timely submission. The 
application package must be received at the designated place by the 
date and time specified or it will be considered unresponsive and will 
be rejected. Any application received at the Procurement Services 
Center after the deadline will not be considered unless it is received 
before the award is made and:
    A. It is determined by the Government that the late receipt was due 
solely to mishandling by the Government after receipt at USDOL at the 
address indicated; and/or
    B. It was sent by registered or certified mail not later than the 
fifth calendar day before the deadline; or
    C. It was sent by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day 
Service-Post Office to Addressee, not later than 5 p.m. at the place of 
mailing two (2) working days, excluding weekends and Federal holidays, 
prior to the deadline.
    The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a 
late application sent by registered or certified mail is the U.S. 
Postal Service postmark on the envelope or wrapper and on the original 
receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. 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.
    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 time of receipt at 
USDOL is the date/time stamp of the Procurement Service Center on the 
application wrapper or other documentary evidence of receipt maintained 
by that office. Confirmation of receipt can be obtained from Lisa 
Harvey (see Section V(3)(F) for contact information). All applicants 
are advised that U.S. mail delivery in the Washington D.C. area can be 
slow and erratic due to concerns involving contamination. All 
applicants must take this into consideration when preparing to meet the 
application deadline.

4. Intergovernmental Review

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

5. Funding Restrictions, Unallowable Activities, and Specific 
Prohibitions

    In addition to those specified under OMB Circular A-122, the 
following costs and activities are also unallowable or contain specific 
restrictions:
A. Pre-award Costs
    Pre-award costs are not reimbursable.
B. Alternative Income-Generating Activities
    USDOL funds awarded under all USDOL-ICLP Cooperative Agreements may 
not be used to provide micro-credits, revolving funds, or loan 
guarantees. Permissible costs related to alternative income-generating 
activities for parents and adolescents may include, but are not limited 
to, vocational or skills training, incidental tools and equipment, 
guides, manuals, and market feasibility studies. USDOL reserves the 
right to negotiate the exact nature, form, or scope of alternative 
income-generating activities and to approve or disapprove these 
activities at any time after award of the Cooperative Agreement.
C. Direct Cash Transfers to Communities, Parents, or Children
    As a matter of policy, USDOL does not allow for direct cash 
transfers to target beneficiaries. Therefore, Grantees may not provide 
direct cash transfers to communities, parents, or children. USDOL, 
however, would support the purchase of incidental items in the nature 
of ``participant support costs'' as defined in OMB Circular A-122, 
Attachment B, No. 34, which are necessary to ensure that target 
children are no longer working in exploitative child labor and that 
these children have access to schooling. Participant support costs are 
direct costs that may include such items as uniforms, school supplies, 
books, provision of tuition (i.e., in the form of stipends), and 
transportation costs. If approved by USDOL, these items are expected to 
be purchased or paid for directly by the Grantee or its 
subcontractor(s) in the form of vouchers, or payment to the service 
provider, as opposed to handing cash directly to children or other 
individuals.
    If the applicant proposes the provision of participant support 
costs, the applicant must specify: (1) Why these activities and 
interventions are necessary, and how they will contribute to the 
overall project goals; and (2) how the disbursement of funds will be 
administered in order to maximize efficiency and minimize the risk of 
misuse. The application must also address how participant support costs 
will be made sustainable once the project is completed (i.e., the 
mechanism(s) for which support will be mainstreamed into government 
efforts after project ends).
D. Construction
    Construction with funds under the Cooperative Agreement is subject 
to USDOL approval and ordinarily should not exceed 10 percent of the 
project budget's direct costs and is expected to be limited to 
improving existing school infrastructure and facilities in the 
project's targeted communities. USDOL encourages applicants to cost-
share and/or leverage funds or in-kind contributions from local 
partners when proposing construction activities in order to ensure 
sustainability.
E. Subcontracts to Organizations, Groups and/or Persons
    The funding for this program does not include authority for sub-
grants. Sub-granting may not appear or be included in the budget as a 
line item or in the Project Document text.
    However, Grantees may enter into sub-contractual relationships with 
other organizations to fulfill the purpose and activities of the 
Cooperative Agreement award. Subcontracting may be included as a budget 
line item. Subcontracts must be awarded in accordance with 29 CFR 
95.40-48 and are subject to audit, in accordance with the requirements 
of 29 CFR 95.26(d). Subcontracts awarded after the Cooperative 
Agreement is signed, and not proposed in the application, must be 
awarded through a formal competitive bidding process, unless prior 
written approval is obtained from USDOL. In addition, all subcontracts 
are subject to the restrictions and prohibitions related to 
prostitution, inherently religious activities, and terrorism as 
outlined in Section 5(H-J). Detailed information on

[[Page 30187]]

subcontracts should be provided during the project document review 
process. Copies of all subcontracts above $100,000 must be provided to 
USDOL.
    In compliance with Executive Orders 12876, as amended, 13230, 12928 
and 13021, as amended, Grantees are strongly encouraged to provide 
subcontracting opportunities to Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Tribal Colleges and 
Universities.
F. Lobbying or Fund-raising the U.S. Government With Federal Funds
    Under the Cooperative Agreements, no activity, including awareness 
raising and advocacy activities, may include fund-raising, or lobbying 
of U.S. Federal, State or local governments (see OMB Circular A-122). 
Cooperative Agreement applicants classified under the Internal Revenue 
Code as a 501(c)(4) entity (see 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(4)), may not engage in 
lobbying activities. According to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, 
as codified at 2 U.S.C. 1611, an organization, as described in Section 
501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, that engages in 
lobbying activities directed toward the U.S. Government will not be 
eligible for the receipt of Federal funds constituting an award, grant, 
Cooperative Agreement, or loan.
G. Funds to Host Country Governments
    USDOL funds awarded under this solicitation are not intended to 
duplicate or substitute for host-country government efforts or 
resources intended for child labor or education programs. Therefore, in 
general, Grantees may not provide any of the funds obligated under the 
Cooperative Agreement to foreign government entities, ministries, 
officials, or political parties. However, subcontracts with foreign 
government agencies may be awarded to provide direct educational 
services or undertake project activities subject to applicable laws and 
only after a competitive procurement process has been conducted and no 
other entity in the country is able to provide these services. Grantees 
must receive prior USDOL approval before subcontracting to foreign 
government agencies for the provision of direct educational services.
H. Prostitution
    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 subcontractors, 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 subcontractors, that receive U.S. 
Government funds cannot lobby for, promote or advocate the legalization 
or regulation of prostitution as a legitimate form of work; this 
includes organizations receiving both general and trafficking-related 
grants. It is the responsibility of the primary Grantee to ensure its 
subcontractors meet these criteria.
I. Inherently Religious Activities
    The U.S. Government is generally prohibited from providing direct 
financial assistance for inherently religious activities. Federal funds 
provided under a USDOL-awarded Cooperative Agreement may not be used 
for religious instruction, worship, prayer, proselytizing or other 
inherently religious activities. Neutral, non-religious criteria that 
neither favor nor disfavor religion must be employed by the Grantee in 
the selection of subcontractors. This provision must be included in all 
subcontracts issued under the Cooperative Agreement.
J. Terrorism
    Applicants are reminded that U.S. Executive Orders and U.S. law 
prohibit transactions with, and the provision of resources and support 
to, individuals and organizations associated with terrorism. It is the 
legal responsibility of Grantees to ensure compliance with these 
Executive Orders and laws. This provision must be included in all 
subcontracts issued under the Cooperative Agreement.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Harvey e-mail address: 
[email protected]. For a list of frequently asked questions on 
USDOL's Child Labor Education Initiative Solicitation for Cooperative 
Agreement, please visit http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/faq/faq36.htm.

V. Application Review Information

1. Application Evaluation Criteria

    This section identifies and describes the criteria that will be 
used to evaluate proposals for USDOL's Child Labor Education Initiative 
on the basis of 100 points. Up to 10 additional points will be given to 
proposals: (a) providing direct educational services to 10,000 or more 
direct beneficiaries (5 points) and (b) which include non-Federal 
leveraged resources (5 points) as described below in Sections V(1)(E) 
and V(1)(F). Applicants are requested to prepare their technical 
proposal (45 page maximum) organized in accordance with Appendix A, and 
address all of the following rating factors. When preparing the 
technical proposal, the applicant must follow the outline provided in 
Appendix A.


Project Design/Budget-Cost Effectiveness..  40 points
Promoting Sustainability..................  15 points
Organizational Capacity...................  25 points
Key Personnel/Management Plan/Staffing....  20 points
Direct Beneficiaries......................  5 extra points
Leveraging Resources......................  5 extra points
 

A. Project Design/Budget-Cost Effectiveness (40 Points)
    This part of the technical proposal constitutes the ``preliminary 
project design document'' and serves as the basis of the final project 
document to be submitted and approved by USDOL after Cooperative 
Agreement award. The applicant's preliminary project design document 
must describe in detail the proposed approach to comply with each 
requirement and be linked to a supporting logical framework matrix. The 
supporting logical framework matrix will not count in the 45-page 
limit, but should be included as an annex to the preliminary project 
design 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/bkgrd.htm.
    i. Background and Justification. Applicants will be rated based on 
their knowledge and understanding of: (a) The child labor and education 
context in the host country and in the targeted sectors; (b) the 
issues, barriers, and challenges involved in providing education to 
children engaged in or at risk of engaging in exploitative child labor, 
as a strategy for ensuring their long-term withdrawal or prevention; 
(c) best-practice solutions to address their needs; and (d) the policy 
and implementing environment in the selected country.
    Additional factors for consideration include:
     Assessment of the incidence and nature of exploitative 
child labor, particularly the worst forms in geographic area and/or 
sector targeted, including hours of work, age and sex distribution of 
the target group, educational performance relative to other children, 
and if available, any research or data that might indicate correlations 
between educational performance and child labor;
     Identification of the sources of the relevant literature 
and documents used

[[Page 30188]]

to analyze the child labor and educational context;
     Demonstrated familiarity with existing child labor, 
education and social welfare policies, plans and projects and the 
sector in which the children work, which the applicant is using to 
inform project design for target children; and
     Demonstrated knowledge of other relevant programs as they 
pertain to child labor or education of target children in Egypt, Peru 
or Tanzania.
    ii. Proposed strategy. The applicant must discuss its proposed 
strategy: (a) To provide for the long-term withdrawal and prevention of 
children and/or youth from exploitative labor through the provision of 
a direct educational service(s) that ensures their enrollment, 
retention and completion in at least one of the four educational 
activities identified in Section I(2); (b) to collect data on this 
target population; and (c) to build the capacity of national 
institutions and civil society to address child labor and education 
issues. Please refer to Section I(2) for USDOL's definition of 
``exploitative child labor,'' ``withdrawn/prevented,'' ``direct 
educational services,'' and ``strengthening the capacity of government 
and civil society.'' Applicants will be rated based on the quality and 
pertinence of their proposed strategies.
    The proposal must: (1) Identify how many children and/or youth are 
expected to be withdrawn or prevented from exploitative child labor by 
the project through the provision of direct educational services; (2) 
describe the specific gaps/educational needs of the children targeted 
by the project and explain how the project will address those gaps/
needs/barriers of the children targeted; (3) provide detailed 
information on the forms of direct educational services that will be 
provided to the target children, including the type(s) of educational 
activities in which the children will be enrolled, to prevent them from 
entering and/or to withdraw them from exploitative labor, as well as 
the types of training opportunities and technical assistance that will 
be provided to project staff, host country nationals, and community 
groups involved in the project; and (4) provide a detailed work plan 
that identifies major project activities, deadlines for completing 
these activities, and person(s) or institution(s) responsible for 
completing these activities. (The work plan may vary depending on what 
is the most logical form. It may, for example, be divided by project 
component, country, or region.) Based on the specific cost-efficiency 
measures DOL/ICLP has established with OMB, a minimum of 8,600 direct 
beneficiaries must be served for each $5 million project. Applications 
that propose to serve less than 8,600 direct beneficiaries will be 
considered non-responsive. Please refer to Section I(2) for USDOL's 
definition of ``direct beneficiaries.''
    Please note that the number of children targeted for withdrawal and 
the number of children targeted for prevention should be reported 
separately. Applicants are strongly encouraged to propose a balanced 
number of children targeted for withdrawal from exploitative child 
labor with the number of children targeted for prevention. Applicants 
should also provide information on how many children will be indirect 
beneficiaries of the project, i.e., those benefiting from other project 
interventions, such as through improved school quality, but who would 
not qualify as a direct beneficiary. See Section I(2) for further 
guidance on ``other project interventions.'' In each case, detailed 
information on the project beneficiaries, including demographics, 
sectors of work, geographical location, type(s) of educational 
activities provided, and other relevant characteristics and strategies 
must be provided. Applicants are strongly encouraged to enroll at least 
one-quarter of the children the project is targeting for withdrawal or 
prevention in educational activities during the first year of project 
implementation.
    Additional factors that will be considered include:
     Demonstrated knowledge of the school calendar and the 
requirements of basic, non-formal and vocational education systems to 
develop an approach that successfully enrolls children in educational 
programs with the shortest delay without missing an academic year or 
program cycle;
     The extent to which country-specific cross-cutting themes 
that could affect project results, including those outlined in Section 
I(5), were meaningfully incorporated into the proposed strategy, either 
to increase opportunities or reduce threats to successful 
implementation;
     Incorporation of the economic and social context of the 
country in the proposed strategy, recognizing that approaches 
applicable in one country may not be relevant to others;
     The extent to which the proposed project promotes the 
goals of USDOL's Child Labor Education Initiative as listed in Section 
I(1);
     The creative and innovative nature of the applicant's 
approach to promote policies and services that will enhance the 
provision of educational opportunities for children involved in or at 
risk of entering exploitative child labor;
     The extent to which the number of children targeted by the 
project is commensurate with the need in the geographical area or 
sector where the project will be implemented;
     The feasibility and sensibility of the timeframes for the 
accomplishment of tasks;
     The clarity and quality of the information provided in the 
work plan; and
     The extent to which the proposed approach will build upon 
existing activities, government policies, and plans, thereby avoiding 
needless duplication.
    iii. Project Monitoring and Evaluation. 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.
    USDOL has already developed common indicators (withdrawn/prevented, 
retention, and completion) and a database system for monitoring and 
tracking children's education and work status that can be used and 
adapted by Grantees after award. Further guidance on common indicators 
will be provided after award, thus applicants should focus their 
program management and performance assessment responses toward the 
development of their project's monitoring and tracking strategy to 
ensure children are: (a) Withdrawn and prevented from exploitative 
child labor; (b) provided educational/training opportunities; (c) able 
to continue or complete their educational programs; and (d) able to 
remain out of exploitative labor. Due to the potentially significant 
links between hours worked, working conditions, and school performance, 
Grantees must collect information to track this correlation among 
project beneficiaries.
    Applicants should describe their monitoring strategies for 
measuring their performance in meeting the four goals of the Child 
Labor Education Initiative set out in Section I(1) and assessing the 
impact of proposed direct educational services on target children/youth 
and other project interventions on indirect beneficiaries, including a 
limited number of additional key indicators of project performance. 
These indicators will serve as a basis for

[[Page 30189]]

Grantees' Draft Performance Monitoring Plan (see Section VI(3)(D)).
    Additional factors for consideration include:
     The applicant's plan for collecting baseline data;
     The applicant's plan for monitoring and tracking direct 
beneficiaries' work and education status, including the following 
factors: Type of work, conditions of work, such as hours of work and 
hazardous conditions, and school attendance; and
     The applicant's proposed methodologies for tracking the 
correlation between the number of hours worked, working conditions and 
school performance.
    iv. Budget-Cost Effectiveness. 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 also instructed that the 
project budget submitted with the application must include all 
necessary and sufficient funds, without reliance on other contracts, 
grants, or awards, to implement the applicant's proposed project 
activities and to achieve proposed project goals and objectives under 
this solicitation. If anticipated funding from another contract, grant, 
or award fails to materialize, USDOL will not provide additional 
funding to cover these costs. Applicants must provide an Outputs-Based 
Budget. An example of an Outputs-Based Budget is available from ILAB's 
Web site at http://www.dol.gov/ilab/grants/bkgrd.htm. The budget 
summary should include the cost breakdown for the Applicant. The 
applicant must (a) show how the budget reflects program goals and 
design in a cost-effective way to reflect budget/performance 
integration and (b) link the budget to the activities and outputs of 
the work plan discussed above.
    The applicant must identify the direct cost per child of 
withdrawing a child from exploitative child labor and maintaining the 
child in the proposed project educational program(s) based on existing 
costs of similar programs.
    The largest proportion of resources should be allocated to direct 
educational services and activities aimed at targeted children, rather 
than direct and indirect administrative costs. Higher ratings may be 
given to applicants with low administrative costs and with a budget 
breakdown that provides a larger amount of resources to project 
activities. All projected costs should be reported, as they will become 
part of the Cooperative Agreement upon award. In their cost proposal 
(Part I of the application), applicants must reflect a breakdown of the 
total administrative costs into direct administrative costs and 
indirect administrative costs. The Grant Officer reserves the right to 
negotiate administrative cost levels prior to award.
    This section of the application must explain the costs for 
performing all of the requirements presented in this solicitation, and 
for producing all required reports and other deliverables (see Section 
VI(3)). The project budget must therefore include funds to: Plan, 
implement, monitor, report on, and evaluate programs and activities 
(including mid-term and final evaluations and annual single audits or 
attestation engagements, as applicable); conduct studies pertinent to 
project implementation, including baseline studies; and finance travel 
by field staff and key personnel to meet annually with USDOL officials 
in Washington, DC or within the project's region (e.g., Africa, Asia/
Pacific, Latin America, Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, and 
Europe). Applicants based both within and outside the United States 
should 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. Applicants should also budget for a facilitator-led project 
launch meeting in the target country, which will allow key stakeholders 
to discuss issues of project design and monitoring. This should include 
travel for a facilitator to and from the country.
    Applicants should set aside a total of at least USD 70,000 in the 
proposed budget to cover the costs of a mid-term and a final 
evaluation, including: (1) Labor costs, particularly those associated 
with hiring an independent external evaluator and other staff time; (2) 
costs associated with conducting a stakeholders' meeting, including 
meeting facilities, interpreters (if necessary) and travel costs of 
meeting participants; and (3) site visits including travel to and 
within country (airfare, ground transportation, meals and lodging, 
interpreters (if necessary), etc.).
    Applications are expected to allocate sufficient resources to 
proposed studies, assessments, surveys, and monitoring and evaluation 
activities, including costs associated with data collection. This 
includes but is not limited to costs associated with meeting the above 
reporting requirements including collecting and reporting on the common 
indicators (withdrawn/prevention, retention, and completion), data 
management, and assessing the impact of direct educational services on 
target children/youth and project interventions on indirect 
beneficiaries.
    In addition, the budget should include a contingency provision, 
calculated at 5 percent of the project's total direct costs, for 
unexpected expenses essential to meeting project goals, such as host 
country currency devaluations, security costs, and inflation. USDOL 
will not provide additional funding to cover unanticipated costs.
    Additional factors that will be considered include:
     The reasonableness and realism of prices/costs suggested 
in the budget;
     The extent to which the proposed budget takes into account 
the type of work in which the target children are currently engaged;
     Evidence that the proposed cost-efficiencies (defined as 
direct cost per child) is aligned with existing price structures for 
similar programs;
     Demonstration, to the extent possible, that the proposed 
cost-efficiencies are designed to withdraw or prevent as many children 
from exploitative child labor as possible through direct educational 
services that support their enrollment in educational activities.
    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 customs 
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.


    Note to Applicants: After grant award, grantees must obtain 
prior approval from USDOL before using unobligated evaluation or 
contingency funds. If contingency funds have not been exhausted 
toward the end of the project period, USDOL and the Grantee will 
determine whether it is appropriate to reallocate the funds to 
direct educational or training services or return the funds to 
USDOL.

B. Sustainability Plan (15 points)
    The applicant must discuss a proposed plan for sustainability of 
project efforts. The application must address detailed strategies, 
assumptions, and conditions for sustainability. Strategies are likely 
to differ by project and by the type of sustainability being addressed 
(i.e., financial, services/benefits, programmatic/institutional and

[[Page 30190]]

political). Sustainability plans must also include a clear exit 
strategy that outlines how a project will transfer responsibility for 
project components to local or national stakeholders by the end of the 
project, if not sooner. Activities to address sustainability issues 
must be identified together with a list of (or statement concerning) 
external factors that may impact sustainability. Applicants must 
identify organizations in the target country, including type of local 
organizations (i.e., rural, indigenous, etc.), which could potentially 
implement or contribute to a future project. Sustainability plans must 
also include a clear process for monitoring progress towards achieving 
the different areas of sustainability and key partners or institutions 
involved. In addition to the above factors, applicants will be rated 
based on the pertinence and appropriateness of the proposed 
sustainability plan.
C. Organizational Capacity (25 points)
    Under this criterion, the applicant must present the qualifications 
of the organization(s) implementing the project. The evaluation 
criteria in this category are as follows:
    i. International and U.S. Government Grant Experience. The 
organization applying for the award has international experience 
implementing basic, transitional, non-formal, or vocational education 
programs that aim to withdraw or prevent children from exploitative 
labor and address issues of educational access, quality, and policy 
reform for vulnerable children, preferably in the country of interest.
    The application must include information on previous and current 
grants, Cooperative Agreements, or contracts of the applicant with 
USDOL and other Federal agencies that are relevant to this 
solicitation, including:
    (1) The organizations for which the work was done;
    (2) A contact person in that organization with his/her 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 against the maximum page requirement. USDOL reserves the 
right to contact the organizations listed and use the information 
provided in evaluating applications.
    Note to All Applicants: In judging organizational capacity, USDOL 
will take into account not only information provided by an applicant, 
but also information from the USDOL and others regarding past 
performance of organizations already implementing Child Labor Education 
Initiative projects or activities for USDOL and others. Past 
performance will be rated by such factors as the timeliness of 
deliverables, and the responsiveness of the organization and its staff 
to USDOL or grantor communications regarding deliverables and 
Cooperative Agreement or contractual requirements. In addition, the 
performance of the organization's key personnel on existing projects 
with USDOL or other entities, whether the organization has a history of 
replacing key personnel with similarly qualified staff, and the 
timeliness of replacing key personnel, will also be taken into 
consideration when rating past performance. Lack of past experience 
with USDOL projects, Cooperative Agreements, grants, or contracts is 
not a bar to eligibility or selection under this solicitation.
    ii. Country Presence and Host Government Support. Given the need to 
provide children engaged in the worst forms of child labor with 
immediate assistance in accessing educational and training 
opportunities, applicants will be evaluated on their ability to start 
up project activities soon after signing a Cooperative Agreement. 
Having country presence, or partnering with in-country organizations, 
presents the best chance of expediting the delivery of services to 
children engaged or at risk of engaging in the worst forms of child 
labor. In their application, applicants must address their 
organization's country presence; ability to work directly with 
government and NGOs, including local and community-based organizations; 
and ability to start up project activities in a timely fashion. 
Applicants may submit supporting documentation with their application 
demonstrating country presence and/or outreach to host government 
ministries and non-governmental organizations in the country. These 
attachments will not count toward the page limit.
    Within 60 days of award, an applicant, or its partners, must be 
formally recognized by the host government(s) using the appropriate 
mechanism, i.e., Memorandum of Understanding or local registration of 
the organization.
    iii. Fiscal Oversight. Applicants will be evaluated on their 
ability to demonstrate evidence that the organization has a sound 
financial system in place. If the applicant is a U.S.-based, non-profit 
organization already subject to the single audit requirements, the 
applicant's most recent single audit, as submitted to the Federal Audit 
Clearinghouse, must accompany the application as an attachment. In 
addition, applications must show that they have complied with report 
submission timeframes established in OMB Circular A-133. If an 
applicant is not in compliance with the requirements for completing 
their single audit, the application will be considered unresponsive and 
will be rejected. If the applicant is a for-profit or foreign-based 
organization, a copy of its most current independent financial audit 
must accompany the application as an attachment.
    Applicants should also submit a copy of the most recent single 
audit report for all proposed U.S.-based, non-profit partners, 
Associates and subcontractors that are subject to the Single Audit Act. 
If the proposed Associate(s) or partner(s) is a for-profit or foreign-
based organization, a copy of its most current independent financial 
audit should accompany the application as an attachment.
    If the audit submitted by the applicant reflects any adverse 
opinions, the application will not be further considered by the 
technical review panel and will be rejected. USDOL reserves the right 
to ask further questions on any audit report submitted as part of an 
application. USDOL also reserves the right to place special conditions 
on Grantees if concerns are raised in their audit reports.
    In order to expedite the screening of applications and to ensure 
that the appropriate audits are attached to the proposals, the 
applicant must provide a cover sheet to the audit attachments listing 
all proposed partners and subcontractors. These attachments will not 
count toward the application page limit.
D. Management Plan/Staffing (20 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

[[Page 30191]]

ensure that they meet the required qualifications.
    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 who are 
fully qualified to perform the work specified in the Scope of Work. 
Where subcontractors or outside assistance are proposed, organizational 
lines of authority and responsibility should be clearly delineated to 
ensure responsiveness to the needs of USDOL.
    In order to promote and increase national and local capacity, USDOL 
encourages the hiring of qualified national experts. USDOL also 
encourages applicants to consider staffing strategies that aim to 
develop capacity of national staff over the course of the project as 
part of a contribution to the development of national capacity for 
combating child labor. Preference may be given to applicants who 
propose such strategies.
    i. Key Personnel. The Applicant must identify all key personnel 
candidates proposed to carry out the requirements of this solicitation. 
``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.
    (1) The Project Director will be responsible for overall project 
management, supervision, administration, and implementation of the 
requirements of the Cooperative Agreement. The Project Director will 
establish and maintain systems for project operations; ensure that all 
Cooperative Agreement deadlines are met and targets are achieved; 
maintain working relationships with project stakeholders and partners; 
and oversee the preparation and submission of progress and financial 
reports. The Project Director must have a minimum of three years of 
professional experience in a leadership role in implementation of child 
labor and 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 exploitative child labor issues, and 
experience in the development of transitional, formal, and vocational 
education of children removed from exploitative child labor and/or 
victims of the worst forms of child labor. Fluency in English is 
required and working knowledge of at least one of the official 
languages of the target country is preferred.
    (2) The Education Specialist will 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 exploitative child labor/education 
policy and monitoring and evaluation is an asset. A working knowledge 
of English is preferred, as is a similar knowledge of the official 
language(s) spoken in the target country.
    (3) The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer who will 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, database 
management, and knowledge of the GPRA. Individuals with a demonstrated 
ability to build capacity of the project team and partners in these 
domains will be given special consideration.
    The applicant must include a resume, as well as a description of 
the roles and responsibilities of all key and other professional 
personnel (as described below) proposed. Resumes must be submitted as 
an attachment to the application and will not count toward the page 
limit. At a minimum, each resume must include the following:
     The educational background and previous work experience 
for each key and other professional personnel to be assigned to the 
project, including position title, duties, dates, employing 
organizations, and clearly defined duties;
     The special capabilities of key personnel that demonstrate 
prior experience in organizing, managing and performing similar 
efforts; and
     The current employment status of key personnel and 
availability for this project.
    The applicant must also indicate whether the proposed work will be 
performed by persons currently employed by the applying 
organization(s), and if so, for how long, or is dependent upon planned 
recruitment or subcontracting.
    (4) All key personnel must allocate 100 percent of their time to 
the project and be present within the target country. Key personnel 
positions must not be combined. Proposed key personnel candidates must 
sign letters of agreement to serve on the project, and indicate 
availability to commence work within 30 calendar days of Cooperative 
Agreement award. If key personnel candidates are not designated, or if 
letters of agreement to serve on the project or resumes are not 
submitted as part of the application, the application will be 
considered unresponsive and will be rejected. (These will not count 
toward the page limit.) If either the Education Specialist or 
Monitoring and Evaluation Officer are not fluent in English, the 
project must assume responsibility for ensuring that key personnel have 
a clear understanding of USDOL policies and procedures and that all 
documents produced by key staff for submission to USDOL are in fluent 
English.
    ii. Other Professional Personnel. The applicant must identify other 
program personnel proposed to carry out the requirements of this 
solicitation. The applicant must also indicate whether the proposed 
work by other professional personnel will be performed by persons 
currently employed by the organization(s) or is dependent upon planned 
recruitment or subcontracting.
    iii. Management Plan. Applicants will be rated based on the clarity 
and quality of the information provided in the management plan. The 
plan must include (a) a description of the functional relationship 
between elements of the project's management structure; and (b) the 
responsibilities of project staff and management and the lines of 
authority between project staff and other elements of the project.
    iv. 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,

[[Page 30192]]

including Associates, subcontractors, and consultants. All key tasks 
should be charted to show the time required to perform them by months 
or weeks.
E. Direct Beneficiaries (5 points)
    As noted above applicants are required to provide direct 
educational services to a minimum of 8,600 direct beneficiaries for 
each $5 million project based on the specific cost-efficiency measures 
DOL/ICLP has established with OMB. Applicants may receive up to 5 
additional rating points by providing direct educational services to 
10,000 or more direct beneficiaries. Please note that the proposed 
strategy must reflect appropriate services and monitoring mechanisms to 
ensure children are withdrawn from or prevented from entering 
exploitative child labor and are benefiting from a direct educational 
service provided by the project. Please refer to Section I(2) for 
USDOL's definition of ``direct beneficiaries.''
F. Leveraging Resources (5 points)
    USDOL will give up to five (5) additional rating points to 
applications that include committed non-Federal resources that 
significantly expand the dollar amount, size and scope of the 
application. These programs or activities will not be financed by the 
project, but can complement and enhance project objectives. Applicants 
are also encouraged to leverage resources for 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 resources 
under this Cooperative Agreement and any partnerships, linkages or 
coordination of activities, cooperative funding, etc. Staff time of 
proposed key personnel may not be submitted as a leveraged resource.

2. Review and Selection Process

    The Office of Procurement Services at USDOL will screen all 
applications to determine whether all required elements, as identified 
in Section IV(2) above, are present and clearly identifiable. If an 
application does not include all of the required elements, including 
required attachments, it will be considered unresponsive and will be 
rejected. Once an application is deemed unresponsive, the Office of 
Procurement Services will send a letter to the applicant, which will 
state that the application was incomplete, indicate which document was 
missing from the application, and explain that the technical review 
panel will be unable to rate the application.
    The following documents must be included in the application package 
in order for the application to be deemed complete and responsive:
    (1) A cost proposal
    (2) A technical proposal
    (3) The applicant's most recent audit report
    (4) Resumes of all key personnel candidates
    (5) Signed letters of agreement to serve on the project from all 
key personnel candidates
    (6) Signed partnership agreement(s), if applicable.
    Each complete application will be objectively rated by a technical 
review 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 cost, the availability of funds, 
and other factors. If USDOL does not receive technically acceptable 
applications in response to this solicitation, USDOL reserves the right 
to terminate the competition and not make any award. The Grant 
Officer's determinations for awards under this solicitation are final.
    Note to All Applicants: Selection of an organization as a potential 
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. In addition, USDOL 
reserves the right to further negotiate program components after award, 
during the project design document submission and review process. See 
Section V(3)(A).
    Award of a Cooperative Agreement under this solicitation may also 
be contingent upon an exchange of project support letters between USDOL 
and the relevant ministries in the target country.

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

    Designation decisions will be made, where possible, within 45 days 
after the deadline for submission of proposals. USDOL is not obligated 
to make any awards as 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.

VI. Award Administration Information

1. 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 designation. 
The designation letter will be accompanied by a Cooperative Agreement 
and ICLP'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 of designation by a person or entity other than the 
Grant Officer is not valid.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

A. General
    Grantees are subject to applicable U.S. Federal laws (including 
provisions of appropriations law) and regulations, Executive Orders, 
applicable OMB Circulars, and USDOL policies. If during project 
implementation a Grantee is found in violation of U.S. Government laws 
and regulations, 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.

[[Page 30193]]

B. Audits
    After award, Grantees must also submit an annual independent audit 
regardless of grant amount.
    i. For U.S. based non-profit organizations expending $500,000 or 
more in a year in Federal awards: a ``single'' or ``program specific'' 
audit conducted under the provisions of OMB Circular A-133 is required.
    ii. For all other organizations (including foreign-based and 
private for-profit grantees): an audit conducted in accordance with the 
U.S. Government Accountability Office's (GAO) ``Government Auditing 
Standards'' is required. The audit must address the following:
    (a) Compliance with the Department's regulations and the provisions 
of the Cooperative Agreement; and
    (b) Reliability of the organization's financial and performance 
reports.
    Costs for audits or attestation engagements should be included in 
direct or indirect costs, whichever is appropriate.

    Please Note: USDOL generally allows the costs to be allocated 
based on the following (applicable to U.S. based agencies only): (1) 
A-133 ``single audit'' costs as part of the indirect cost rate/pool 
for organizations with more than one Federal source of funding. 
Organizations with only one Federal source could charge the A-133 
single audit cost as direct costs; (2) A-133 ``compliance 
supplement'' costs--as direct costs for Federal sources only through 
a cost allocation methodology approved by the Federal cognizant 
agency; or (3) A-133 program specific audits as direct costs. Any 
deviations from the above must be explained and justified in the 
application.

C. Administrative Standards and Provisions
    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 Cooperative Agreement, if applicable to a particular Grantee:
    i. 29 CFR Part 2 Subpart D--Equal Treatment in Department of Labor 
Programs for Religious Organizations; Protection of Religious Liberty 
of Department of Labor Social Service Providers and Beneficiaries.
    ii. 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.
    iii. 29 CFR Part 32--Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in 
Programs and Activities Receiving or Benefiting from Federal Financial 
Assistance.
    iv. 29 CFR Part 33--Enforcement of Nondiscrimination on the Basis 
of Handicap in Programs or Activities Conducted by the Department of 
Labor.
    v. 29 CFR Part 35--Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in 
Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance from the 
Department of Labor.
    vi. 29 CFR Part 36--Federal Standards for Nondiscrimination on the 
Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal 
Financial Assistance.
    vii. 29 CFR Part 93--New Restrictions on Lobbying.
    viii. 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.
    ix. 29 CFR Part 96--Federal Standards for Audit of Federally Funded 
Grants, Contracts and Agreements.
    x. 29 CFR Part 98--Federal Standards for Government-wide Debarment 
and Suspension (Nonprocurement) and Government-wide Requirements for 
Drug-Free Workplace (Grants).
    xi. 29 CFR Part 99--Federal Standards for Audits of States, Local 
Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations.
    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 all applicable to the 
implementation of projects awarded under this solicitation.
D. Key Personnel
    As noted in Section V(1)(D), the applicant must list all Key 
Personnel candidates.
    After the Cooperative Agreement has been awarded and throughout the 
life of the project, Grantees agree to inform the Grant Officer's 
Technical Representative (GOTR) whenever it appears impossible for any 
key personnel to continue work on the project as planned. The Grantee 
must nominate, through the submission of a formal project revision, new 
personnel; however, the Grantee must obtain approval from the Grant 
Officer before all changes to key personnel are formalized. If the 
Grant Officer is unable to approve the key personnel change, she or he 
reserves the right to terminate the Cooperative Agreement or disallow 
costs.
E. 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 
calendar days after the end of the Cooperative Agreement period, unless 
a longer period of time is granted by USDOL.
    Federal Regulations require Grantees to submit annually an 
inventory listing of federally-owned property in their custody to 
USDOL. See 29 CFR 95.33(a). Such property must be inventoried and 
secured throughout the life of the project. At the end of the project, 
USDOL and the Grantee are expected to determine how to best allocate 
such property in order to promote sustainability of efforts in the 
projects' implementing areas.
F. Site Visits
    USDOL, through its authorized representatives, has the right, at 
all reasonable times, to make site visits to review project 
accomplishments and management control systems and to provide such 
technical assistance as may be required. USDOL shall make every effort 
to notify the Grantee at least two weeks in advance of any trip to the 
USDOL-funded project site. If USDOL makes any site visit on the 
premises of a Grantee or a subcontractor(s) under this Cooperative 
Agreement, the Grantee shall provide and shall require its 
subcontractors 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.

3. Reporting and Deliverables

    In addition to meeting the above requirements, a Grantee is 
expected to

[[Page 30194]]

monitor the implementation of the program; report to USDOL on a semi-
annual basis or more frequently if deemed necessary by USDOL; and 
undergo independent evaluations of program results. Guidance on USDOL 
procedures and management requirements will be provided to Grantees in 
the MPGs with the Cooperative Agreement. Unless otherwise indicated, a 
Grantee must submit copies of all required reports to USDOL by the 
specified due dates. Exact timeframes for completion of deliverables 
will be addressed in the Cooperative Agreement and the MPGs.
    Specific deliverables are the following:
A. Project Design Document
    Within 180 calendar days of project 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 USDOL. The final project 
design document must also include sections that address coordination 
strategies, project management and sustainability.
B. 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 report (SF 269) to USDOL on a semi-
annual basis by 31 March and 30 September of each year during the 
Cooperative Agreement period. However, USDOL reserves the right to 
require up to four technical progress reports a year, as necessary. 
Also, a copy of the Federal Cash Transactions Report (PSC 272) must be 
submitted to USDOL upon submission to the Health and Human Services--
Payment Management System (HHS-PMS).
C. Annual Work Plan
    Grantees must develop a final annual work plan within 180 calendar 
days of project award for approval by USDOL so as to ensure 
coordination with other relevant social actors throughout the country. 
Updated annual work plans must be delivered annually with the September 
technical progress reported.
D. Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
    Grantees must develop a performance monitoring and evaluation plan 
in collaboration with USDOL, including beginning and ending dates for 
the project; indicators, methods and cost of data collection; and 
planned and actual dates for mid-term and final evaluations. The 
Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) must be developed in conjunction with 
the logical framework project design and common indicators for 
reporting selected by USDOL. The plan must include a limited number of 
additional key indicators that can be realistically measured within the 
cost parameters allocated to project monitoring. Baseline data 
collection is expected to be tied to the indicators of the project 
design document and the PMP. A draft PMP must be submitted to USDOL 
within 180 calendar days of project award. See background materials 
available on ICLP's Web site http://www.dol.gov/ilab/grants/bkgrd.htm 
for a sample PMP.
E. Project Evaluations
    Grantees and the GOTR will determine on a case-by-case basis 
whether a mid-term evaluation will be conducted by an internal or 
external evaluation team. All final evaluations must be external and 
independent in nature. A Grantee must respond in writing to any 
comments and recommendations provided in the mid-term evaluation 
report. The budget must include at least USD 70,000 for projected mid-
term and final evaluation costs.

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]. For a list of frequently asked questions on 
USDOL's Child Labor Education Initiative Solicitation for Cooperative 
Agreement, please visit http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/faq/faq36.htm.

VIII. Other Information

1. Press Issues

    The Grantee must inform USDOL to the extent possible of major press 
events and/or interviews. Any press release or press conference 
referring to a USDOL-funded project must first be discussed and agreed 
to with USDOL and the appropriate U.S. Embassy. USDOL and the Grantee 
are expected to discuss general policy towards the press when it 
relates to (1) acknowledgement of USDOL funding, and (2) USDOL policy 
regarding international child labor.

2. Materials Prepared Under the Cooperative Agreement

    Grantees must submit to USDOL, for approval, all media-related, 
awareness-raising, and educational materials developed by the Grantee 
or its subcontractors before they are reproduced, published, or used. 
USDOL considers such materials to include brochures, pamphlets, 
videotapes, slide-tape shows, curricula, and any other training 
materials used in the program. USDOL will review materials for 
technical accuracy and other issues.
    In addition, USDOL reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and 
irrevocable right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use for Federal 
purposes, and authorize others to do so, all materials that are 
developed or for which ownership is purchased by the Grantee under an 
award.

3. Acknowledgment of USDOL Funding and USDOL Disclaimer

    USDOL has established procedures and guidelines regarding 
acknowledgement of funding. The Grantee must acknowledge USDOL funding 
support in all publications, announcements, speeches and press releases 
relating to the projects. The acknowledgement must be as follows:
    Funding for this (* * *) was provided by the United States 
Department of Labor under Cooperative Agreement number ---------------- 
.
    In addition, the Grantee is required to include a disclaimer in 
publications and materials that have been directly funded by USDOL as 
follows:
    This (* * *) does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of 
the United States Department of Labor, nor does the mention of trade 
names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the 
United States Government.
    This acknowledgement and disclaimer must be included in documents 
(reports and other materials) produced, edited and published for 
distribution beyond the Grantee and USDOL (i.e., to other donors, 
organizations, or the general public). At a minimum, the following 
USDOL-funded documents must include the acknowledgement and disclaimer:
     Research and Data Collection, including: Survey reports, 
rapid assessments and baseline survey reports, research studies 
(economic, social, legislation, education, health, etc.), good 
practices report and diagnostic reports;
     Manuals and Guidelines, including: Training manuals, 
operational and technical guidelines;
     Awareness Raising Materials, including: Web sites, 
posters, videos, cd-roms and pamphlets.
    If there are any reasons preventing the Grantee from including the 
USDOL acknowledgement or disclaimer in the

[[Page 30195]]

publications listed above, the Grantee must discuss the issue with 
USDOL prior to publication to obtain appropriate guidance on the 
matter.
    The USDOL logo may be applied to USDOL-funded material prepared for 
worldwide distribution, including posters, videos, pamphlets, research 
documents, national survey reports, impact evaluations, best practices 
reports and other publications of global interest. A Grantee must 
consult with USDOL on whether the logo may be used on any such items 
prior to final draft or final presentation for distribution. A Grantee 
must obtain USDOL written permission before placing the USDOL logo on 
any item.

4. 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 19th day of May, 2006.
Eric Vogt,
Grant Officer.

Appendix A: Technical Proposal Format

Abstract
A. Project Design/Budget-Cost Effectiveness
    i. Background and Justification
    ii. Proposed Strategy
    iii. Project Monitoring and Evaluation
    iv. Budget-Cost Effectiveness Narrative (with cost of activities 
linked to Outputs Based Budget in Annex B)
B. Sustainability Plan
C. Organizational Capacity
    i. International and U.S. Government Grant Experience
    ii. Country Presence
    iii. Fiscal Oversight
D. Management Plan/Key Personnel/Staffing
    i. Key Personnel
    ii. Other Professional Personnel
    iii. Management Plan
    iv. Staff Loading Plan
E. Leveraged Resources
    i. Contributions/Inputs provided by the Grantee
    ii. National and/or Other Contributions
Annex A: Full Presentation of the Logical Framework Matrix
Annex B: Outputs Based Budget

(An example of a Logical Framework matrix, an Outputs Based Budget, 
PMP and other background documentation for this solicitation are 
available from ILAB's Web site at http://www.dol.gov/ilab/grants/bkgrd.htm.).
BILLING CODE 4510-28-P

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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN25MY06.006

 [FR Doc. 06-4857 Filed 5-24-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-28-C