USAID Africa Trade and Investment Partnerships Opportunity: 

USAID Kenya Menstrual Hygiene and Health (MHH) APS Addendum

Issuance date: July 13th, 2022

Closing date for submission of concept papers: May 31, 2023 5.00PM EDT

Funding Opportunity

Through this Annual Program Statement (APS) via APS-ATI-001 (click here for the full APS), the USAID Africa Trade & Investment Program is offering partners the opportunity to partner with USAID to work towards one or multiple overarching objectives (increased trade, investment, business environment) and related target outcomes for each.

Recent studies have shown that providing adequate MHH in the workplace contributes to increased business and social outcomes, including women’s economic empowerment. Successful applications should demonstrate how proposed private sector-oriented solutions will primarily focus on Objective 3: Improved Business Environment (although outcomes that enable increased trade and investment are favorable) and include the following cross cutting objectives and outcomes:

  • Creation of private sector jobs
  • Empowerment of women and youth including strengthening Menstrual Hygiene & Health (MHH)
  • More resilient, inclusive economic ecosystems across countries, regions and the continent
  • Value chain activities that span countries and crowd in various enterprises

The conceptual model for workplace MHH[1], hypothesizes that determinants at multiple levels (workplace, individual and biological levels); influence menstruation experiences in the workplace; which in turn influence individual well-being outcomes and downstream economic outcomes as below.

 

While the conceptual model for workplace MHH proposes 21 indicators for comprehensive assessment of menstrual health and work; all applicants must demonstrate the intention to realize the following 3 results:

  1. Improvement in productivity / performance and or revenue
  2. Improved workplace satisfaction (particularly for women and youth)
    1. Increase in women and youth workers employed and retained
    2. Work engagement: Job satisfaction - Proportion of menstruators who are satisfied with their ability to meet their menstrual needs while at their current job
    3. Work engagement: Lost earnings - Proportion of menstruators who reported reduction in lost earnings or decreased pay in the past year due to their menstruation
  3. Improved menstrual experiences while at work
    1. Increase in proportion of menstruators / women who are comfortable asking for support (advise, resources, time off work, emotional support, workplace changes) regarding menstruation
    2. Improved self-efficacy in managing menstruation at work i.e., menstruation not negatively interfering with daily living / working, as reported by the menstruators

Other favorable results are:

  1. Decrease in lost hours
  2. Improved physical environment required to support MHH at work
    1. Improved sanitation facilities (single-sex; usable i.e. available, private and functional; lockable from the inside; have covered disposal bins; disposal mechanism for menstrual waste);
    2. Improved hygiene facilities i.e., water and soap in a private space accessible by the menstruators
    3. Improved access to menstrual products of choice i.e., increase in the proportion of women who reported always having enough menstrual material / products of their choice
  3. Improved workplace policy & culture towards MHH
    1. Increase in proportion of workers (men and women) who have received education on menstruation i.e., breaking the silence at the workplace
    2. Workplace MHH policy co-created with menstruators

Current Funding: 

It is anticipated awards under this facility will be matching funding ranging from USD $250,000 to USD $1,000,000. This ceiling figure will be updated via amendment when/if new funding is added to ATI.

Selection criteria - Additional Information:

This addendum follows the Technical Selection Criteria and Cost Evaluation (Section IV) in the ATI APS. Please note that for Menstrual Hygiene and Health (MHH) addendum concept papers the selection criteria will additionally evaluate whether applicants have demonstrated the intention to realize the results as documented in prior page of this addendum.

Information on Applying:  CLOSED ON MAY 31ST 2023

 

[1] Adopted from USAID (2021). Advancement of Metrics for Menstrual Hygiene Management in the Workplace: Final Report. Washington, DC, USAID Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Partnerships and Learning for Sustainability (WASHPaLS) Project.

 

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