The "Request for Information (RFI) No. 720BHA24RFI00002" issued by USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) is titled **Strengthening Global Protection Capacity Activity**. The purpose of this RFI is to gather insights and ideas on how to improve the delivery of humanitarian protection services to communities affected by disasters. It also aims to collect capability statements from interested entities, both U.S. and non-U.S. based, including non-profit and for-profit organizations.
This RFI is a preliminary information-gathering tool, not a solicitation for proposals or funding opportunities. Responses are voluntary, will not be returned, and cannot form a binding contract. It is intended to inform USAID on industry capabilities and potential directions for designing a new protection activity focused on the humanitarian protection workforce.
**Background**: USAID/BHA highlights that humanitarian actors face increasing complex emergencies due to climate crises and prolonged conflicts, resulting in 103 million forcibly displaced persons globally. The goal of this activity is to strengthen the humanitarian protection workforce, focusing on community-based services, casework, counseling, and psychosocial support activities. A key part of this initiative is to improve the capacity of the protection workforce, particularly through the inclusion and expansion of the social service workforce. This workforce includes a broad range of professionals, paraprofessionals, and volunteers dedicated to ensuring the well-being of vulnerable populations. Strengthening this workforce is seen as critical to preventing and responding to abuse, neglect, exploitation, and gender-based violence.
**Submission Requirements**:
- Responses should be clear, concise, and no longer than seven pages, using Times New Roman, font size 11.
- Submissions must be sent by email to **miharris@usaid.gov** by **September 30, 2024, 2:00 PM EST**, with a specified subject line.
**Content of Responses**:
1. **Technical Information**: Respondents are invited to provide input addressing key questions, such as:
- Requirements and challenges for scaling the humanitarian protection workforce.
- Essential qualifications for humanitarian protection staff and challenges in recruitment and retention.
- Identifying competency gaps and under-supported roles.
- Barriers to engaging specific workforce pools or the broader social services workforce.
- The usefulness of current guidance tools, community engagement challenges, and strategies to address capacity gaps.
2. **Capability Statement**: This must not exceed two pages and should include contact details, organizational type, the nature of services provided, experience in humanitarian contexts, and other relevant information.
**Disclaimer**: USAID may use information provided in the responses in future solicitations, but respondents must clearly mark any proprietary information. Any future solicitations will be posted on platforms such as **www.sam.gov** or **www.grants.gov**, and interested parties must respond to those opportunities separately.
