Lesotho Youth Power Hub

Democracy Works Foundation is an independent foundation committed to building and promoting inclusive, equitable and sustainable consensus-orientated resilient democracies in Africa and the Global South, currently working in 7 African countries. We do this by providing tools, platforms, and content to strengthen democrats, democratic culture, democracy institutions and answers to climate change and conflict.

Skillshare Lesotho is a registered local volunteering and development organization dedicated to partnering with both local and international entities to combat poverty, injustice, and inequality, thereby fostering economic and social progress, particularly for the most vulnerable and at-risk communities in Lesotho.

Development for Peace Education (DPE) is the governance and democracy organization promoting peace, participation, empowerment, and citizens’ advocacy. Since its formation in 1989, DPE has worked in the rural and hard to reach areas empowering communities on various initiatives ranging from self-help projects to participation in the public affairs.

The purpose of this call for expression of interest is to identify eligible youth led and youth focused CSOs for prospective partnership through the Youth Power Hub. The Youth Power Hub, a joint initiative of the European Union, UNICEF, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) aims to create an inclusive and participatory environment for empowering young people in Lesotho. Running from 2024 to 2029, the Hub seeks to amplify the voices of youth aged 10 to 35, including but not limited to adolescent girls and young women and mothers, youth living with disabilities, young migrants, youth from LGBTIQ+ communities, youth in the diaspora, rural youth, herd boys, street youth, and youth living with HIV/AIDS. Eligible civil society organizations (CSOs) are invited to register themselves to participate in the Youth Power Hub.

The Youth Power Hub aims to achieve three outcomes:

1. A Youth Power Hub will be created through the self-enrolment of interested organizations/CSOs working or intending to work on youth, disability inclusion and gender equality.
2. Grassroots organizations/CSOs’ capacity will be strengthened through the Youth Power Hub Incubation Programme to manage programmes financially and operationally for youth empowerment that mainstream gender equality and disability inclusion.
3. Organizations/CSOs implement projects that empower at least 10 per cent of youth in Lesotho with special reference to youth with disability, adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) to empower them to participate in national-level dialogue, local-level planning, budgeting and monitoring.

 
The Youth Power Hub invites youth-led, and youth focused grassroots organization/CSOs to contribute to its mission of fostering youth engagement and empowerment across all ten districts of Lesotho. Through this initiative, we seek innovative and impactful organization/CSOs whose mandates align with the objectives of the Youth Power Hub and address the diverse needs of young people in Lesotho. 

Successful organizations are expected to participate in the following phases of the initiative: 

• Incubation Phase 2024-2026: The initiative is offering capacity building opportunities through the Incubation Programme, which is intended to enhance engagement, programming and financial management capacities of grassroots organization/CSOs working on youth, disability inclusion, and gender equality. Selected proposals will receive capacity building for a period of 2 years.
• Project Implementation Phase 2027-2029: 27 top performing organization/CSOs will submit project proposals and receive financial support to implement projects that enhance youth participation in local and national decision-making processes, improve access to essential services, and strengthen the capacity of other youth-focused organizations.

 
Focus areas 

Proposals should address one or more of the following areas:

• Youth empowerment: Initiatives that build leadership skills, advocacy capabilities, and active citizenship among young people.
• Inclusion and accessibility: Projects that enhance access to services and opportunities for marginalized groups, including youth with disabilities, migrants, and those in rural areas.
• Civic engagement: Programs that create opportunities for youth participation in development initiatives, foster local and national dialogues, and deepen youth engagement in planning and service delivery processes.
• Entrepreneurial development: Support advocacy by youth-led businesses and entrepreneurial ventures that drive economic growth and employment.
• Capacity building: Strengthening the operational and advocacy capacity of youth- focused organization through training, mentorship, and resource support.

To be eligible, organizations must: 

• Be a youth-led and focused organization whose mission is aligned with the objectives of the Youth Power Hub.
• Primarily engage with youth aged 10 to 35, including but not limited to adolescent girls, young women, youth with disabilities, migrants, and those in rural communities.
• Should have strong local presence within one or more of the ten districts of Lesotho: Berea, Butha Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale’s Hoek, Mokhotlong, Quthing, Qacha’s Nek, and Thaba Tseka.
• Demonstrated commitment to working with young people between the ages of 10 and 35, especially – but not limited to – the following: Adolescent girls and young women and mothers; Youth living with disabilities; Young migrants; Youth from LGBTIQ+ communities; Youth in the diaspora; Youth living in rural areas; Herd boys; Street youth; Youth living with HIV/AIDS.
• Must have at least one year of experience in youth-focused programming or advocacy.
• Organizations should be working to address one or more of the following areas: Youth empowerment (initiatives that build leadership skills, advocacy capabilities, and active citizenship among young people); Inclusion and accessibility (projects that enhance access to services and opportunities for marginalized groups, including youth with disabilities, migrants, and those in rural areas); Civic engagement (programs that create opportunities for youth participation in development initiatives, foster local and national dialogues, and deepen youth engagement in planning and service delivery processes); Entrepreneurial development (support advocacy by youth-led businesses and entrepreneurial ventures that drive economic growth and employment); Capacity building (strengthening the operational and advocacy capacity of youth-focused organization through training, mentorship, and resource support).
• Must show a commitment to gender equality and disability inclusion in their programs and operations.
• Should have a well-defined organizational structure and governance framework. Where there is no evidence of registration, efforts will be made through 3 capacitating NGOs to support the organizations to register. Capacity on management or governance of NGO structures will also be provided during the incubation period.
• Must provide some evidence of transparent and accountable management practices.
• Must be able to show evidence of past impactful activities at local or national level including innovative approaches in addressing youth issues.
• Must be open to collaboration with other youth-focused organizations and participate in networking opportunities facilitated by the Youth Power Hub.
• Should be willing to engage in the online and other dialogue platforms for sharing resources, participating in forums, and learning from others.
• Must be widely accepted as a reputable organization with no record of governance malpractices, sexual exploitation, discrimination etc.
• Must align with the Youth Power Hub’s goals of enhancing youth voice and agency, promoting transparency and accountability, and fostering meaningful youth engagement in governance and development.
• Have effective mechanisms for monitoring reach and measuring impact of their activities or demonstrate a commitment to establishing such mechanisms.

Proposals will be reviewed based on the above criteria and assessment of feasibility and impact potential of planned actions as well as organizational capacity. The deadline for application is 31st October 2024. Successful applicants will be notified by the 15th of November 2024. 

It should be noted, however, that participation in this call for expression of interest does not guarantee the organization will be ultimately selected for partnership. Selected applicant organizations will be informed of the outcome of their submissions by communication sent out to the email/ postal address that is indicated in the organization’s registration submission.