SAFEStart+ Project Small Grants: Call for Applications (2026) for Uganda
Community-Led Interventions for the Elimination of Vertical Transmission (EVT) of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Syphilis.
In partnership with Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) and World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA), the International Community of Women living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) has issued a call for proposals to support community led organizations from Uganda to implement community level SAFEStart+ project interventions under the small grants scheme). The small grants will range from US$ 5,000 – US$10,000 for one year.
Purpose of the Small Grants
The small grants aim to strengthen Community-led responses to EVT by: Strengthening Community Structures, Capacity Development, Demand Generation for Elimination of Vertical Transmission (EVT) Services, Advocacy and Accountability.
Work streams for Technical Proposal Development
Applicants must address at least three (3) of the following workstreams in their application:
- Strengthening Community Structures: Support community groups/networks, establish or strengthen community platforms and improve community-led data collection (CLM) and reporting;
- Capacity Development: Train community members and peer advocates, strengthen knowledge on EVT (HIV, Hep B, Syphilis) and Build advocacy and monitoring skills;
- Demand Generation for EVT Services: Conduct awareness campaigns, promote uptake of antenatal, testing, and treatment services; and address stigma and misinformation;
- Advocacy and Accountability: Generate evidence and/or use their lived experiences to advance advocacy, and policy engagement to accelerate elimination of vertical transmission of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Syphilis in Uganda;
- Generate and use evidence (CLM) to engage decision-makers; track EVT services availability, access, affordability, and quality; and support dialogue and advocacy with duty bearers;
- Amplifying Community Voices: Participate in national and sub-national platforms (e.g., CABs), engage stakeholders (Ministry of Health, Global Fund, UNAIDS, etc.); and Influence policy and program decisions
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Community led organizations operating at national or sub-national level, already focusing on EVT, CLM, Maternal and Child health, HIV, Hepatitis B or Syphilis programming.
- Proven track record of community engagement and advocacy within HIV, Hepatitis B or Syphilis programming.
- Experience in conducting Community-led interventions and Community-Capacity-Strengthening initiatives.
- Strong understanding of community resources and a history of managing similar donor-funded programs.
- Demonstrate capacity to design and implement effective community ownership strategies as a core component of their interventions. This should include evidence of how they will engage and strengthen community structures in planning, delivery, and follow-up of activities. Applicants should also show practical mechanisms for community participation, including training, supervision, and linkage of these structures to formal health systems.
- Must be registered (or clearly defined informal structure if applicable).
- Community led organisations operating in priority regions and districts will be prioritised.
- Priority will also be given to organizations led by women, young people, and affected communities.
Deadline:
The Submission shall be one month up to June 30, 2026. Any application submitted after the deadline will be disqualified.
Proposal Development & Submission. Applicants must submit a detailed project proposal as well as the budget using templates that have been provided. Successful applicants will work with the Secretariat team to develop an M&E framework and a workplan.
Other Required Documents at Submission of the application
- Certificate of registration, and permit or equivalent (if registered at sub-national level) and if any isn’t available an explanation why unavailable.
Proposal Review & Selection Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated based on:
- Relevance and alignment with SAFEStart project objectives and outputs as well as community engagement component.
- Demonstrated experience in EVT advocacy and community engagement
- Potential impact on national and sub-national EVT policies and service access.
Grant Agreement, Contracting & Project Implementation
- Due Diligence: Successful applicants will undergo a due diligence process. The SAFEStart project team/evaluation committee may request additional information from applicants during the evaluation process and due diligence exercise.
- Award Notification: Successful grantees will receive an official notification.
- Grant Agreement: A formal agreement will be signed, outlining the terms, conditions, and deliverables.
- Workplan, M&E and Budget Preparation: Grantees will collaborate with ICWEA to develop a workplan M&E framework and re-align activities and budget, ensuring alignment with the project’s objectives.
Submission Email: safestart@icwea.org and admin@icwea.org
Download : Full RFP_ICWEA
Download : FINAL_SAFEStart Small Grants Budget Template_ICWEA
Download : FINAL_2026-SAFEStart-Sub-Grants-Request-for-Applications-RFA_ICWEA.doc (1 download )
ABOUT THE SAFESTART+ PROJECT
Introduction
Despite global commitment to the Elimination of Vertical Transmission (EVT) as part of 2030 global health goals, vertical transmission of HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B combined is the leading cause of preventable stillbirth and child mortality. Each year 76,000 paediatric HIV deaths occur, and 200,000 fatal neonatal deaths due to congenital syphilis are reported. 90% of infants born to Hepatitis B positive mothers go on to have chronic infection and have a 25% risk of premature death in adulthood. Gaps remain in the prevention of vertical transmission of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Syphilis across Africa (UNAIDS and WHO, 2024).
While ~95% of pregnant women in Uganda receive HIV testing, the coverage for syphilis is lower, with some studies indicating that 43% to 86% of pregnant women being screened for syphilis (Ubaldo Bahemuka et al 2019). Syphilis treatment initiation rates are hindered with studies indicating that up to 50.3% of mothers in some regions don’t have documented syphilis results on their ANC cards. While 97% of pregnant women attend at least one ANC visit, less than 60% complete the recommended four or more visits, reducing opportunities for timely syphilis diagnosis and treatment (Lorna Barungi Muhirwe and Magdeline Aagard Aug 2023).
Testing of pregnant and lactating women for hepatitis B is officially recommended by the Ugandan Health Ministry, but it is not yet universally implemented as a standard of care in most government facilities. Despite the high burden of Hep B (with HBsAg prevalence among pregnant women ranging from 2.1% to 11.8% based on various studies), any pregnant women are not routinely screened. Treatment initiation rates for hepatitis B among pregnant women are critically low, often failing to translate high ANC attendance into timely treatment or vertical transmission prevention. While the prevalence of HBV among pregnant women is high (ranging from 2.1% to 11.8% depending on the region), studies indicate a significant gap in care, with one study showing that only 7.6% of HBsAg-positive pregnant women were successfully linked to specialist care (Melanie Etti et al March 2025).
Progress in access to EVT services in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has been slow in most parts including Africa and this has been due to several challenges among which are limited engagement of communities and people living with and affected by the diseases coupled with inequities, stigma and discrimination, limited demand generation and limited access due to stigma, human rights issues, and harmful gender norms further impede progress. While effective, quality assured EVT products exist, their consistent availability and uptake are limited by lack of awareness and demand, affordability, supply and adoption barriers.
With funding from Unitaid, PATH and co-leads (the International Community of Women Living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) and the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA)) are implementing the 4-year Country- and Community-Led Scale-Up of Accessible, Integrated, and Family-Centred EVT Plus Services for a Healthy Start (SAFEStart+) project in several countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America with a strong Community-led component. The four-year SAFEStart+ project is designed for maximum reach and impact.
This will be achieved by scaling up integrated EVT programs in four Core-Engagement Countries; addressing specific barriers to EVT scale-up and validation in five focused-activity countries; disseminating innovations, successes, and lessons learned to an additional 10 peer-learning countries to further increase adoption and scale-up of evidence-based EVT approaches; and advancing regional policy, learning, and market-shaping interventions in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to contribute to accelerating progress globally.
The Scale Up of Integrated and Family Centred EVT Plus (SAFESTART+) Project’s primary objective is to address barriers to EVT product access and service coverage, including demand and adoption, supply and delivery, quality, and affordability emphasizing local leadership and community-driven solutions with a community-led monitoring approach.
The project emphasizes Community-led responses through advocacy and demand creation, identification and addressing gaps in delivery systems, while promoting tailored, integrated EVT models that overcome barriers such as stigma, gender inequity, and poor data quality and fosters trust, accountability, and sustainable improvements, driving demand, adoption, and scale-up of EVT services while advancing human rights and equity within health systems. The following interlinked strategic outputs shapes the design of proposed project activities and outcomes:
- Country-led EVT demand, adoption, and scale-up enabled through strong community and stakeholder leadership and systems strengthening.
- Evidence and learning generated on integrated EVT models of care through implementation science, programmatic monitoring and evaluation, and cost modeling that accelerates demand and adoption of effective tools and differentiated packages of EVT in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC).
- Strategic market shaping, unlocking barriers to new and underused essential EVT products in LMIC, including strong manufacturer engagement to ensure affordability and sustained supply and to accelerate country regulatory processes.
- Effective transition and financing of country and regional integrated EVT programs by governments and donors through evidence dissemination, regional learning and advocacy, and an investment case for greater scale-up.
The SAFEStart+ project has a strong community and civil society engagement approach as an integral part of its four outputs. The project’s community co-leads will oversee community and civil society engagement, manage a small grants scheme (run by community led organizations), support CLM implementation, and lead advocacy and demand generation efforts. These activities aim to empower countries to identify and address gaps in service delivery systems while promoting tailored, integrated EVT models. The approach will address barriers such as stigma, gender inequity, and poor data quality, while fostering trust, accountability, and sustainable improvements. Ultimately, this will drive demand, adoption, and scale-up of EVT services, and advance human rights and equity within health systems. WHA and ICWEA will also lead engagement with Community-led organisations that are best placed to understand and help address the needs of women and girls that the project aims to reach and to better understand the barriers to access including for men and partners.
Community-Led Organizations (CLOs) and Elimination of Vertical Transmission (EVT)
In the Elimination of Vertical Transmission (EVT)—often called the Triple Elimination Initiative—Community-Led Organizations (CLOs) are essential because they ensure that medical interventions reach the women and children who need them most. While hospitals provide the medicine, CLOs provide the trust, access, and accountability required to eliminate HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B. Their specific importance in this triple threat includes (i) Reaching “Hidden” and High-Risk Populations (vertical transmission often persists in marginalized groups who avoid formal health facilities due to stigma or legal barriers); (ii) Filling gaps in the “Triple” Strategy (unlike HIV, which has had decades of funding, Hepatitis B and Syphilis services are often under-resourced and CLOs help bridge this gap by integrated advocacy and service delivery support); (iii) Improving Treatment Adherence and Follow-Up (through peer support & literacy and accountability for commodity stock) and (iv) centring human rights (through voices and representation, and eliminating user fees).
Community-led organizations are entities—whether formally or informally organized—where majority of governance, leadership, and staff are members of the communities they serve
