Japan International Cooperation Agency

Community Empowerment Program of Japan International Cooperancy Agency (JICA) in the Philippines

Introduction

The Japanese Government provides various assistance to meet the diverse needs of developing countries through Official Development Assistance (ODA). With the increasing role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in society as actors responsible for the nation building and human development, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has introduced Community Empowerment Program (CEP) in 1997.

CEP was created to directly benefit people at the grassroots level in developing countries for the improvement of their livelihood and welfare. Under this program, projects with endorsement from the government of the eligible country will be implemented together with NGOs.

Objectives of CEP

The overall goal of CEP is to reduce poverty and improve standard of living of poor communities through community-initiated sustainable social and economic development efforts.

CEP aims to:

Directly meet the social and economic development needs of the people concerned, in particular the basic needs of the poorest strata of the population;
Demonstrative effective and innovative approaches to problem solving which could be replicated in the country;
Diffuse effective development approaches that have been established by the NGOs in the country;
Enhance the development capacity of target communities;
Transfer knowledge and know-how from Japan that are helpful for effective social and economic development at community level.

Program Areas

Participatory community development projects in the following areas that effectively use local resources to provide direct benefits to the grassroots level are eligible for a contract with JICA under CEP.

Community development
Elderly, disabled and child welfare support
Health and hygiene improvement
Women's empowerment
Improvement of living environment
Capacity building
Promotion of local industries

Project Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for funding, projects must:

Use appropriate development approaches being undertaken with resources which are commensurate with the objectives being pursued so that the important needs of the beneficiaries are met effectively and efficiently;
Encourage and facilitate self-help among beneficiaries through their active involvement and participation in defining goals, devising means and implementing and managing projects;
Have commitment of proponent and beneficiaries that has to be demonstrated through their counterpart contribution to the project in cash and in kind;
Have clearly stated goals and well-defined and quantified objectives which can be achieved within a reasonable span of time;
Be consistent with development plans and programs of the government of the country and the JICAs development cooperation policy.
Use innovative approaches to problem-solving and have potentials for wider application in other communities;
Utilize the technical input from Japanese;
Encourage the use of existing community structures and strengthen involved community after the completion of the project;
Be designed reflecting the careful examinations on important external factors and risks to the project;
Be implemented with an effective mechanism for operational and financial monitoring and feed-back of its results;

Project Features

Projects are expected to have duration of maximum 36 months. New projects usually (but not necessarily) start in October and initially funded for months. Subject to a satisfactory evaluation and the availability of funds, further funding will be allocated to the project for another two years and a half according to Japanese fiscal year from April to March of the following year.
The intended beneficiaries of the project should be organized prior to their application for assistance from CEP. The proponent should have an ongoing relationship with the target beneficiaries.
The normal value of CEP funding for an individual project will be (15 million yen equivalent in foreign currency, or other amount if specified by the JICA Overseas Office) per 12months)
Project that are supported by other donor agencies technically and/or financially are not eligible for CEP. Nevertheless proposed project could have been formulated as a part of a program that is supported by other donors.
5. As an indication of their participation and commitment to the project, the proponent and beneficiaries must jointly provide a counterpart contribution that is equivalent to at least 10% and preferably more than 25% of the total project cost. Counterpart contribution, machinery and equipment, etc. ) the value of the fixed assets counterpart shall be given to the cost that can be saved by providing the asset, i.e., rental expenses, rather than the capital cost of the asset itself.
Expenses eligible for CEP funding include those for:

seminar and training;
construction and civil works;
research, monitoring and evaluation;
facilities, equipment and supplies;
rental of vehicles, offices and furniture;
salaries for project staff;
technical services;
temporary workers;
other expenses such as transportation, travel, printing, communication, etc.

Only those expenses directly related to the project are eligible. CEP fund cannot be utilized as initial capital for credit and/or micro-enterprise.

Disbursement of CEP fund will be on a 3-month basis. Maximum amount of advance payment at time is limited to 40% of the total CEP fund. Release shall be based on the approved cash flow of the project. 10% of the CEP fund will be retained to ensure the submission of final report on the project.
In advance, prior to the implementation of the project, an agreement in the form of Minutes of Meeting among JICA Overseas Office, proponent NGO, and authorities concerned of the Government of the country will be concluded. Based on this agreement, JICA Overseas office and the NGO will conclude a contract. Then the NGO will implement the project in accordance with the contract agreement under the supervision of JICA Overseas Office.
For all the projects under CEP, technical assistance will be provided by Japanese experts including Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) members. Inputs of experts will not normally exceed three (3) person-month per year. These experts will be dispatched at the expense of JICA based upon an official request from the government of the country.
Quarterly progress and financial reports are required from NGOs with projects supported by CEP. Monitoring visits and audits are conducted as part of the monitoring activity, and are prerequisites to the consideration of subsequent fund releases.

Eligibility of NGOs

NGOs such as volunteer organizations, non-profit organizations, community organizations and other private or semi-governmental organizations which implement development programs can apply for CEP provided that:

it is registered with an appropriate authority of the respective country.
it has more than three (3) years proven track record in the activity of the concerned sector.
it can demonstrate its capability for efficient and effective implementation of projects.

Application and Appraisal

Applications for CEP must be signed by a responsible office-bearer of an organization whose name and designation are clearly indicated. These must be submitted to JICA office in the form of a project summary. Proposals may be submitted from January to March.

After a desk-appraisal in April, proponents whose project is selected for further consideration shall be requested to submit additional information. Once these information are received, on-site appraisal visits will be conducted by JICA office. Final approval will be made by JICA headquarters.