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Submission Deadline: 2 June 2008

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC), The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA), the Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries (Hivos) and the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) are inviting applications for the third round of the GenARDIS small grants programme.

The third phase of GenARDIS grants follows two rounds of the implementation of successful projects and an in depth external evaluation. Round 3 will involve a deeper focus on capacity-building, knowledge-sharing and policy outputs. It aims to sustain and deepen the integration of gender perspectives into rural development and ICT4D initiatives, taking into account developments such as web 2.0 in agriculture and rural development and Free and Open Source Software solutions (FOSS).

The problem statement

The strategic use of ICTs in development initiatives holds tremendous potential for improving rural livelihoods. However, unless gender is consciously addressed in the design and implementation of such initiatives, well-intentioned projects may only exacerbate existing gender issues. This challenge may be attributed to a "digital divide" between women and men that adversely affect women, who make up the majority of the rural poor in developing countries.

Compared to men, rural women in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) regions are much less able to access new technologies, as they are generally less educated and hold less economic and political power than men. Women, who typically shoulder greater responsibility for children and the elderly, find it more difficult to migrate to towns and cities than men. The urban bias in connectivity thus disproportionately deprives women of the universal right to communicate.

While women make up the majority of people in rural areas of developing countries and play a central role in agriculture, issues of language, literacy, etc. are compounded by their already heavy workload that limits the time available to use modern ICTs, and by cultural attitudes that prevent them from visiting public access points mostly frequented by men. Other important challenges include limited time availability to participate in training and use of ICTs, and lack of awareness of the opportunities available.

In recognition of the dilemma between a potentially powerful set of tools - ICTs - and their failure to reach the majority of the poor in ACP countries - rural women - CTA, IDRC, IICD and Hivos invite proposals to the GenARDIS Small Grants Fund to support innovative activities that contribute to the understanding of gender issues in ICTs and to the gender-sensitive application of ICTs in ACP agricultural and rural development.

What we mean by gender
Gender is the term used to refer to the socially constructed relations between women and men in a particular society. These relations, and the roles women and men may assume, are culturally and institutionally embedded. Biological sex refers to being male or female; gender as a social identity changes over time (historically) and space (geographically). Therefore the gender roles of men or women in one society may differ from those in another, and they may differ even within one society, depending on other socio-economic criteria. The concept of gender recognises that women and men are not homogeneous groups. Differences in age, class, race and ethnicity, and disability status cut across human society and affect status, power and access to resources.

Our definition of ICTs
The widely used acronym "ICTs" (information and communication technologies) encompasses a multitude of equipment, software and services. ICTs can be interpreted broadly as technologies that facilitate communication and the processing and transmission of information by electronic means. This definition encompasses the full range of ICTs, from radio and television to telephones (fixed and mobile), computers and the internet. In development contexts, the interface with traditional communications systems and tools is also important, as are applications in areas such as agriculture, business, governance, health, and education. More recently, Web2.0 tools are facilitating more creative and inclusive collaboration and FOSS solutions offering inexpensive software.

How to apply for GenARDIS round 3

GenARDIS round 3 proposals can be aimed at

• Understanding gender differences in the use of ICTs
• Promoting ICT use among rural women (sensitisation)
• Improving rural women's access to ICTs
• Improving the skills and capacities of rural women in using ICTs
• Increasing the attractiveness of ICTs for rural women by providing relevant content
• Using Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) applications

Please note that proposals that aim to only buy equipment and hardware cannot be supported. On the other hand, proposals that aim to improve rural women's access to existing ICT facilities, e.g. by providing special opening hours, can be considered.

Submissions will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Innovativeness
• Clearly outlines and addresses gender issues, i.e., the socially constructed relations between women and men in a particular society
• ICT-enabled
• Agricultural or agro-linked rural development context
• 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
• Candidates must be available for the five-day workshop in mid-July 2008. Costs to be covered by the GenARDIS partners

GenARDIS round 3 will short-list twenty (20) candidates. Short-listed candidates will be invited to participate in a five-day workshop in mid-July 2008. The workshop will provide training in Gender Evaluation Methodology (GEM) and capacity-building mechanisms to refine the design of projects and incorporate judges' comments. Short-listed candidates will resubmit their proposals for judges to select fifteen (15) successful projects.

GenARDIS Small Grants Fund grantees will have one year to implement their projects. Interim reports and consistent peer-to-peer sharing during project implementation will be facilitated. Participation in an end-of project knowledge-sharing workshop (mid 2009) will enable grantees to share outcomes as well as to discuss best practices and lessons learned.

This is a competitive call for applications for 15 non-renewable grants of up to 7,000 Euros. The deadline for receipt of applications is 2 June 2008. Proposals can be submitted in English and French. Please note that only organizations with institutional and personal capacity to carry out the proposed projects and who are located in ACP countries are eligible for consideration under the GenARDIS programme.

For a list of ACP countries, please see http://europa.eu.int/comm/development/body/country/country_en.cfm

An expert panel will judge the submissions. Successful applicants will be expected to write a comprehensive report on their project results, experiences and use of the funds and contribute to a workshop to be held in mid 2009. All submissions must be received before the deadline (2 June 2008). Submissions via e-mail are preferred.

We encourage, where conditions permit, online applications to: http://www.apcwomen.org/genardis/genardis_app.shtml

E-mail applications should be sent to genardis@cta.int

Submissions by post should be sent to:

GenARDIS Small Grants Fund
c/o Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
Attention. Jennifer Radloff
PO Box 29755
Melville 2109
South Africa

Submissions by fax - Fax: +27 11 726 1692

Read more about the GenARDIS 2005 winners: http://www.apcwomen.org/genardis/

For more information about the sponsors of this project see the following websites.

Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA)
www.cta.int
International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
www.idrc.ca
International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD)
www.iicd.org
Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries (Hivos)
www.hivos.nl

GenARDIS coordination: The Association for Progressive Communications