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For Applicants | Focus Areas | Laos/ Nutrition and Disabilities Capacity Strengthening
Eligible Country:
Laos
Additional Criteria for Applicants:
Please see Section V of the Solicitation for General Eligibility requirements.
Objectives:
UNICEF estimates that Laos loses between two and three percent of its GDP annually, or around $200 million, as a result of malnutrition-related productivity losses. A productive member of an economically growing society not only needs to have had a strong and nutritious upbringing but also must have access to employment opportunities. Further complicating Laos’ development landscape are the disabling injuries caused by landmines and unexploded ordnance. Given the critical intersections of productivity, nutrition, and economic growth, PEER is interested in supporting innovative research projects that work at the intersection of these complex problems. PEER applicants should build on USAID current investments in: disabilities capacity strengthening, increased health services and improved economic empowerment for persons with disabilities, and improving nutrition through locally available products and exploring the feasibility, acceptability, and affordability of local complementary fortified foods. Applicants should design projects that create a better understanding of barriers, highlight opportunities, test innovations, and create economic growth in Laos. Special focus should be placed on research topics that lead to the creation of job opportunities and the utilization of locally available resources while promoting healthier Laotian people, especially children 6-59 months. Potential research questions include but are not limited to:
- Innovative approaches that increase the health and wellbeing of Persons with Disabilities
- Testing of existing or development of new affordable products and innovations to assist Persons with Disabilities, including low-cost Assistive Technology (AT) or new mobile technology applications
- Research that increases the understanding of stigma and discrimination towards neglected populations (i.e., Persons with Disabilities, victims of human trafficking, those at risk for HIV infection, or immigrant populations) and tests interventions to decrease stigma and promote positive societal integration
- Assessment and exploration of the possibility, safety, efficacy, affordability, and acceptability of local production of fortified complementary foods for children ages six to 23 months; and balanced iron and folic acid supplements for adolescent girls and pregnant and lactating women (with a special focus on targeted fortification or the production of complementary foods fortified with micronutrients and of an adequate macro and micronutrient composition)
- Testing of new micro-enterprise models that increase small-holder agribusinesses or stimulate new food related industries
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