Call For Proposal for IcSP Project Sub-awardee
Search for Common Ground, Kenya

BackgroundSearch for Common Ground’s (Search) mission is to transform the way individuals, organizations, and governments deal with conflict, away from adversarial approaches and towards collaborative solutions. Search is implementing a rapid-response 15-month project funded by the European Union (EU) that seeks to support an effective, conflict-sensitive response to the COVID-19 pandemic in a way that prevents further deterioration of social cohesion in Kenya. The action is designed in the context of an unprecedented global health crisis that has so far directly affected more than 2.5 million people, claimed the lives of over 200,000 around the world, and overwhelmed the capacity of medical and social support systems in dozens of countries, poising them on the verge of collapse. While the crisis has thus far taken the steepest toll in developed societies in Asia, Europe and North America, there is growing concern about the potentially catastrophic impact it could have on countries whose resources and safety nets are already overstretched, and which are ridden with ongoing and latent conflicts.
The proposed action has a two-fold purpose: on the one hand, it aims to render the response to the pandemic in the targeted countries more effective by ensuring citizen acceptance of the response through access to reliable information (Specific Objective 1); on the other, it will mitigate the negative impact of the crisis on social cohesion and prevent it from exacerbating existing conflict dynamics. As such, it is relevant to the objectives and priorities of the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP), as it will support article 3 of IcSP’s programming framework to prevent conflicts, build peace and to build crisis preparedness capacities; and, on the other hand, will directly address the destabilising effects of the global, trans-regional and emerging threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Context This project is designed in response to the specific needs, constraints, and opportunities identified in the target countries, ensuring its relevance to the context. In Kenya, the Kenyan government took prompt measures in response to the pandemic starting on 15 March, including: closing schools; discouraging large gatherings; suspending all international flights in and out of Kenya, mandatory quarantine for those entering the country; requiring users of public or private transport and public transport operators to wear masks; maintaining a distance of at least one meter in public spaces; mandatory country-wide curfew; and restrictions on movement in and out of Nairobi and the Coastal counties. Yet, these social distancing measures have been difficult to enforce. The negative impact on livelihoods continues to rise owing to the fact that many sectors, such as tourism, small businesses, transportation, etc. have started to lay off workers. There are reports of continued inflation of essential commodities, and lack of essential services in highly populated informal settlements such as in Nairobi’s slums, which will likely impact the most vulnerable groups, and increase the risk of unrest. Crowd control on high-use transportation such as the Kenya Ferry service from Mombasa to Likoni has been ineffective, increasing transmission risk. The enforcement of the dusk to dawn curfew has sparked an increase in police brutality, especially in poorer and more densely populated areas. Such actions can heighten frustrations, widen distrust, decrease compliance with COVID-19 measures, and trigger a spiral of violent reactionsObjective of the call for proposals

• As part of this project, Search is launching a call for proposals for 3-month projects (March 15 - June 15 2021) with the overall objective to support an effective, conflict- sensitive response to COVID-19, in a way that prevents further deterioration of social cohesion in fragile contexts.
• CSOs, FBOs, Media organizations, Trusts, or NGOs working in Nairobi's informal settlements of Kibera and Mathare, or in the counties of Garissa, Tana River, Mombasa, Kilifi or Kwale are hereby invited to propose projects responding to the following specific objectives:
• Increase the effectiveness and conflict-sensitivity of the COVID-19 response.
• Mitigate the harmful effects of the COVID-19 crisis on social cohesion, stability, and ongoing conflict prevention efforts.

BudgetSearch will award 6 projects amounting for a budget of 15,000 Euros each.While interested organizations are welcome to propose any activities responding to the this call for proposals’ overall and specific objectives, below are some examples of types of activities that could be supported:Radio/TV/Online spots and/or programs.Mapping of COVID-1