Request For Proposal – Low Vision Project, CBM Global Kenya

Project theme. Low Vision Specific, Inclusive Eye Health General.

Target Counties. Tier 1: Counties of Turkana, Marsabit, Wajir, Garissa, Mandera, Samburu & West Pokot. Tier 2: Any other county supported by reference to Eye health and Low Vision data.

Project Duration. 3 years.

Budget Ceiling. 70 million shillings.

About CBM Global Disability Inclusion

CBM Global Disability Inclusion Kenya (CBM Global Kenya) is part of the CBM Global Federation. The Federation is made up of six Member Teams including CBM Australia, CBM Ireland, CBM New Zealand, CBM Switzerland, CBM UK, and CBM Kenya. We are a dual mandate organization promoting disability inclusion in both development and humanitarian contexts. We work in over 20 countries, investing in long-term, authentic partnerships with the Disability Movement and multiplying our impact by delivering a combination of inclusive community-based programmes, advocacy for national and global policy change and inclusion advice to other organisations; these are our three vehicles of change. The vision for CBM Global federation is an inclusive world in which all people with disabilities enjoy their human rights and achieve their full potential, and our mission is fighting to end the cycle of poverty and disability.

Background

Inclusive Eye Heath (IEH) is one of the core areas of work for CBM Global Disability Inclusion. Much progress has been made in the past decades on improving access and quality of eye care. Even though the prevalence of blindness has decreased over the past 30 years, the total number of cases is still increasing, due to an increasing global population and aging of the population. This makes inclusive eye health a continuing priority. CBM Global’s Inclusive Eye Health strategy prioritises Integrated People Centred Eye Care which aims to provide a continuum of care spanning treatment and rehabilitation, including low vision services are essential.

• Globally, at least 2.2 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment. Among these, approximately 1 billion individuals have vision loss that could have been prevented or remains untreated. The leading causes of vision impairment and blindness worldwide include Refractive Errors, Cataracts, Diabetic Retinopathy, Glaucoma, and Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Despite these challenges, globally, only 36% of people with distance vision impairment due to refractive error and 17% of those with vision impairment due to cataracts have received appropriate interventions. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), low vision is a condition where a person has impairment of visual functioning even after treatment and/or standard refractive correction and has a visual acuity of less than 6/18 to light perception, or a visual field of less than 20 degrees. Low vision affects the ability to perform daily tasks that require vision.

CBM Global has been implementing low vision projects for over 10 years. A review of the project conducted in March 2023 identified the following gaps in low vision service provision in Kenya.

1. Gaps in identification, assessment, referrals and follow of persons with low vision.
2. Lack of health and education guidelines and policy frameworks that support low vision service provision and support stronger relations with the education sector, government agencies and ministries and private sector players in Low Vision services.
3. High cost of low vision services and unavailability of spectacles and low vision devices
4. Low vision data not captured in the health management information systems.
5. Lack of regional rehabilitation centres to cater for tertiary trainees with low vision who do not progress to formal education and adults who become blind later in life. The current focus has been on primary schools, with little to offer post-primary.
6. Limited opportunities for livelihoods for persons with low vision and their families which limit their ability to access and impact the quality of life.
7. Low awareness of low vision across all levels, as well as related stigma that limits health service-seeking behaviour and support for it.
8. Limited access to mental health and psychosocial support services to persons with low vision

The Call

CBM Global Kenya with support from CBM Switzerland is inviting interested parties to respond to a call for proposals to implement a 3-year project in support of low vision services in Kenya.

We are seeking proposals that will;

1. Promote inclusive approaches that ensure accessibility and usability of low vision services.
2. Demonstrate collaborative efforts from providers of low vision services providers, people with low vision and policy makers to address gaps and barriers in providing effective low vision services.
3. Focus on key strategies that enhance accessibility and efficiency to maximize impact and ensure people with visual impairment receive timely and effective support.
4. Ensure accessible and integrated care for provision of high-quality health care services.
5. Pay a special focus on integration and collaboration across inclusive eye health, community mental health, community based inclusive development and advocacy.
6. Proposals that prioritize counties in the northern grid (Turkana, Marsabit, Wajir, Mandera, West Pokot, Samburu) as tier one, but can also highlight other counties with evidence supporting specific selection of target counties.

The interventions may lead to but will not be limited to the following result areas.

1. Increase access to education, health, employment, social and economic opportunities for persons with low vision.
2. Strengthen systems to promote access to inclusive low vision services, and cross sector (inter government agencies, as well as government/Private sector collaboration).
3. Empower communities to increase demand for low vision services, as well as reduce stigma and discrimination related to low vision and other health conditions.
4. Collaborate with partners and stakeholders to reduce avoidable blindness, improve quality of life, and promote inclusion of persons with visual impairment.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, applicants must:

• Be a registered and recognized eye health institution, or NGO operating in Kenya for a minimum period of not less than five (5) years under the relevant laws.
• Be directly responsible for the implementation of the project.
• Demonstrate solid prior experience of at least five years carrying out activities in the thematic area covered under this Call for Proposals.
• Have a physical presence in the targeted counties.

Applicant organizations/institutions should also demonstrate the following:

• Gender equality and social inclusion
• Mechanisms that promote safeguarding of children and adults-at risk
• Ecological Sustainability
• A genuine interest in fostering meaningful engagement of local Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in strengthening eye care.
• Commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’ (CRPD) principles