MyFedAccess

"Our commitment to help ease human
suffering in every corner of the globe
continues."--Michael J. Young

1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20004
Tel: 1 888-995-3326 -- E-mail: info@MyFedAccess.com

PRGI/MyFedAccess
Contract Activity & Project Profiles:
Africa - Democratic Republic of Congo

1.    Acquisitions & Assistance Training Course for Cognizant Technical Officers (CTOs)
2.    Displaced Children & Orphans Fund


Contract Activity:    Acquisitions & Assistance Training Course for Cognizant Technical Officers (CTOs)


Background:    The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) routinely enters into contracts with vendors to acquire a variety of goods and services in support of its development projects and initiatives. When requirements that need to be fulfilled are identified, the requesting Program/Project Office submits its Scope of Work (SOW) to a Contract Officer. In turn, the Contract Officer incorporates the SOW into the resultant Request for Proposals/Quotations (RFP/Q).

To help ensure the agency receives responsive Proposals/Quotations, the SOW and RFP must clearly describe the technical requirements, as well as the rules and regulations that must be followed by all vendors. The next critical step in the Acquisitions & Assistance process is evaluating the Proposals/Quotations that are submitted by prospective vendors. Finally, after a contract is awarded, a Cognizant Technical Officer (CTO)--historically known as the Contracting Officer's Technical Representative--oversees the actual delivery of the goods and/or services that were procured.

Certain procurement policies are subject to change, and there is a constant turnover of Contract Officers and CTOs; hence, ongoing training must be provided in all phases of the Acquisition & Assistance/Procurement process to ensure compliance with the prevailing procurement policies.

Project Profile:    Professional Resource Group International, Inc. (PRGI) was contracted to design a curriculum and training manuals, provide Subject Matter Experts, and Professional Facilitators to assist government procurement personnel in delivering the Acquisition & Assistance training course for Contract and Cognizant Technical Officers from the Democratic Republic of Congo and in other countries throughout Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Latin America (including the Caribbean Basin), and the Middle East. Case studies, audio-visual materials, small group discussions, and other tools were used to enhance the effectiveness of the overall training presentation.

The course included instructions and guidance on how to write a comprehensive Scope of Work and how to evaluate responses to Request For Proposals/Quotations.

BACK TO TOP

Contract Activity:    Displaced Children & Orphans Fund


Background:    An estimated 135 million children living in developing countries lack the support and protection of parents or suitable guardians. These most vulnerable children are usually innocent victims of dire social and economic distress, disease, or conflict. The number includes perhaps more than 400,000 unaccompanied refugee or internally displaced children, 200,000 child combatants, more than 100 million street children and 34 million children who have lost one or both parents to disease or other causes.

With support and encouragement from Congress, the U. S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Displaced Children and Orphans Fund (DCOF) began to address the needs of orphans in 1989. Its mission is to strengthen the capacity of families and communities to provide care, support, and protection for orphans, unaccompanied minors, and war-affected children. The fund works through nongovernmental organizations (NGO) in developing countries to develop models and implement programs that provide direct service to children and support local organizations so that work can be sustained beyond the length of the grant.

Displaced Children and Orphans Fund was Active in 25 Countries

1. Afghanistan	7. Brazil	13. Guatemala	19. Sri Lanka	25. Zambia
2. Angola	8. Cambodia	14. Kenya	20. Sudan
3. Azerbaijan	9. Colombia	15. Liberia	21. Tanzania
4. Bangladesh	10. Congo*	16. Mozambique	22. Thailand
5. Belarus	11. Egypt	17. Nepal	23. Uganda
6. Burundi	12. Georgia	18. Philippines	24. Ukraine

____________________
*Democratic Republic of the Congo-Kinshasa


Support programs for displaced children and orphans fall into the following categories:

• Children Affected by War - With no fewer than 25 civil conflicts being waged at the present time, more than 500,000 children are thought to be unaccompanied or separated from their families. Some 300,000 are thought to actually be fighting in these conflicts.
  
  

• Children Orphaned by AIDS - In just the 23 countries included in USAID's study, Children on the Brink, the number of children orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic will increase from under 25 million in 1990 to over 41 million in the year 2010.
  
  

• Street Children - An estimated 100 million children work or live on the streets of the developed and developing worlds. They are the innocent victims of family financial distress, and social, economic and political upheaval. Over the past decade, the problem has worsened, leaving a tremendous loss of human potential and a detrimental impact on economic and social development.
  
  

• Children with Disabilities - Stigmatized by cultural values and religious beliefs, they are hidden in back rooms or placed in government institutions, displaced from communities and society. DCOF is supporting community-based approaches to provide care and training in life skills.
  
  

Project Title in the Democratic Republic of Congo:    Social Welfare, Children Rights and
    Protection of Kinshasa's Street

Cooperating Agencies in the Democratic Republic of Congo:    Save the Children Fund/UK

Background:    As in most large cities, the problems facing street children in Congo's capital of Kinshasa are vast. But in Kinshasa, such children face a particularly harsh environment, Kinshasa's economy is moribund after decades of decline, and in the mid-1990's waves of looting and destruction devastated the city. An already difficult situation was exacerbated in 1997 by the war in Brazzaville, just across the river, and in fall 1998, a new rebellion brought fighting to Kinshasa. With the signing of a July 1999 Peace Accord, political and social conditions may improve.

The number of Kinshasa's street children is difficult to gauge. In 1999, at least 5,000 children were living on the street. These children support themselves through begging, petty trade, and crime, and are susceptible to prostitution and enforced recruitment into military and criminal groups.

Displaced Children & Orphans Fund
Bringing a Halt to the Human Trafficking of Women and Children

Save the Children Fund/UK
Social Welfare, Children Rights and Protection of Kinshasa's Street

Project Description in the Democratic Republic of Congo:    Using a participatory approach, the program works with local organizations that are already addressing the needs of street children and that have functioning administrative systems. Objectives are to strengthen job-training workshops, conduct basic nutrition training, and gather data to produce a report on the situation of street children.

Project Profile:    Professional Resource Group International, Inc. (PRGI) was contracted by USAID to administer these funds and provide Technical, Logistical, and Administrative Support Services for displaced children and orphans in more than 20 countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo.

BACK TO TOP

Please Click Here to read a Letter from the Principal