Democracy Commission Small Grants Program

Project Goal: Empower marginalized and vulnerable communities to exercise their human rights by increasing the capacity of civil society and independent media organizations to implement prevention, education, and response efforts in combatting GBV and DV.

Project Audience(s): The primary target audience for these projects should be men and women from religiously or socially conservative communities; youth and emerging leaders (14-35 years old); spouses or families of labor migrants; families, government bodies; civil society or advocacy groups; and/or independent media. Projects that support other well-defined marginalized groups and/or with a nexus to family members of radicalized individuals will also be considered.

Project Objectives: Each project should achieve one or more of the following objectives:  

1.     Increase the ability of civil society organizations and advocacy groups to implement and advocate for initiatives combatting GBV and DV through capacity building training. Training topics may include but are not limited to advocacy campaign planning, digital communication tools, messaging best practices, and media engagement strategies.

2.     Raise awareness among the Tajik general public of the prevalence, impacts, and consequences of GBV and DV, or discrimination of other marginalized communities, within Tajik society in culturally sensitive and appropriate ways.

3.     Facilitate collaboration between civil society organizations, independent media firms and the government bodies to identify and address gaps in existing laws and policies related to GBV/DV prevention or other forms of discrimination through policy dialogues and roundtable discussions.

 Examples of activities include but are not limited to:

·        Enlisting men as allies in an information campaign to dismantle harmful, violent behavior, and raise awareness among vulnerable women about laws concerning early marriage, domestic abuse, harassment, divorce, alimony, and other civil rights related to women in the family. 

·        Conducting educational/outreach/raising awareness activities on the topics related to DV, human trafficking, gender equality, laws related to early marriage, harassment, divorce, and other human rights violation.

 TOPIC 2: Enabling Environment for Media and the Free Flow of Information

 Background

Independent journalists in Tajikistan face certain career difficulties. These include incomplete or outdated training, lack of prospects outside of state-sponsored media sources, and—for early career journalists—lack of experience in telling a story or creating informative, accurate, reliable content. As circulation and revenues from traditional media continue to fall, audiences and journalists increasingly turn to social media for information and profit, but few know how to effectively produce content for this medium that can compete with misinformation, propaganda, and extremist content. Those who do have a better understanding of the techniques and craft of digital production can find themselves chasing audiences with populist topics that may lack journalistic content or integrity. Additionally, many who want to pursue a career in journalism are unable to support themselves and their families financially or are not able to express themselves freely. 

Project Goal: To contribute to press freedom, the dissemination of accurate information, and the safeguarding journalists including citizen journalist rights by increasing the capacity of journalists and media professionals to produce quality and accurate content that counters misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda.

Project Audience(s): Early to mid-career professional journalists, bloggers, social media influencers, and media experts in Tajikistan. Projects to promote and defend media independence and freedom of expression could include media organizations, advocacy groups, managers/editors of media outlets and other influential voices. 

Project Objectives: Each project should achieve one or more of the following objectives: 

1.     Strengthen the ability of media associations and organizations to adopt measures that protect their employees and affiliated media professionals from censorship or cyber threats such as hacking, phishing attempts, and website defacement.

2.     Equip media associations and organizations with the ability to develop and implement sustainable funding models or revenue strategies that ensure their survival and long-term viability.

3.     Improve the reporting of journalists, citizen journalists, bloggers, social media influencers, and other information professionals with regards to ethical reporting practices, investigative journalism, and the use of data analysis tools.

4.     Increase media professionals’ knowledge and awareness about the prevalence and common tactics used in the spread of misinformation, including but not limited to the widespread use of headlines and manipulated content.

 Examples of activities include but are not limited to:

·        Inviting U.S. or other subject matter experts to train Tajik media professionals and/or advocacy organizations or offer peer to peer mentoring programs.

·        Training Tajik journalists, editors, and media professionals in fact-checking, confirming sources, authenticating images, and identifying bots and AI-produced media.

·        Offering training for bloggers, social media influencers, or amateur citizen journalists with a U.S. expert or other subject matter expert in creating documentary stories for digital media; this could include audio or podcasted stories, short films, or articles that cover issues of local or public interest.

·        Consulting for Tajik media outlets to understand how to monetize their content to become economically sustainable.

TOPIC 3: Countering Violent Extremism

 Background

 Tajik youth are increasingly radicalized through messages they receive through social media and messenger apps where radical voices are often more active, organized, and better funded than competing voices that advocate tolerance and non-violence. Economically disadvantaged and marginalized youth are most susceptible to radicalization often look to celebrities, athletes, and online imams for guidance over their local community leaders.

Project Goal: To provide positive and constructive alternatives to those most at-risk of recruitment into extremist groups by increasing government and/or civil society capacity and engagement in this sphere.

Project Audience(s):  The primary target audiences are those at-risk of recruitment (Tajik males (ages 15-35) living in rural Tajikistan and Russia, including labor migrants, who have received limited formal education), civil society organizations and government bodies working on countering violent extremism, and respected and popular figures in society who are considered credible voices by those at-risk (religious leaders, teachers, influencers).

Project Objectives: Each project should achieve one or more of the following objectives:  

1.     Raise awareness of target communities and at-risk individuals on the prevalence of violent extremism and recruitment techniques through educational or training initiatives.

2.     Equip target communities and individuals at-risk of recruitment into extremist groups with vocational and job search skills for the local job market, focusing on sectors with growth potential.

 Examples of activities include but are not limited to:

·        Organize summer camps where at-risk youth learn goal setting, soft-skills, and vocational skills/job training, and participate in team building activities, learn about healthy conflict resolution, increase their emotional intelligence, and learn how to tolerate diversity in society.

·        Train at least 10 well-known Tajik athletes (particularly mixed martial artists, boxers, wrestlers, bodybuilders, and football players) or other influential and credible voices to those at-risk (who have a wide following on social media) on the consequences of violent extremism and how to be effective public speakers on the topic.

Topic 4: Low Emissions Development Planning for Energy

Background: Climate change poses a serious threat to all aspects of Tajikistan’s society. As the climate warms and natural disasters become more frequent, segments of Tajikistan’s population that are already vulnerable to economic shocks will become more dependent on the support of civil society and the government to survive. Climate change threatens agriculture and energy sectors through the melting of glaciers and more variable rainfall while also harming the population’s health through increased air pollution. 

 Tajikistan’s reliance on hydropower can serve as a positive example for a world transitioning to renewable sources of energy, but hydropower is also threatened by climate change, as it is highly dependent on glacial melt. Glaciers are receding in Tajikistan at an alarming rate, thus reducing water levels in the reservoirs that power the hydropower plants. Reduced water from glaciers and changing rainfall patterns not only threatens Tajikistan’s energy security, but also agriculture, and thus has the potential to affect all aspects of society, leading to food insecurity and economic problems. While many parts of Tajikistan have installed micro-hydropower stations, solar power panels are less well-known and utilized. Continued reliance on coal power and polluting industries causes Dushanbe to have the worst levels of air pollution in Central Asia. 

Project Goal: Support national and sub-national frameworks for low-emissions development by increasing the use of renewable and sustainable energy sources in Tajikistan.

Project Audience(s): The primary target audience for these projects should be national and subnational government organizations, civil society, media consumers and outlets, young entrepreneurs, and other well-defined key audiences. 

Project Objectives: Each project should achieve one or more of the following objectives: 

1.     Build expertise and capacity in government, private sector, and civil society organizations to analyze emissions sources, set emission reduction targets, and develop mitigation plans through the use of renewable and sustainable energy sources in Tajikistan. 

2.     Increase collaboration between local, state, and civil society actors/stakeholders to develop practical solutions to combat climate change, advocate for environmental protection legislation, and/or help Tajikistan meet its Global Methane Pledge.

Examples of activities include but are not limited to:

·        Conduct workshops, trainings, and/or exchanges to reach the project objectives. This could include hackathons or pitch competitions for young entrepreneurs or those working in related fields (such as data analytics, tech, etc.).

·        Awareness Campaigns – promote awareness of emissions and air quality through social and traditional media, produce short video clips for social media and/or TV about environmental issues.

·        Install air quality monitors, test water quality, or improve local capability to conduct data collection, analysis, and reporting on emissions.

·        Organize camps and ongoing actions that teach participants about the environment, promote reforestation initiatives, and/or increase appreciation for nature, including the need for low-emissions development practices.