Bytes for All and P@SHA seeking proposals for projects in Pakistan

Bytes for All and P@SHA seeking proposals for projects in Pakistan that address the intersection between Violence Against Women (VAW) and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). These small  grants are an initiative under a project supported by the MDG3 Fund and implemented by the Association for Progressive Communications, Women's Networking and Support Programme (APC-WNSP).

As part of our work in Pakistan the APC WNSP, through P@SHA and Bytes for All, are calling for proposals for projects that seek to address the intersection between violence against women and girls, and/or to stop violence against women and girls through the strategic use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).

What kind of proposals will be considered for the small grant?

- Development of tools and platforms that will facilitate women and girls’ access, use and development of ICTs, with a particular focus on secure online communications

- Implementation of strategies that strengthen women's participation in ICT policy processes

- Projects that promote the strategic use of ICT tools in projects and programmes that address violence against women

- Projects that improve sexual assault survivors access to ICTs to assist in access to information and resources

- Projects that use ICTs to support the collection of data and statistics

- Research projects that contribute to knowledge about the interconnections of violence against women and ICTs

- Building the ICT capacities of providers of services to sexual violence survivors

- Empowerment and self-healing methodologies through strategic use of ICTs for women and adolescent girl survivors of violence

- Capacity-building workshops that aim to build the skills of women and girls in the strategic use of ICTs to end violence against women and girls

- Advocacy campaigns to lobby for policy changes that increase access to information and communication resources and expand communication rights for women and girls

- Awareness raising campaigns to build common knowledge, establish and amplify context-specific discourses on the issue of violence against women and girls and ICTs

Here are some examples of proposals that would be considered:

- Training for volunteers and staff at counseling and women's support centres in how to use a secure online database to collect data about survivors of violence who seek counseling and support

- Mapping projects related to the collection of statistics about the  incidences of violence against women, where they occur, and what forms of support are available

- Creating online support networks for example for survivors of violence, etc

Please note that proposals that aim to only buy equipment and hardware cannot be supported. A reasonable portion of the budget can be set aside for equipment but we need to see how people will benefit.

Who is eligible to apply for a small grant?

Proposals will be accepted from any organisation, network, group or collective operating from a not-for-profit framework. Individual  developers or techies with proposals for tools and platforms must have a
relationship with an organisation / network with whom they will work, or who will benefit from and the proposal should demonstrate this.

What are the criteria for selection?

- Innovativeness

- Clearly outlines and addresses useful preventing violence against
women initiatives

- ICT-enabled

- Projects that directly engage with the concerns of marginalised women and girls and contribute to securing their safety and strengthening their agency

- Activity contributes to the priority issues identified during the National Strategy Workshop:

- Awareness regarding privacy & security issues online & how to handle them

- Monitoring & tracking of VAW

- Training of women activists

- Activity/project could be replicated

- Proposal clearly states objectives, includes a methodology/implementation strategy, identifies outputs,
partners/stakeholders and includes a time line and budget

- Realistic within budgetary and time constraints

- Use of Free and Open Source (FOSS) applications is greatly encouraged

- Candidates must be available for capacity building workshop to be held during the implementation phase of the project

How to apply for a small grant?

Your proposal should be a maximum of 6 pages including budget and
include the following sections:

- Description of the problem or issue the proposal will respond to

- Description of the activity including objectives

- Duration of the activity

- Who are the beneficiaries?

- How does the activity relate to the project's overall objectives in
Pakistan

- Capacity to implement

- Budget

Application process:

Email to: grants@takebackthetech.pk

Apply by: September 10

Results out by: September 25

Reporting requirements

Successful grantees will be required to submit narrative and financial report to illustrate how funds have been spent

To download the flyer, click here:
http://pakistanictpolicy.bytesforall.net/

Background

The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is an international  network of civil society organisations (CSOs) dedicated to empowering and supporting people working for peace, human rights, development and protection of the environment through the strategic use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).

APC's work in women's rights and gender equality is done through its Women’s Networking Support Programme (WNSP), a global network of women that has supported women's networking for social change and empowerment since 1993. APC WNSP is an international facilitator of civil society’s engagement with ICT and its related concerns in policies and practices. Contributions have been made at global, regional and national levels, and particularly in developing countries through raising awareness, technical training for women, developing tools and information resources, building capacity in gender evaluation and  influencing policies to ensure that ICT benefit women in transformative and empowering ways.

We see the intersection of violence against women and girls and ICTs as a critical area for engagement in which only a handful of women’s rights activists are active. This means that as a political space for engagement, control of the internet and telecommunications—and related issues of exploitation, filtering and surveillance—remain the domain of men. Women and girls are facing increasing challenges to their right to safety and privacy when entering online spaces and when using mobile technology. To APC, their empowerment through skills, knowledge and community-building is the most realistic and sustainable solution. We also recognise that women’s rights organisations working to address violence against women and girls have not been able to use ICT in a more strategic manner.

The APC WNSP received a grant through the MDG3 Fund: Investing in Equality to implement the ‘Strengthening Women's Strategic Use of Information and Communications Technologies to Combat Violence against Women and Girls’ project - simply titled: Take Back the Tech! to End Violence Against Women.

“Take Back the Tech! to End violence against women and girls” exposes the connections between violence against women and ICTs in practice and policy 12 countries. It has three main objectives:

- to build and strengthen the capacity of women, girls and women’s
rights organisations to use, reclaim and shape ICTs to stop violence
against women and girls

- to create platforms and opportunities for women and girls to
critically engage with ICTs to combat violence, and as survivors of
violence, to contribute towards self and collective healing

- to build feminist analysis, particularly around the intersections of
violence against women and ICT into global, regional and national ICT
policy processes