20100802
africanews

Organizations involved in anti-tobacco campaigns in Sub Sahara Africa can get funding of up to $20 000 a year, for up to two years, in their efforts to stem the deadly effect of tobacco consumption on the continent.


The African Tobacco Control Consortium (ATCC), an alliance of about five regional public health institutions involved in the campaign against increasing use of tobacco announced it had launched a call for concept notes for Tobacco Control Action Grants.

Aimed at NGOs and Academic Institutions, the grant, according to a press statement from the Communications office of ATCC, is “to foster the implementation of key tobacco control policies such as tax and price measures, anti-smuggling measures, the establishment of smoke-free work and public places, direct and indirect advertising bans, and health warning labels as per the requirements of the international tobacco treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).”

ATCC is coordinated by the American Cancer Society under a five-year project funded primarily by a $7 million dollar grant awarded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Its constituent member organizations include the Africa Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA), Africa Tobacco Control Regional Initiative (ATCRI), Framework Convention Alliance (FCA), Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK) and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.

According to Sunday’s press statement, applicants could also seek funding for tobacco control campaign planning, policy analysis and research, media advocacy, coalition building, tobacco industry monitoring, and the passage and/or enforcement of tobacco control legislation in their respective countries. The release however ruled out spending of the fund on “prevalence surveys, cessation services, education programs (school-based or otherwise) or crop-substitution programs.”

Eligible NGOs and Academic Institutions must be legally recognized as per the laws of their respective countries, capable of entering into contractual arrangements and assuming legal and financial obligations, the statement noted.

“These grants are excellent opportunities for us to advance work in reducing the tobacco hazards in sub-Saharan Africa,” Rachel Kitonyo, Chair of the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA), a key member of the consortium, said. She added that “the call for concept notes is highly competitive and applications shall be assessed on their potential for success, the potential impact of their proposal in implementing tobacco control policies and the ability of the grantee to execute the project or campaign.”

According to Akinbode Oluwafemi, Director of the African Tobacco Control Regional Initiative, another key partner of the Consortium, “applicants cannot be (or have been) recipients of financial support from any tobacco product manufacturer or the parent, subsidiary or affiliate of a tobacco product manufacturer. Individuals are not eligible for grants.”