Nutrition-Sensitive Social Protection: Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) in Vanuatu

Call description

The World Food Programme (WFP) seeks international and local non-governmental and civil society organisations as national delivery hubs under Field Level Agreements for the Vanuatu part of its nutrition-sensitive social protection project. Partners would work with government and community structures to deliver social and behaviour change communication (SBCC), supporting food security, nutrition and resilience. Household targeting covers those receiving or eligible for government social protection cash transfers, with priority to households with pregnant and lactating women and children under 5. The call also identifies broader primary and secondary audiences.

The detailed call describes an indicative 6-month project delivered in four stages. Its schedule gives an estimated start of 1 February 2027 and end of 30 July 2027; the proposal template uses the same implementation dates.

Priorities and eligibility

The mandatory partnership criteria require a legally registered, non-profit, non-political non-governmental organisation (NGO) in the country of implementation. All interested NGOs must also register on the UN Partner Portal (UNPP). The delivery description includes international and local NGOs and civil society organisations, but the mandatory NGO registration condition should be read alongside that description.

All NGOs must undergo WFP due diligence and implementing-partner assessment for protection from sexual exploitation and abuse. An NGO not verified through due diligence cannot become a WFP partner, regardless of proposal merit. The call does not state an application-stage completion date for this verification.

The mandatory criteria require that an NGO is not implicated in corruption, fraud or crimes against humanity. For an NGO that has previously applied for a WFP Field Level Agreement, the call also states that further cooperation is based on a finalised and successful performance evaluation; it does not specify an assessment date.

Required qualifications include relevant experience in SBCC, nutrition, social protection or community health/food security; presence and operational capacity in target locations; and the ability to work in challenging environments, including remote islands and cyclone-season access constraints. Mandatory criteria also call for established reporting, procurement and financial management systems, with two years of audited statements.

Separate WFP panels assess technical and financial proposals using weighted criteria. The detailed call lists clarity of activities and expected results at 30%, sector expertise and experience at 20%, project management at 20%, local experience and presence at 15%, and cost effectiveness at 15%. These are published criteria, not an assessment of any applicant.

Priority behaviours cover maternal, infant and young child feeding, dietary diversity, food and water security, drought and cyclone preparedness, and directing cash payouts towards improved dietary diversity. Messages must be translated, locally adapted and pre-tested with target audiences before rollout. Preparedness content must be specific to each country’s El Niño outlook, verified with the National Disaster Management Office. For countries without social protection payouts, the call directs messaging towards emergency preparedness and response and household dietary diversity; the supplied evidence does not establish whether that condition applies in Vanuatu.

The portal listing names Shefa as the location, while the detailed call names Tafea, Sanma, Malampa and Penama provinces. These locations should not be combined as a confirmed target area without clarification. Ask WFP which provincial list governs the application and verify the original table, since the supplied extraction splits one province name across passages.

Funding and application requirements

The detailed call instructs applicants to register and submit the complete proposal package only through UNPP, as a ZIP file. No alternative submission channel is stated in the supplied call extracts.

The ZIP application package must include a cover letter of intent signed by the head of the organisation, the project proposal narrative template in Annex 1 and the Field Level Agreement budget template in Annex 2. The proposal template also requests a narrative justifying major cost categories against the budget summary and a workplan and timeline within the implementation methodology. The inception report, implementation workplan and SBCC implementation plan are listed as project deliverables, rather than as additional application attachments.

Does the portal's concept note template have a separate submission role, or is the detailed call's proposal narrative template the required narrative? The portal labels an attachment as a concept note, whereas the detailed call names the project proposal narrative. Confirm the correct template with WFP and use the detailed call's stated package requirements unless clarified otherwise.

What language must the application documents use? The call requires strong English communication and reporting skills and regards Bislama fluency as desirable, but these passages do not establish a mandatory language for the proposal. Message translation and local adaptation are separate implementation requirements.

Programme implementation is subject to funds availability. The portal's indicative budget field shows a dash, so it does not establish an allocation or per-project ceiling in the supplied extract.

What funding is available for this Vanuatu partnership, and is there a maximum request or other budget limit? The portal extract does not give an indicative amount, although the application requires a budget template. Clarify these terms with WFP before fixing the scale of the proposal.

Recommendations

An organisation profile was not supplied, so its applicant category, registration, sector experience, geographical presence and operational or financial capacity cannot be assessed. Compare these conditions against the prospective lead organisation's records and confirm the target provinces before deciding whether to apply. A partnership with community groups may support delivery, but the supplied call does not establish that it replaces the lead organisation's mandatory conditions.

The proposal needs to connect the context analysis and behaviour-change pathways to existing social protection and community structures, rather than describe a standalone campaign. Show how proposed activities, target groups, delivery channels and the workplan lead to the expected results, and how local networks and government counterparts will support delivery. This responds both to the delivery model and to the weighted assessment of activities, local presence and management.