Attention all NEDsters, LiA Kireka members and LiA Gulu members

This pre-announcement of a planned ned voting process to select Ugandan community proposed skills training projects that Life in Africa will raise funds for this year is for all of you!

WE CENTERS!!: start registering as many of your community members as you can at ned.com to enable their voting rights in this process.

I've asked Haney to take a look at the following contest description to offer some advice on how it would need to be managed. Before finalizing and announcing the start date for proposal submission I would like other folks' views as well - especially those of you who have participated in previous funding allocation processes, and those of you who might already have ideas for training you want to champion in Uganda.

Can this work? Are there any adjustments you think might be necessary? Or ways we can enhance the process described?

LiA CAN! Skills training workshop proposals (Q1-2008)

Life in Africa’s Cooperative Artisans Network program provides assistance to communities of African craftmakers for skills training, group production opportunities and product promotion.

Life in Africa Foundation is now accepting proposals from LiA partner CBOs in Gulu and Kireka, for LiA CAN! group production skills training workshop ideas. A grand total of 6 proposals for member skills training workshops will be selected through a participative programming process, to receive fundraising assistance through the Life in Africa WE Network for implementation during the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2008.

Proposal Submission & Funding Procedure:

1. Online Champions

Every proposal submitted in this Q1 2008 round of participative Life in Africa programming must have an online champion who is a Life in Africa CBO member in Kampala-Kireka or Gulu. No project champion may represent more than 2 projects in this competition. CBOs are encouraged to strategize among your membership to develop a range of proposals that represent skills training that members want.

2. Draft submissions required by 15 Feb

All workshop proposals must be posted online by the project champion in a workspace that links to a corresponding proposal discussion in the LiA-global group at ned.com, by no later than 15 February 2008.

3. Final submissions due by 1 March

Discussion between project champions and the global community at ned.com is encouraged for the purpose of refining the proposals through 1 March and rallying voter support. All proposal workspaces will be locked on 1 March, to enable global and Ugandan members of ned.com to vote during a 1 week online poll for their favorite LiA CAN! workshop ideas.

4. Voting period at ned.com 1-7 March

Every ned.com member who is registered by 1 March 2008 will be entitled to vote for their top 2 favorite skills training workshops until 7 March 2008. Participating CBOs are encouraged to register as many members as possible at ned.com prior to 1 March to enable their online voting rights in this process.

5. LiA fundraising for top 3 voter favorites - mid march through full funding

In March, Life in Africa will launch online fundraising campaigns for the winning 3 skills training workshop ideas voted on by ned.com members. Chip-in fundraising campaigns will be established and promoted at lifeinafrica.com, ned.com, and facebook, for implementation during the 2nd quarter of 2008 (April-May-June) on a schedule of 1 workshop per month, in the order they are fully funded.

Fundraising campaigns for the next 3 winning skills training workshop ideas will be launched through the Life in Africa WE Network in June, for 1 workshop/month implementation in the order they are funded during the 3rd quarter of 2008 (Jul-Aug-Sep).

A new round of participative programming for LiA CAN! production skills development training to take place in 2009 will take place during the 4th quarter of 2008, and will invite additional LiA partner CBOs to submit proposals.

6. Center overhead fees and reporting requirements for winning proposals

In creating fundraising campaigns for the winning proposals, an additional amount will be added to each workshop budget to include a contribution to center overhead costs for hosting the training and independent internet4change event reporting.

In addition to independent reporting organized by Life in Africa Foundation, each project champion will additionally be expected to add post-event comments to the proposal discussion at ned.com that answer the following 5 questions:

• What went right with the workshop plan?
• What went wrong or could have gone better?
• How many people attended & what did they learn?
• What was the overall best outcome from the workshop?
• What do you think members plan to do with their new skills?

Failure of any project champion to add the answers to these questions within 5 days of a workshop that has been financed through LiA will disqualify that individual from participating in the Q4 2008 participative programming process as a project champion.

7. Competitive voter selection only (no quotas for participating CBOs)

There are no award quotas for either of the participating CBOs – as long as no individual champion submits more than 2 workshop proposals, each CBO membership is invited to submit as many proposals as they can as a group, and to win as many of the 6 fundraising campaigns as they can gain local and global community support for at ned.com. The merit of each proposal will determine which CBO receives LiA fundraising assistance for which skills training workshops in 2008, and on what schedule.

8. Proposal Template & Instructions

Your proposal must include the following information 1. proposed workshop subject 2. leaders, participants & skills involved 3. proposed trainer(s) and training schedule 4. itemized workshop budget 5. member opportunity analysis

Proposals are also welcome to include links, photos and/or video to enhance the proposal workspace presentations.

Find additional tips and instructions in the LiA CAN! training workshop proposal template at Q1_liacan_workshop_template

(haven't made the template yet... awaiting feedback on the contest structure outlined above from all of you)