Providing support services to migrant workers in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Providing support services to migrant workers in

Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

20 February 2024

 

 

The ILO invites civil society organizations – including trade unions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations and faith-based organizations – to submit applications to receive technical assistance and financial support for provision of support services to migrant workers in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak

 

Application deadline: Wednesday, 20 March 2024

 

 

 

The ILO has been collaborating with civil society organizations in Malaysia since 2012 to provide migrant workers with various services, including counselling, community outreach, capacity building, case management and worker organizing activities. These services have been provided through Migrant Worker Resource Centers (MRCs) operated by various ILO partners in Kuala Lumpur/Selangor, Johor and Penang.[1]

 

Through this call for proposals, the ILO aims to expand its collaboration to more organizations that directly provide services to migrant workers, and to extend initiatives to Sabah and Sarawak. The ILO offers technical and financial support to trade unions, NGOs, community-based organizations, and faith-based organizations for provision of support service to migrant workers in Peninsular and Eastern Malaysia. Partnerships between emerging migrant community-based organizations and more established trade unions, and/or NGOs are particularly encouraged.

 

Technical and financial assistance to successful proposals will be provided through the ILO’s Migrant Workers Empowerment and Advocacy (MWEA) Project, implemented with support from the United States Department of Labour (USDOL). The MWEA project aims to ensure that the rights of women and men migrant workers are protected in Malaysia. The project focuses on empowering Malaysian trade unions and civil society to better support migrant workers in the realization of their rights; empowering women and men migrant workers to realize their rights; inspiring the Malaysian public to demonstrate increased support for the rights and welfare of migrant workers; and strengthening Malaysia’s policy frameworks and mechanisms on wage protection and fair recruitment.

 

 

Proposed activities:

 

1. Should directly benefit women and men migrant workers working in Peninsular and Eastern Malaysia in sectors including but not limited to plantations, manufacturing, construction and domestic work. Proposals may be tailored to target specific migrant communities, geographic locations and/or sectors. Target beneficiaries can be regular or irregular women and men migrant workers of any nationality.

 

Proposed services to migrant workers may involve, among others:

• Community outreach, information sharing, counselling
• Trainings (such as on labour rights, wage protection, fair recruitment, community leadership, seeking redress, financial literacy etc)
• Organizing and network building among migrant workers
• Case management, referrals, legal aid
• Shelter and other forms of assistance related to labour issues for women and men migrant workers
• Awareness raising and advocacy events

 

1. May also include initiatives to improve the internal operational capacities, knowledge and skills of the staff, volunteers, and key partners of implementing organizations.

 

Proposed activities should be practical, implementable, and achievable within 12 to 18 months.  

 

 

 

Trade unions, NGOs, community-based organizations and faith- based organizations providing direct services to migrant workers in Peninsular and Eastern Malaysia are all eligible to submit a proposal.

Eligible applicants must:

• Be a registered organization
• Have a bank account in the name of the organization
• Have financial management skills and systems in place

 

Unregistered community-based organizations are encouraged to apply in partnership with registered trade unions and/or NGOs.

 

 

 

 

 

The ILO will deliver two types of support to successful applicants:

• Technical assistance may include coaching and training on case management and documentation, labour rights, report writing, financial management, or any other identified capacity building needs, as agreed with the implementing partner.
• Financial support of up to USD 40,000 towards the implementation of proposed intervention for a maximum of 18 months

 

A continuation of the collaboration may be available to organizations with satisfactory performance, pending resource availability.

 

 

 

Applicants must prepare SEPARATE narrative and budget proposals. DO NOT include any budget details in the narrative proposal.

 

The Narrative Proposal should include:

• Brief description of the organization(s) implementing the proposal.
• Justification for planned activities (What issues do you plan to address?)
• Description of activities (What you plan to do? What results do you aim to achieve?)
• Description of beneficiaries (Who will benefit and how?)
• Description of target locations (Where?)
• Work plan (Time frame of proposed activities)
• Description of roles and responsibilities of organizations and staff involved in the work, including division of the work between partners, if applicable.

 

The Budget Proposal should:

• Align with the Outcome / Output / Activity plans as structured and outlined in the Narrative Proposal

• Include detailed line-item budget (How much does each activity cost?)

 

Applicants are requested to prepare their proposal on the NARRATIVE AND BUDGET PROPOSAL TEMPLATES provided by the ILO (attached).

 

 

 

Priority will be given to proposals that demonstrate the following characteristics:

• Quality and coherence of the proposal (20%): A good proposal sets clear objectives, provides detailed outputs and activities, and defines a realistic work plan and budget with concrete steps to achieving the expected results.
• Capacity and potential of implementing organization(s) (30): Proposals should demonstrate the implementing organizations’ ability to reach the intended target beneficiaries, successfully conduct activities, and manage the project in a professional manner.
• Strategic match (20%): Strategic interventions proposed by applicants should address critical gaps in services currently available to migrant workers in Malaysia, as well as use rights-based and gender-responsive approaches.
• Value for money (30%): Budget proposals will be evaluated based on the most advantageous combination of cost-effective operations, quality services, and sustainability to meet requirements.

 

Proposals will be reviewed by MWEA team and relevant ILO technical specialists. Shortlisted organizations may be asked to provide additional information or details during the review process. The decision of the selection committee will be announced by Friday 5 April 2024

 

 

 

Applicants are requested to submit narrative and budget proposals in SEPARATE EMAILS. Proposals that have the narrative and budget proposals sent together in one email will not be considered. There should be no mention of the budget in the narrative proposal.

Proposals should be submitted electronically by Wednesday, 20 March 2024 to ILOKLOFFICE@ilo.org with “MWEA PROJECT MRC – Narrative Proposal ” and “MWEA PROJECT MRC – Budget Proposal ”  as the subject of the emails.

Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

 

For further information and queries, please email Florida Sandanasamy (sandanasamy@ilo.org), National Project Coordinator, MWEA Project with CC to Catherine Laws (laws@ilo.org), Project Manager, MWEA Project.