Bokamoso Activity | 72067424RFA00005

Opportunity Information: Apply for 72067424RFA00005

The Bokamoso Activity is a USAID-funded cooperative agreement opportunity focused on reducing HIV risk and improving overall wellbeing for children and young people in Lesotho, with a strong emphasis on those facing the highest vulnerability. The activity is designed to support the Government of Lesotho (GOL) and its multi-sector strategies for HIV mitigation and prevention by delivering a package of comprehensive services for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) across all ten districts in the country, while also implementing DREAMS HIV prevention interventions in four priority districts: Berea, Maseru, Mafeteng, and Mohale's Hoek. In addition to direct services, the activity also includes programming meant to strengthen the broader enabling environment for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and, where appropriate, adolescent boys and young men (ABYM), with the intent that these improvements benefit youth more broadly.

At its core, Bokamoso is meant to integrate proven HIV prevention approaches with practical, day-to-day supports that help young people stay healthy, safe, and connected to services. USAID expects the implementer to use innovative strategies that reach the most vulnerable OVC and AGYW and measurably improve access to accurate HIV information, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, social protection mechanisms, violence prevention services, and pathways to educational and economic opportunity. The design recognizes that HIV vulnerability is driven by overlapping factors like poverty, school dropout, gender-based violence, limited access to youth-friendly health services, and unequal power dynamics, so the activity is meant to address these drivers together rather than in isolation.

A major feature of the opportunity is the expectation of strong integration between OVC programming and DREAMS programming in the DREAMS-targeted districts. USAID is clear that OVC and DREAMS services should not run as separate tracks; they must be delivered in a seamless and coordinated way to improve efficiency and produce stronger combined outcomes. This includes aligning referral systems, case management approaches, service delivery points, and monitoring so that beneficiaries experience the program as one connected set of supports rather than disconnected projects. For broader structural interventions meant to shift the environment around AGYW (and potentially ABYM), applicants are expected to follow DREAMS guidance, which typically emphasizes layered interventions that reduce risk and increase protective factors at individual, family, community, and systems levels.

Sustainability is not treated as an add-on in this activity. It must be mainstreamed across all program areas so that key services and priorities can continue beyond the life of the award. That means planning from the start to align with existing and planned GOL structures, systems, and processes, and building durable linkages with government and community systems that can maintain core functions such as service coordination, youth-friendly referrals, violence response pathways, and social protection connections. The opportunity signals that USAID is looking for an approach that strengthens local systems rather than creating parallel ones, and that can demonstrate a realistic path to continuity after external funding decreases.

From an administrative and funding perspective, this is a discretionary funding opportunity from USAID (Agency: USAID-Pretoria, South Africa) under a cooperative agreement mechanism, meaning USAID expects substantial involvement during implementation compared to a standard grant. The program falls under the health category and is associated with CFDA number 98.001. USAID anticipates making one award, with an award ceiling of up to $60,000,000. The funding opportunity number is 72067424RFA00005, and the opportunity title is Bokamoso Activity. The original closing date listed for applications was March 12, 2024, and the posting indicates it was created on February 12, 2024.

Eligibility is a key restriction for this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Applications are limited to local entities in the Southern Africa region, and this restriction applies specifically to the principal or prime applicant. Only organizations that meet USAID's definition of a local organization as described in Section C.1 of the NOFO are eligible to apply as the prime. This restriction is tied to PEPFAR FY 2020 Country Operational Plan guidance, reflecting a broader push toward locally led implementation and strengthening regional ownership of HIV prevention and OVC support programming.

Overall, Bokamoso is structured as a large, country-spanning activity with targeted DREAMS intensification in four districts, aiming to reduce HIV vulnerability among children and youth through integrated prevention, protection, and opportunity-building interventions. It emphasizes layered support for AGYW, comprehensive OVC services nationwide, tight alignment with PEPFAR guidance for both OVC and DREAMS, and strong sustainability planning anchored in Government of Lesotho systems and long-term service continuity.

• The South Africa USAID-Pretoria in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bokamoso Activity" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-02-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-03-12. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $60,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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