The EU Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) has launched a call for proposal to support the technical capacity of prospective sending organisations to participate in the EU Aid Volunteers initiative. It will also strengthen the capacity of hosting organizations to plan, prepare and respond to humanitarian crises.

What s the EU Aid Volunteers Initiative?

The EU Aid Volunteers initiative provides opportunities to European citizens and long-term residents, from a wide range of backgrounds and with a diversity of skills and professional experience, to get involved in humanitarian aid projects, support the provision of needs-based humanitarian aid in third countries and engage in volunteering opportunities, through deployment and online-volunteering.

The initiative focuses on strengthening the European Union’s capacity to deliver needs-based humanitarian aid by providing professional support through the deployment of trained volunteers to people in need. Furthermore, it aims to strengthen the capacity and resilience of vulnerable communities in third countries, through the implementation of joint projects between experienced humanitarian operators and local organisations in third countries.

In 2015, the objective of the call was to strengthen the capacities of sending and hosting organisations intending to participate in the EU Aid Volunteers initiative and to ensure compliance with the standards and procedures regarding candidate volunteers and EU Aid Volunteers.

Objective of the call

With this call the European Commission expected to strengthen the capacities of up to 100 sending and hosting organisations in the fields of:

• Disaster risk management, preparedness and response as well as linking  relief, rehabilitation and development;
• Volunteer management according to the standards and procedures for the management of the candidate volunteers and the EU Aid Volunteers;
• Strengthening local volunteering in third countries;
• Capacities to undergo certification including administrative capacity;
• Tools and methods of needs assessment at a local level;
• Building partnerships with a view to join projects in the context of the EU Aid Volunteers initiative;
• Communicating the European Union’s humanitarian aid principles agreed in the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid and raise awareness levels and visibility of its humanitarian aid.
  

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Applicants’ Eligibility

Proposals for both, Technical Assistance and Capacity Building activities, must be submitted by:

• non-governmental not-for-profit organisations formed in accordance with the law of a Member State and whose headquarters are located within the Union; or
• public law bodies of a civilian character governed by the law of a Member State; or
• the International Federation of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Only legal entities established in the Member States of the European Union are eligible to apply.

At the specified deadline for submitting their proposals, applicants must have at least five years of experience of activity within the field of humanitarian aid.

Technical assistance projects must involve the applicant and partner organisations from at least three different countries participating in the programme from which:

• at least one partner organisation is active in the field of humanitarian aid, as defined in article 3 (d) of the Regulation 375/2014 for at least 5 years.
• at least one partner must have a minimum of 5 years of experience in volunteer management.

Capacity building projects must involve the applicant and partner organisations from at least six different countries from which:

• at least three partners are from third countries;
• all partners from countries participating in the programme must have been active in the field of humanitarian aid for at least 5 years;
• at least two partners from third countries must be active in the field of humanitarian aid;
• at least one partner from countries participating in the programme must have been active in the field of volunteer management for at least 5 years.
  

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Budget and Deadline for submission

The total budget allocated for the co-financing of projects is estimated at EUR 7.960.000. Each grant will amount to between EUR 100.000 and EUR 700.000. The Agency expects to fund 23 proposals, it reserves the right not to distribute all the funds available.

Deadline for submission of the proposal is  04 July 2016 at noon  (Brussels time).

More information and all official documents can be found on the EACEA’s website: https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/eu-aid-volunteers_en