Program to Support Crisis Centers for Women in the Russian Federation

 

Call for Proposals from U.S. NGOs 

Program to Support Crisis Centers for Women in the Russian 
Federation

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is 
seeking applications from qualified U.S. nongovernmental 
organizations (NGOs) to implement the Program to Support Crisis 
Centers for Women in the Russian Federation.  The purpose of the 
program is to strengthen and provide support to the Russian 
institutions that provide crisis counseling and legal services to 
victims of domestic violence, that raise awareness of domestic 
violence issues among specialists and the general public, and 
that promote alternatives to violence.  This is a critical issue 
which needs an urgent response.

The Program to Support Crisis Centers for Women is designed as a 
two-year activity, with a possible one-year extension.  USAID 
could program up to $400,000 for the two-year life of this 
activity, subject to the availability of funds.


Other Donors  Support for Programs that Address Domestic Violence 
Issues 

A number of foreign donors sponsor programs in Russia in the area 
of domestic violence awareness and prevention.  These efforts 
range from a public-awareness and fundraising campaign recently 
conducted by the International Women's Club to the extensive 
programs funded by the Ford Foundation. Ford Foundation 
activities include public-education campaigns, providing training 
to crisis center staff, lawyers, doctors, and social workers on 
psychological and legal counseling, developing an Association of 
Crisis Centers, and an outreach, training, and small grants 
program to help establish new crisis centers in Siberia and 
Russian Far East.  The British Know How Fund supports a variety 
of training programs for attorneys, including a training-of-
trainers seminar for lawyers and counselors working with various 
target groups, and support production and distribution of 
brochures, pamphlets and other publications for women.  The Open 
Society Institute (OSI) conducts a small grants program for 
crisis centers to promote exchanges between Central and East 
European (CEE) countries and Russia that also provides training 
for CEE women at two Russian crisis centers.  A separate OSI 
small grants program that targets women's issues provides limited 
funding for projects which address violence against women.


U.S. Government Programs Addressing Domestic Violence Issues 

The Department of State has funded several programs conducted by 
NGOs such as Project Harmony, US-Russia/Connect and Sister Cities 
International.  These programs raise awareness of domestic 
violence issues, at the core targeting law enforcement officials.  
They bring together social workers, crisis center activists, 
lawmakers, health workers and law enforcement professionals.  The 
programs are being carried out in different localities in Russia 
and the U.S. to increase interaction in a multi-disciplinary 
approach to the problem of domestic violence.

USAID/Russia supported the establishment of a network of lawyers 
and crisis center counselors who respond to women's legal needs 
related to domestic violence and sexual assault; raise women's 
and the general public's awareness about legal rights and 
responsibilities in the area of domestic violence; and pressure 
government institutions to be more responsive to sexual assault 
and domestic violence cases.  Also, the American Bar 
Association/Central and East European Law Initiative (ABA/CEELI) 
conducts training for women's rights advocates and women 
attorneys on legal issues.  Topics include legal remedies and use 
of expert witnesses in domestic violence cases.  ABA/CEELI 
promotes continuing education and networking for lawyers, NGO 
activists, social workers and psychologists through monthly 
meetings on violence issues and advocacy.  ABA/CEELI also trains 
Russian judges on domestic violence-related issues.  Also, 
support for four Women's Wellness Centers through the American 
International Health Alliance (AIHA) Hospital Partnerships 
Program includes comprehensive primary care, education and 
counseling services for women, including counseling related to 
domestic violence.


Background:  Crisis Centers Addressing Issues of Domestic 
Violence in Russia

There are presently 32 crisis centers in Russia, with 57% 
officially registered as NGOs. A survey of crisis centers found 
that the average annual budget of a crisis center is under 
$40,000.  The crisis centers are in the process of forming and 
registering an Association of Crisis Centers to facilitate 
communication among network members and serve as a coordinating 
body in gathering statistics on domestic violence rates 
throughout Russia.  The Association hopes to become a viable 
network that can provide training, disseminate information, and 
publicize successful regional models. The Ford Foundation will 
sponsor a conference and other activities in 1999 to initiate the 
registration of the Association as a Anon-commercial 
partnership.@

Other longer-term needs and goals to address domestic violence 
include:
- Expanding the number of crisis centers
- Expanding access to crisis center services to rural locations 
- Increasing center's advocacy skills related to monitoring  
   legislation and promoting legal reform of both criminal and 
   civil provisions
- Establishing a legal network for lawyers involved with crisis 
   centers
- Creating pilot women's shelters
- Participating in overseas training in multi disciplinary 
   approaches to preventing domestic violence
- Expanding US-Russia partnerships


Program Objectives

The goal of this program is to strengthen and provide support to 
Russian institutions that provide crisis counseling and legal 
services to victims of domestic violence, that raise awareness of 
domestic violence issues among specialists and the general 
public, and that promote alternatives to violence.  Given USAID's 
limited resources to address domestic violence, USAID/Russia 
proposes that this assistance program directly support existing 
crisis centers through small grants for immediate needs and to 
provide funding to the Russian Association of Crisis Centers to 
develop their training, network development, data collection, 
outreach, advocacy and other programs as needed. 

a.  Support to Crisis Centers for Women

Russia's crisis centers for women have many immediate needs that 
could be met through a flexible small grants program.  These 
needs include:

-  funds to purchase (or print and publish) materials
-  funds to rent small office space
-  funds to operate a hotline
-  funds to purchase computers and other equipment
-  funds to pay for electronic mail, telephone, and fax   
   connections
-  funds to provide stipends to lawyers to provide consultations 
   and court representation
-  training on psychological and legal counseling for staff and 
   volunteers
-  training on organizational development, financial management, 
   fundraising, grant proposal writing, and social marketing for 
   staff and volunteers
-  leadership training
-  improving collaboration with local government authorities, law 
   enforcement and legislative bodies, and health care providers


The Application should describe the applicant's proposed approach 
for a competitive small grants program to directly support the 
most immediate needs of crisis centers taking into account issues 
of sustainability and capacity of the resource centers to use 
outside funding.  The applicant should recommend proposed size of 
small grants and method of competition and award of small grants.  
An important aspect will be the applicant's capacity to move 
quickly to get needed resources to the centers.

b.  Support to the Association of Russian Crisis Centers  

The applicant should propose an approach to working with and 
supporting the association taking into account the nascent nature 
of the association and planned other donor assistance for the 
association.


Deadline: Applications must be received by 3:00 p.m. March 5, 
1999, at the USAID office in Moscow.

Applications are available online at:

	http://www.info.usaid.gov/ftp_data/pub/OP/RFA/11899004/


For more information contact:

Orion Yeandel
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
NOVINSKY BOULEVARD 19/23
MOSCOW 121099 RUSSIA 
Tel: +7 (095) 956-4281	
Fax: +7 (095) 960-2140
E-mail: oyeandel@usaid.gov
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Last updated:    February 17, 1999