Ambassador's Special Funds

Self-Help Fund

Dear Self-Help Applicant

Attached you will find a brief explanation of the Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Fund and an application form.  Please read the information very carefully.  If you think that you have a project which may fulfill the requirements of the program, complete and submit your application form to the United States Embassy (Self-Help Program, American Embassy, B.P 817 Yaoundé) for consideration.  You should make a copy of the completed form for your records. Please answer ALL questions in the space provided.  Give precise details about what you are requesting that the U.S. Embassy provide to the project and what the community group will be contributing. Attach a separate list of materials, including quantities needed and prices, to the application. You should also provide a sketch showing how to reach the project location.

NOTE:
Do not submit any documents that have not been requested. Limit your answers in the application form to the lines provided. Applications made in disrespect of these guidelines WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

Selection process:
Application deadline     December 1, 2007
Selection period          January - July 2008
Grant award               September 2008

Due to the high number of applications we receive each year, we are unable to respond to each applicant.  If you have not heard from us one (1) year after your application was submitted, please consider that your project was not selected.

Thank you for your interest in the Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Fund.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Coordinator:                 Nathalie Lell; lellnl@state.gov

Assistant Coordinator:  Ebenezer Tabot-Tabot; tabotex@state.gov

Office Hours:                Monday through Thursday 7:30am - 5:00pm
                                   Friday 7:30am-12:30pm 

Telephone:                 22-20-15-00. Extensions 4491 (Mrs. Lell); 4171 (Mr. Tabot-Tabot)

Fax:                           22-20-15-03

“All Self Help Application Forms are FREE of charge and the Embassy DOES NOT request any payment to receive and evaluate a project.”

UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR’S SPECIAL SELF-HELP FUND

The United States Ambassador to Cameroon has a special fund for small community projects which fall under the following three categories: water supply and sanitation; social services; and social assistance.  The demand for Self Help funds is very high and well above our funding capacity.  Consequently, the priority is only given to projects which best meet the program’s objectives.  The maximum support available for most projects is 5,000,000 francs CFA and a single community/group cannot receive more than one grant in a given funding period. 

Program Categories

1 - Category 1: Water Supply and Sanitation
Definition: Ensure broadly accessible, reliable and economically sustainable water and sanitation services for health, security, and prosperity.

* a - Safe Water Access
Definition: Increase access to water of appropriate quantity and (e.g., well drilling and spring capping); and expansion of water supply infrastructure, such as pumps and distribution systems.

* b - Basic Sanitation
Definition: Increase access to and use of sanitation services for safe human waste disposal to protect human health and environmental quality. Innovative approaches to building demand for sanitation-related products and services and encouraged.

2 - Category 2: Social Services
Definition: Assist special populations which may be vulnerable or at-risk on a temporary or chronic basis.  These could include groups such as the disabled; orphans, children and at-risk youth; victims of gender-based violence; ethnic minorities, internally displaced or other socially excluded groups; the elderly; and female heads of household. 
Notes: Projects for vulnerable groups could include but not limited to: classrooms construction, school equipment, health centers, storehouses, income-generating activities, local infrastructures, assistance for education.

* a - Vulnerable Children
Definition: Strengthen the capacity of families, communities to provide care, support, and protection for orphans, and unaccompanied minors.

* b - Victims of Torture
Definition: Address the physical and psychological effects of torture on victims, families and communities. Activities could be cross-cutting and include treatment, rehabilitation, re-integration, and advocacy.
 
* c - Other Targeted Vulnerable Groups
Definition: Remove barriers to enable the full participation of vulnerable people in supportive communities. Activities could be cross-cutting and range from community advocacy and strengthening family reunification/foster care, to supporting disability-appropriate infrastructure modifications and apprenticeship programs, and the integration of disabled or socially excluded workers into the workforce.
 
3 - Category 3: Social Assistance
Definition: Provide financial or technical support for road construction and maintenance, irrigation works, reforestation, and soil conservation in post-conflict or post-disaster settings.  Provide assistance to those suffering from temporary shocks resulting from economic reform.

To be eligible for funding your project must meet the following criteria:

1) The project must be initiated by the community and should benefit the community by increasing income, improving rural infrastructure or improving living conditions.
2) The project should be high impact, quickly implemented, and able to benefit a larger number of people.
3) The project must be completed within one year without requiring further Self-Help assistance.
4) The project must involve a significant local contribution in cash, labor, or material.
5) The project should be within the ability of the community to operate and maintain.

Certain kinds of projects, or portions of projects, do not qualify for this fund:

1) Requests to buy sophisticated equipment such as vehicles, computers, film projectors, stereos, etc.
2) Proposals that have a purely religious, police, military, or cultural emphasis.
3) Private, commercial enterprises.
4) Payment for pesticides, herbicides, labor, salaries, operating costs, or training cost.
5) Purchase of consumables or non-durable goods such as books, medications, animal feed, or seeds.
6) Funds cannot be used for revolving credit schemes.

How to apply for this fund

Complete the Self-Help Application form.  Please type or write clearly.  Answer every question as best you can. 

All applications must include a specific budget and cost estimates.  Projects involving technical construction (bridges, schools, roads, etc.) should have drawings and estimates that show adequate planning.  However, detailed drawings or blueprints are not required.

For your proposal to be considered for funding, you must include a sketch or a description of how to find the project site.

Sign the forms and give them to a local administrative authority (such as the Community Development Officer, the Divisional Officer, the Sub-Divisional Officer or the Mayor), for his or her signature.  Make a copy of the completed application for your records, and send the original to the Embassy. 

Project Selection

If your project is chosen for consideration, someone will visit the site to talk to you about the proposal and verify the information on the application.  Please remember to include a sketch and/or a description of how to locate your project. site.  Also include a correct and current mailing address; telephone number; and e-mail address if these are available.  Tell us if there is someone in Yaoundé who knows about the project and can be contacted to answer any questions.