Argentina: S/GWI Project Proposals

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000200 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KWMN KPAO PHUM AID CDC COM TRSY AR SUBJECT: Argentina: S/GWI Project Proposals REF: 09 STATE 132094 Embassy Buenos Aires received two project proposals for the Small Grants Initiative run by the Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues (reftel). The Embassy strongly supports the project proposal entitled: "Argentina's Bicentennial: A Country of Healthy Women." This project would be implemented by the Liga Argentina de Lucha Contra El Cancer (LALCEC) with overall grant oversight performed by the Embassy's Public Affairs Section (PAS). This project was developed by LALCEC with input from our PAS and Environment, Science, Technology, and Health (ESTH) offices. The Embassy also supports the "Women's Leadership and Comprehensive Social Development Program" of the "Kids of the Green Millennium" Foundation, for which PAS would have grant oversight. The first submission is verbatim from the proposal received. The second required translation and editing as the initially-submitted proposal was 20 pages and in Spanish. Both are available in Microsoft Word versions upon request. -------------- -------------- A - "Argentina's Bicentennial: A Country of Healthy Women" -------------- -------------- ¶1. Summary: A Country of Healthy Women was developed by Liga Argentina de Lucha Contra El Cancer (LALCEC) with support from Embassy Buenos Aires. Argentina has a low awareness rate of cancer risks, the importance of early detection, and treatment possibilities. Research has shown that a large percentage of Argentine women say they "do not want to hear people talk about cancer," and believe that "cancer is always a mortal disease." The focus of this proposal is educating women about cancer detection and treatment, empowering them to speak more openly about cancer, and reducing smoking rates among young women. ¶2. Problem to be Addressed: A low level of awareness of cancer risks, the importance of early detection, and treatment among Argentine women, particularly young women. One out of four people contract cancer at some point of their life. In the United States, the cancer mortality rate has dropped significantly due to sustained efforts to educate the population about cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, but Argentine women do not have equivalent levels of awareness. Breast and uterine cancer are first and second on the list of cancer mortality rates in Argentine women. Lung cancer is fourth, caused partly by high rates of women smokers. WHO statistics show that Argentina has among the highest rates of female smokers in the world, with the highest rates in the 15-18 year age group (in this age group, the smoking rate is actually higher among girls than boys). ¶3. Project Summary: The project consists of a nation-wide program on cancer prevention and health education for Argentine women, especially adolescents, utilizing both traditional outreach method and new technologies and social media. The three focus areas are: 1) breast cancer, 2) uterine cancer, and 3) tobacco and cancer. LALCEC will administer the project with the assistance of Embassy Buenos Aires. The program will be nation-wide, utilizing LALCEC's pre-existing network of 144 representatives. The primary challenge in Argentina is engaging the community on the topics of cancer risks for women. Local research and studies show that Argentine women do not want to talk about cancer, primarily out of fear. Women assume that cancer is painful and untreatable and therefore choose ignorance rather than vigilance. LALCEC and Embassy Buenos Aires aim to create fresh, youth-focused programming that encourage women to be more open about women's health issues, addressing topics such as self-detection and what to do if they suspect they have a tumor. With health education not common in schools, LALCEC will reach out to a young audience through school presentations and the use of new media that communicates with them directly. The program will also enhance outreach to the community at large and the medical community to educate them about women's cancer prevention, detection, and treatment. The proposal includes scheduled workshops and lectures, dissemination of information through the media, design of didactic materials to complement outreach, video conferences between Argentine and American cancer experts, and design of a new social media campaign. The new media campaign will include use of websites, blogs, on-line forums, Messenger, Facebook, Flicker, and YouTube. The project will have a duration of one year. ¶4. Project Details: The four components of this projects are: 1) inform women and girls about cancer prevention and treatment in 90 LALCEC branches; 2) design of a new-media campaign using websites, blogs, on-line forums, Messenger, Facebook, YouTube, Flicker, and other available new media; 3) design of training programs for the LALCEC's representatives and volunteers who are responsible for doing outreach to the communities; and 4) promotion of professional exchanges between cancer doctors from Argentina and the U.S. using DVC technology. Detailed explanation: 1) 90 of LALCEC's branches will be responsible for community outreach. Each branch will organize one public lecture to the community, three school presentations, six press interviews, and regular dissemination of information via mail and e-mail. 2) Post will help LALCEC in its effort to reach a broader and younger audience. a) A revamped LALCEC website will include expanded information, interactive chats, and on-line forums. Banners and wallpapers with relevant messages will be available for free download. b) The campaign will include opening Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr accounts. Argentina has over 6.5 million Facebook accounts and 5.2 million YouTube accounts, making these among the most effective tools for reaching a young audience. The campaign Facebook page will include quizzes and interactive games. Public events will be recorded and uploaded to YouTube for future viewing. Links to such items will be distributed to LALCEC and Embassy contacts (Embassy Buenos Aires already has 10,000 friends on Facebook). c) Pictures from activities will also be loaded into a public Flickr gallery accessible from the LALCEC website. d) Depending on available funding, LALCEC and the Embassy will approach major cell phone companies in Argentina to design a text messaging campaign, which could reach a potential audience of up to 10 million people. e) LALCEC will hire a part-time intern solely dedicated to managing new media campaigns and researching other new media opportunities. 3) LALCEC will train over 200 volunteers at its annual convention, who will be sent out to train other volunteers in their communities. It will also hold training workshops at the 90 participating LALCEC branches, conducted by LALCEC doctors and specialists. 4) The Embassy will organize quarterly DVCs between Argentine and American specialists in the areas of cancer prevention and treatment. With new technology, these DVCs can be transmitted to doctors in four cities across the country, greatly increasing the audience. The Argentine Health Ministry is in the process of founding a National Cancer Institute, which the Embassy and NIH are supporting. With these ties, the Embassy will be able to unite LALCEC and the new Institute in cancer outreach opportunities. ¶5. Desired outcomes and performance measures: 1) Lectures and presentations (direct contact, through each of 90 branches): aim to reach 50 people/branch by lectures, 300 through school visits, and 200 through document distribution. Total number of direct contacts: 49,500 people. Evaluation: Registration of attendees, press reports. 2) New media campaign (indirect contact): Website: 500,000 visits/year; Facebook: 10,000 fans; YouTube: 5,000 viewers; text messaging: 50,000 messages. Total indirect contact for the campaign: 565,000. The self-sustaining nature of on-line resources will allow this outreach to continue to reap benefits beyond the one-year project. Evaluation: Quarterly count of visits/hits, compilation of blog and Facebook comments, and received e-mails. 3) Volunteer training program: 200 through annual national conference, 1,000 through branch training programs. Evaluation: Each participant will be evaluated by the doctors who provide the training. 4) Cancer prevention/treatment DVCs: 80 participants in each of four DVCs. Evaluation: Registration of participants in the DVCs. ¶6. Detailed Budget: (All amounts in USD) Lectures and Presentations: Public lectures: Honorarium for 90 speakers ($100/presentation): $9,000 School presentations: Honorarium for 90 speakers, each visiting three schools ($100/presentation): $27,000 Graphic design, printing services: $3,420 Press campaign/Advertising campaign: $12,000 Total: $51,420 New Media campaign: Design services: $4,500 Web and online campaign: $2,500 Intern's salary for one year: $5,000 Facebook ad campaign $4,000 Total: $16,000 Training programs for volunteers: Annual Convention Organization: $11,600 (Rental of venue, equipment, catering) Information package production to distribute to branches: $970 Workshops audio/tech equipments: $970 Total: $13,540 DVCs between Argentine and American specialists in cancer prevention and treatment: Honorarium for speakers: $800 Admin costs for DVCs: $800 Meetings with doctors to promote DVC and campaign: $2,100 Graphic design/Information packages/DVD productions for doctors: $3,000 Total: $6,700 Launching of campaign: Representation costs for launch reception: $5,340 Program evaluation: Development of measurement indicators and follow up: $2,600 Evaluation and measurements guide: $2,600 Quarterly Reports: $900 Final Report: $900 Total: $7,000 Total budget: $100,000 Matching funds: If State Department grant of $100,000 is approved, LALCEC will contribute $55,400 that will be needed to implement the communication strategy across its 144 branches. These matching funds will be used to cover professional honorariums for the training program, representational events to publicize the campaign, and administrative costs to manage the grant. TOTAL COST OF ONE YEAR PROGRAM: $155,400 To be covered by State Department: $100,000 To be covered by LALCEC: $55,400 ¶7. Recipient Organization: Founded in 1921, LALCEC is the leading Argentine non-governmental organization specializing in cancer prevention, education, early detection and patient assistance. LALCEC is headquartered in Buenos Aires and has 144 branches across Argentina which will participate in this project, giving it a comprehensive national effect. LALCEC regularly participates in regional and international networks, including the International Union Against Cancer and the Association of Iberoamerican Leagues Against Cancer; the experiences and materials that result from this project can be shared for use regionally through these networks. In order to demonstrate full transparency to the organizations and individuals who support it, LALCEC hires Deloitte to perform external audits. Mrs. Maria Ines Marchigiani de Ucke is the President of the organization and has participated in several State Department programs. Ms. Marchigiani de Ucke also traveled to the U.S. in 2007 to participate in the White House Conference of the Americas. -------------- -------------- -- B - "Women's Leadership and Comprehensive Social Development Program" -------------- -------------- -- Introduction: This program was designed by a multidisciplinary team of professionals and specialists from the "Los Chicos del Milenio Verde" Foundation (Foundation "The Kids of the Green Millenium"), in cooperation with the Ministry of Production of the Province of Buenos Aires; the Center for Communication and Gender, Department of Journalism of the National University of La Plata; the Directorate of Social Economy and Municipal Women's Council of the Municipality of La Plata. The program was developed for implementation in the municipality of La Plata (which includes: the City of La Plata, which is the capital of the Province of Buenos Aires, and the adjacent cities of Berisso, Ensenada, Magdalena, Punta Indio and Brandsen. This region has a population of 754,389 inhabitants.) Statement Identifying the Problem: The particular region mentioned is a major urban area, though mostly low income and with many people well below the poverty line. For this particular reason, a great percentage of women are undereducated and victims of domestic violence. Project Description The central idea of the project prioritizes, as one of its strategic goals, the comprehensive development of women by stimulating their potential through participation and organization in the social, economic, political, and cultural life of their communities and through the full exercise of their rights. We believe that by creating opportunities for the emergence and strengthening of women leaders, capable of formulating and implementing policies for integration, with a wider reach from grassroots organizations and through the transformational power of women in our society, we can create a true democracy. For this purpose, we will implement different projects: --Promoting women's economic development. Business incubators with a gender-oriented perspective - Bicentennial Fair - Virtual Fairs. --Development of skills for using information technology resources. --Prevention of gender-related domestic violence and assistance for its victims. --Training and education throughout our area of responsibility; workshops for strengthening family relationships, prevention and counseling of domestic violence. --Promoting awareness of women's rights. --Women leadership development in business, health, politics, and culture. --Promoting awareness and commemoration of women historical contributions. --Consolidation of a "Best Practices" database on multiple issues. These projects will aim to restore the social and productive role of women in the local community through effective and coordinated involvement. Therefore, these projects will be implemented and managed by a partnership between NGOs and the public and private sector. "Businesses Incubators with a Gender Perspective" Project: (Gender dimension and local development)Summary The "Businesses Incubators with a Gender Perspective" Project aims to provide training for 2,250 underprivileged women, in order for them to achieve economic autonomy by developing their own business projects. This initiative will provide, through participation in conferences, seminars, workshops, and gatherings, the opportunity for women from poor neighborhoods to present their project ideas, develop new ideas, develop the skills necessary to implement their projects and see a successful outcome. It will also attempt to increase women's awareness of their own individual abilities and potential, and how to maximize them in order to generate a productive, self-managed project that can provide economic autonomy and a better quality of life. The project will constantly produce materials resulting from the discussions and new proposals that may arise from our workshops, in order to share the experience with the community and to set precedent for public policies. We will also develop a system to constantly monitor and evaluate the program during its execution and development, and to keep track of its application. As a result, this tool will also provide up-to-date information about the local development, gender perspectives, and employment variables. Giving projects a "gender perspective" means the particular ways in which these projects or enterprises must be developed and managed differently by women and men in order to be successful. This is due to female entrepreneurs' unique needs, such as caring for their children, family, and the elderly, and managing periods of pregnancy and post-natal care. We believe that women can and should be active citizens and agents of change by committing to meaningful projects that will change their own families, their communities, and society in general. Understanding the complexity of women's issues and how they are intertwined with all other society issues is essential in order to avoid segregating them into a separate, isolated topic. This proposal intends to attack and address this complexity in its program. The project aims to address the consequences of gender discrimination and exclusion and seeks to reduce problems with malnutrition, health, education, culture, and social development. Most importantly, this project wants to empower women. In addition, these trained women will be able to replicate the wealth of knowledge acquired through organizing and starting up a productive enterprise, helping to multiply the initiative's effects in their communities. On the other hand, it will allow us to produce and systematize statistical and referential information useful for planning and designing other programs and projects for the comprehensive development of women. General Objetive: To promote local development from a gender perspective, through the development of productive start ups projects. Desired Outcome: ¶1. To relieve the existing social demand for start ups and its development from a gender perspective. ¶2. To promote development from a local perspective focused on gender. ¶3. To generate a project methodology with a gender perspective. ¶4. To develop productive and sustainable projects that have a positive impact in economic growth and social thrust, reflected in a better quality of life. ¶5. To develop methods for monitoring and evaluation. ¶6. To produce relevant data on gender and local development/impact. ¶7. To develop a marketing and communication strategy to effectively promote social issues. ¶8. To develop awareness programs for female entrepreneurs and integration in vocational skills development. ¶9. To consistently increment entrepreneur quotas and consolidate the program. ¶10. To promote and provide a business/entrepreneurial culture to everyone involved. ¶11. To strive to create employment opportunities, wealth, and social welfare through the creation of new start ups and consolidation of existing ones. ¶12. To develop skills that will allow entrepreneurs to grow and strengthen their business, in order to enter the economic mainstream. ¶13. To offer a common space for information gathering, skills development, networking, and access to multiple channels to offer and promote their products. ¶14. To offer financial and credit options to that will support growth of current small business and development of new ones. Incubator model The Incubator model will promote the development of existing start ups through strategies of productivities, and of new projects by identifying new, solid business opportunities that will allow economic development. Goals: --2,250 women skilled in the development of start-ups/small businesses. --Available mentoring by four top business/entrepreneurial experts. --Available tutoring by 30 advanced business/entrepreneurial university students. --Partnership with four Financial/Credit Institutions. --Partnership with 20 product distribution chains for the commercialization of product and services. Stages: The incubation process has three stages; all three stages will be offered tutorial service and expert advice. Pre incubation: --At this stage, the new entrepreneur will learn basic business and technological policies in order to define a structured idea. For this process to work, courses, guides, and advice will be offered to identify business ideas. At the end of this stage, the new entrepreneur will be prepared with a structured business idea. Incubation: --The incubation stage begins once the entrepreneurs and their ideas are approved. In this stage, there is also the possibility of an entrepreneur with an already established idea to participate. In the first scenario, the entrepreneur will participate directly in the incubation process. In the second scenario, an entrepreneur with an already established business idea will receive basic technological training if needed, and the business idea will be defined and managed in a formal way. If at least one of these answers is negative, then the trained entrepreneur with their own business project will initiate their own training process. --Once the incubation process is finished, the entrepreneur will be trained, will have a formal business plan, and will have possibilities for sustainability. Post incubation: --In this stage, the entrepreneur is given support to let the new business grow and consolidate, as well as having a business diagnosis provided by a public or private organism. When this stage is finished the entrepreneur will have two options. One is to graduate and to continue working on their new business, while the other would be to allow accelerated growth of their business. Recipient Organization The NGO "Los Chicos del Milenio Verde Foundation," is an independent, non-profit organization whose principal mission is environmental education by caring for the environment and by social participation in activities that increase quality of life in the population, ensuring the welfare of the planet now and in the future. It supports safe environmental policies, conservation of biodiversity, and proper use of natural resources. This institution's goal is sustained through actions and policies in: environmental education, communication, legislation, and training; promoting citizens' commitment to care for the environment; and by stimulating government responsibility in the execution of coordinated activities between NGOs, the public and private sector, and the community. WEBSITE: www.fundaciondeloschicosdelmilenioverde.org Budget: Areas Price By unit TOTAL 18 months Supplies: (360 workshops x 18 Months) execution/monitoring & evaluation/promotional equipment) 736.00 13,248.00 Awareness campaigns x 3 2,000.00 6,000.00 WEBSITE ($40 x mo/18mo) Design and maintenance 39.07 703.14 TRAINING HRS 5760 hrs. x $ 7.88 (360 workshops @ 16 hrs ea/mo 2,521.60 45,388.80 3 Seminars (Catering, Equipment rental -sound, projector, screen ) Manpower and Speakers 2,094..25 6282.73 Per diem and Transportation x18 mo 628.27 11,308.90 Publications, Copies x 18 mo 450.49 8,108.82 Administrative expenses 445.00 8,010.00 TOTAL $99,050.39 MARTINEZ