Call for Proposals: Youth Organizations for the Community-Led Advocacy and Digital Spaces for the Safety of Women and Girls in West Africa

The SAFE project, implemented by UN Women in West Africa with support from the Ford Foundation, addresses the alarming prevalence of gender based violence and digital abuse across the region. Highlighting stark statistics, such as 14 million women experiencing intimate partner violence annually and 42 percent affected by female genital mutilation, the initiative targets harmful social norms, toxically constructed masculinities, and emerging technology-facilitated abuse like AI-generated deepfakes. By leveraging West Africa's vibrant youth demographic, feminist movements, and expanding digital platforms, SAFE seeks to create safer physical and online spaces while generating regional evidence and fostering community accountability.

While implementation will concentrate on Senegal, Nigeria, and Ghana, the project maintains a regional mandate aimed at generating scalable learning, prevention models, and cross-border advocacy strategies. Applicants are strongly encouraged to form consortiums and partnerships, particularly with grassroots and women-led entities, that possess a clear comparative advantage in youth advocacy, digital safety, and social norm transformation. Selected partners will design and execute a cohesive package of youth-driven interventions specifically aimed at countering online misogyny, promoting non-violent masculinities, and building safer community ecosystems by empowering content creators, digital artists, influencers, and young activists.

It is in that perspective that this Call for Proposals is launched to select a qualified youth or civil society organization as a Responsible Party to implement selected activities under Output 1.1 of the SAFE project, relating to the strengthening of capacities to generate and disseminate alternative narratives that foster safer online and offline spaces for women and girls across West Africa.