FutureLife-Now!

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) in South Africa, in partnership with MIET AFRICA, UNICEF South Africa and the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT), recently launched two youth empowerment initiatives in Pretoria, South Africa – the SADC FutureLife-Now! Programme and the Ubuntu Youth Leaders Movement. The two programmes contribute to the DBE’s Care and Support for Teaching and Learning (CSTL) Framework and the SADC Child and Youth Agency Framework.

For South Africa, FutureLife-Now! contributes to building the human capital of the country’s approximately 22 million young people by empowering them to be responsible, actively engaged citizens leading responses to 21st century development challenges, specifically those related to health, gender inequality, climate change and unemployment. Following a successful first phase (2019 – 2023) implemented in Lesotho, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, South Africa is joining the programme‘s second phase (2023-2026) which sees a scale up of FutureLife-Now! to additional Member States in the region.

The COVID-19 crisis has resulted in massive closure of schools as governments across the world try to contain the spread of the virus. This has heightened the vulnerability of children and youth, putting them at greater risk of harm from dysfunctional care environments, and adoption of unhealthy behaviours. The FutureLife-Now! programme is finding alternative ways to support this vulnerable population. MIET AFRICA requires a service provider to provide a solution that enables the FutureLife-Now! programme to engage beneficiaries via interactive SMS solutions for the period 1 September to 31 December 2020. The target number of beneficiaries enrolled in the programme is 30 000, and the beneficiaries to be reached by SMS are located in Lesotho, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Click here for the full Terms of Reference. Closing date for submissions is 13 August 2020.

MIET AFRICA requires a service provider to supply and install a modular upgradeable solar system to 10 FutureLife-Now! schools in Zambia. An increase in economic activity has led to an increased energy demand in the country which has resulted in nationwide load shedding schedules which last up to 12 hours a day. To mitigate the effects and to ensure learning continues, the FutureLife-Now! programme will provide support to the 10 FutureLife-Now! schools in Zambia by supplying and installing solar systems.

Click here for Terms of Reference and submission requirements. All quotations must be submitted by email by 12 noon on 7 August 2020.

Towards the end of 2019 FutureLife-Now! (FLN), in collaboration with the Malawian Ministry of Education Science and Technology, delivered 100 bags of maize and 10 bags of ground nuts to 300 vulnerable students in Central Malawi. This will help alleviate food insecurity and prevent student dropout at these schools.

It is widely accepted that educational achievement and remaining in school can protect young people, especially girls, against HIV infection. In 2019, the Malawi FLN pilot schools reported an increase in student dropout due to food insecurity.

According to the Malawi Ministry of Agriculture and Water Development, as of July 2019, about 676 000 people were at the crisis level of food insecurity. This figure was expected to increase to 1.1 million people by March 2020, of which 40% are children (Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee Results, 2019).

FutureLife-Now! is a SADC programme designed to address the persistent global challenge of HIV&AIDS,