Adaptation Challenge: Supporting Pragmatic Solutions for 2021 and Beyond 

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented counter-trafficking in persons (CTIP) practitioners with challenges across almost all aspects of programming. One major concern is the lack of ability to reach and provide direct services for survivors and returned migrants. However, as committed CTIP practitioners in Asia, we continue to find ways to work around our limitations and meet our goals.  

Many civil society and service delivery organizations have adapted current approaches to support survivors and returned migrants in an online or remote environment. Many are working in new ways: for example, by integrating simple technology into everyday programming or instigating on the ground, participatory methods. 

The purpose of the USAID Asia CTIP’s 2021 Adaptation Challenge is to highlight, showcase, and strengthen some of the most impactful and innovative practices in the region. The aim is to share practices widely to promote improved service delivery to survivors and returned migrants. 

NGOs/CSOs providing direct services to survivors of human trafficking and returned migrants in Asia and who have created or turned to remote, innovative solutions as a direct result of mobility challenges stemming from COVID-19, are invited to submit a proposal to the Adaptation Challenge.  

Up to five finalists will be invited to present at the Evidence2Action Conference on December 1-2, 2021. The finalists will be able to share their novel approaches with the wider CTIP community. The aim is to widely demonstrate how these methods and approaches may be used by other organizations to reach and support survivors and returned migrants in an online/remote environment. 
 

Following the Conference, USAID Asia CTIP will select one grantee out of the five finalists and may award a small grant up to 30,000 USD. The grant can be used to fund the testing and documentation of innovative service delivery solutions in an online or remote environment. Funds can be used to scale up or replicate the adaptation/innovation/pragmatic solution.  

Applicants must demonstrate their financial or in-kind contribution to an ongoing or planned program; USAID Asia CTIP will fund the documentation and testing of innovative solutions within/as part of ongoing projects/programs and as part of a long-term strategy to improve assistance. 

The grant must include plans for action research. Findings from the action research should be used to produce a short learning paper that will be published and disseminated widely.  

Competition
 

Submissions must be sent via email by October 21st, 2021, at 11:59 pm ICT with:  

• A budget of no more than 30,000 USD (to include an action research component/learning paper and demonstrating internal contributions) 

• A timeline 

• A maximum of four pages (Times New Roman 12) including:
  
  1) The team approach to the innovation (and what is so innovative about it); where in the process the innovation is (e.g., designed but not initiated or in progress); expected final outcomes; and expected long-term changes to the organization/practices 
  
  2) A short organizational biography / presentation and / or team biography
   

 Excluded from funding:  

• Design or development of new applications (Apps) 

• Design or development of entirely new program or project
   

Included in funding:

USAID Asia CTIP, implemented by Winrock International, hopes to fund a project or organization that does direct service delivery through online means – examples might include online mental health services, online safe migration services, or remote needs assessments. USAID Asia CTIP reserves the right to issue multiple or no awards base on the quality of applications received.
 

USAID Asia CTIP may contact finalists for additional information.
For any questions or clarifications, please reach out.

Q&A Session
 

Join us on October 11th at 3pm ICT for a Q&A Session.