Programa de Transformação das Normas Sociais para a Prevenção e Eliminação das Uniões Prematuras e da Violência Baseada no Género.

Call description

UNICEF’s expression of interest seeks civil society organisations to help communities transform harmful social norms and prevent early unions and gender-based violence in Mozambique. The programme description focuses on Nampula, Zambézia and Sofala, with particular attention to girls, boys, parents, caregivers, men, community and religious leaders, and local governance structures. It also seeks improved school retention and adolescent access to sexual and reproductive health services.

The portal gives a project start date of 17 January 2027 and an end date of 31 December 2028. It does not separately state a permitted minimum or maximum proposal duration in the supplied extract.

Priorities and eligibility

The expression of interest is addressed to civil society organisations. The supplied extracts do not establish a registration requirement or whether particular national, international or consortium applicant routes are eligible; eligibility cannot be determined without those conditions and an applicant profile.

What registration, partner screening and exclusion conditions apply, and when? The supplied call identifies civil society organisations and describes selection criteria, but the extracted coverage does not establish those conditions. Their absence from the extracts is not evidence that an organisation is ineligible or that screening is waived.

The portal lists assessment weights for clarity of activities and expected results (40), local experience and presence (20), sustainability (15), cost effectiveness (15), and accountability to communities and community relations (10). These are the published weights, not a prediction of an applicant’s score.

The call gives preference to proposals showing how communities move from being recipients to leading prevention autonomously and sustainably. Its sustainability criteria include community ownership, use of existing structures, local resources and a transition and exit plan that progressively reduces dependence on the organisation.

Proposals must integrate community engagement, advocacy and capacity strengthening, adolescent agency, and case management. The latter includes safe identification, needs assessment, referral and follow-up linked to protection, health, education and psychosocial support services.

The portal listing includes Cabo Delgado, but the programme narrative names Nampula, Zambézia and Sofala, and the expression-of-interest document lists districts only in those provinces. The eligible geographical scope should not be resolved by assuming that Cabo Delgado is included or excluded. Ask UNICEF whether applications covering Cabo Delgado are eligible and which district list applies.

Proposals must provide a clear theory of change, measurable indicators, verification sources and monitoring of changes in norms, behaviours and results. A theory of change explains how activities are expected to contribute to change. The call cautions that increased reporting must be interpreted alongside identification and referral trends, rather than automatically treated as increased incidence.

Funding and application requirements

The portal directs applicants to the UN Partner Portal for further information and to apply. The supplied extracts do not establish another submission channel or an applicant-specific exception.

The supplied programme document template provides for a results framework and an implementation work plan and budget, including civil society organisation and UNICEF contributions. Its embedded Excel workbook can replace the specified results or work-plan sections. The partnership management plan is to be completed with UNICEF during finalisation; these template provisions alone do not establish an application-stage attachment requirement.

What must be submitted at the expression-of-interest stage, in which file formats and language? The portal lists an attachment and a concept note template, but the supplied extract does not specify the complete submission package or say that the separate programme document template must be submitted with the application. Check the portal instructions and ask UNICEF before preparing the final submission.

What funding is available, including any total allocation, per-project ceiling, applicant contribution and lot conditions? The portal’s indicative budget field contains a dash, and the supplied template shows contribution fields without establishing an award amount or a mandatory contribution. These figures should be confirmed rather than inferred from the template.

The application deadline is 11 December 2026. The portal lists 23 November 2026 as the clarification request deadline.

If the programme document budget is required at a later stage, how should the headquarters support cost base be calculated? The template labels it as a percentage of the cash component, while the embedded worksheet formula refers to a specific subtotal. Confirm the applicable base with UNICEF and check the original workbook and its formulas before using it; the extracted cells do not establish a project budget.

Recommendations

The detailed selection criteria make operational presence in proposed districts, relevant sector experience, case management and monitoring capacity, qualified staff and government coordination consequential to the application. Substantiate these capacities for the districts proposed rather than relying only on an organisation-wide description.

The mandatory areas need to work together rather than appear as unrelated activities: community-led plans and adolescent participation should connect to safe identification and functioning referral arrangements. The call also expects measurable results over a relatively short period while reducing reliance on civil society organisations. Explain how local actors and services will assume and sustain each responsibility, and show how the proposed sequence can produce credible results within the programme period.