International The evaluation challenge is open

12 Sep 2011 |

29 August, 2011, Brussels Belgium: The Children and Violence Evaluation Challenge Fund – an initiative aimed at reducing the prevalence of violence against children by funding quality evaluations of violence prevention and child protection interventions in low- and middle-income countries – is glad to announce its 1st call for proposals.

According to UN estimates, between 500 million and 1.5 billion children experience physical violence annually. In low- and middle-income countries three quarters of children between 2 and 14 years of age experience some form of violence at home. Yet, the availability of data and research on the effectiveness of violence prevention programmes in low-income settings is limited.

The challenge is open: “We need data to find out exactly what’s going on […],” said Ms. Marta Santos Pais, UN Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence against Children in a recent interview. “We need sound analyses to get the evidence out there and inform advocacy, policy developments and allocation of resources”. To this end, up to 750,000 EUR will be allocated to fund robust evaluations of interventions aimed at preventing violence against children in low- and middle-income countries.

The focus of this first call for proposals is on strategies to reduce violence (including physical, emotional and/or sexual violence) affecting children in family settings, including – but not limited to – the youngest children (0-8 years). Three types of interventions will be considered: i) large scale interventions; ii) small scale innovative interventions; iii) specific components of interventions that, although not directly designed to prevent violence against children, indirectly impact on it.

Non-profit organizations, universities and research institutes are eligible to apply. Partnerships between researchers and practitioners are encouraged in order to ensure the credibility of findings and to maximize their relevance and utilization. Successful grantees will be identified through a two-stage selection process – an initial Concept Note will be reviewed and short-listed applicants invited to submit full evaluation proposals. Successful applicants will be notified and receive funding in early 2012.

The full text of the call for proposal and the Concept Note Application Form can be downloaded from the website. To participate to the Evaluation Challenge, CONCEPT NOTE APPLICATION FORMS must be submitted by 7 October 2011 to the following e-mail address: programmemgr@nef-europe.org.

The Children and Violence Evaluation Challenge Fund is a pooled funding initiative by the Bernard van Leer Foundation, Oak Foundation and UBS Optimus Foundation, hosted by NEF (Network of European Foundations).

For any query, please contact “Ms. Barbara Gallo, Children and Violence Evaluation Challenge Fund Programme Manager at barbara.gallo@evaluationchallenge.org.