CFAs: Leadership of Adolescent Girls and Community Engagement for Climate Resilience (Senegal)

Deadline: 05-Sep-2026

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is inviting qualified organizations to support climate-resilient education in Senegal by empowering adolescent girls as climate leaders and strengthening community participation in climate risk prevention and adaptation. The initiative will build on UNICEF’s Green Schools experience to help schools, children, and communities respond to climate-related risks while promoting gender equality, child protection, and inclusive climate action. What Is the UNICEF Climate Resilience Programme? The initiative aims to strengthen the ability of schools, children, adolescent girls, and local communities in Senegal to prepare for and respond to climate-related risks. Senegalese children face increasing exposure to hazards such as: These risks can have particularly serious consequences for girls, including increased vulnerability to early marriage and gender-based violence when education and community protection systems are disrupted. The initiative therefore combines climate adaptation, education, gender equality, adolescent participation, disaster risk reduction, and community engagement. Why Climate-Resilient Schools Matter Climate change can directly affect children’s ability to access safe and continuous education. Extreme weather events can damage classrooms, interrupt school attendance, reduce learning time, and create additional protection risks for vulnerable children. UNICEF’s approach seeks to make schools more resilient by combining physical and community-based approaches to climate adaptation. The programme also places adolescent girls at the centre of climate leadership, recognizing their role as students, advocates, communicators, and community actors. Programme Background in Senegal UNICEF has already piloted its Green Schools initiative in Matam, providing a foundation for expanding climate adaptation and protection activities. The new initiative will build on this experience, particularly in areas where schools face both environmental and socio-security vulnerabilities. Border regions are an important context because communities may experience overlapping climate, displacement, livelihood, and security challenges. Main Objectives The programme has several interconnected objectives. Empower Adolescent Girls as Climate Leaders Girls will be supported to participate more actively in: The goal is to strengthen girls’ confidence and leadership while giving them practical opportunities to influence climate-related decisions. Strengthen Climate Risk Management The initiative will help schools and communities improve their ability to identify and respond to climate risks.

Activities may include:

Climate risk awareness. Early warning mechanisms. Community preparedness. Risk communication. Adaptation planning. Local climate advocacy. Increase Community Participation Community actors will be mobilized to support climate prevention and adaptation activities. This can help ensure that climate-resilient schools are not isolated projects but are supported by families, communities, local authorities, and other relevant stakeholders. Support Youth-Led Climate Advocacy Young people, particularly adolescent girls, will be encouraged to advocate for climate action and safer, more resilient learning environments. Expected Results The initiative aims to reach at least 1,500 girls across 15 selected schools.

Participants are expected to develop stronger skills in

Leadership. Public speaking. Advocacy. Climate risk communication. Community engagement. Climate resilience. The programme also expects to establish girl-led early warning systems and community engagement mechanisms that contribute to more inclusive and climate-resilient schools. Who Is Eligible? The opportunity is intended for organizations with relevant experience in community-based development, adolescent participation, gender equality, and climate resilience. Eligible organizations should demonstrate: Experience in community engagement. Experience working with adolescents and young people. Organizations should also demonstrate that they have the operational and technical capacity to implement activities effectively in the targeted communities. What Experience Should Applicants Demonstrate? A strong organization should be able to show previous work involving: Adolescent girls. Youth leadership. Climate change adaptation. Disaster risk reduction. Community resilience. Education. Gender equality. Child protection. Early warning systems. Community advocacy. Experience connecting multiple stakeholders is also valuable because the programme requires collaboration among schools, young people, families, communities, and local actors. Key Activities The selected organization is expected to develop activities that translate the programme’s objectives into practical results. Supporting girls’ participation in school governance. Establishing girl-led early warning mechanisms. Training communities on climate risk prevention. Developing community climate adaptation strategies. Supporting youth-led climate advocacy. Mobilizing community stakeholders. Promoting inclusive and gender-responsive climate action. All activities should contribute to safer and more climate-resilient schools. How the Programme Works

Step 1: Identify Participating Schools

The programme will work with 15 selected schools and identify the adolescent girls who will participate in leadership and climate resilience activities.

Step 2: Build Girls’ Leadership Skills

Girls will receive training and practical support in areas such as: Leadership. Public speaking. Advocacy. Climate awareness. Risk communication. Community engagement.

Step 3: Establish Girl-Led Climate Mechanisms

Participating girls will be supported to contribute to climate risk management and early warning activities within their schools and communities.

Step 4: Engage Communities

Community actors will participate in climate risk prevention and adaptation activ