CALL FOR PROPOSALS FY 25/02/001 

Terms of Reference(ToR)

Lead Writer/Consultant for Plan International  Rwanda Country Strategy Development (FY26-FY30)

1. Background

Plan International Rwanda is embarking on the development of its new Country Strategy (FY26–FY30) to provide strategic direction for programming, influencing, and operational priorities over the next five years. This strategy will be aligned with:

• PlanInternational’s global strategic 
• Rwanda’sNational Strategy for Transformation (NST2).
• Therights, needs, and aspirations of children, particularly girls and youth, within the country.

The strategy development process will involve robust stakeholder engagement, including input from children and youth (especially girls), government entities, donors, civil society organizations, and Plan International’s internal teams (country office, regional office, global hub & national offices). To ensure the creation of a comprehensive and impactful strategy, Plan International Rwanda seeks a highly skilled Lead Writer/Consultant to facilitate the process, synthesize contributions, and deliver a finalized strategy document.

2. Objective

The main objective of this role is to lead the development of Plan International Rwanda’s Country Strategy for the period FY26–FY30. This includes overseeing the engagement, drafting, refinement, and finalization process to ensure the strategy is well-structured, ambitious, evidence-based, and aligned with key priorities.

Specifically, the strategy must:

• Be comprehensive and rooted in data-driven insights, incorporating findings from the situational analysis, particularly on gender, age, and
• Align with both organizational priorities and national development goals, ensuring relevance and strategic coherence.
• Reflect meaningful stake holder engagement, integrating feedback from communities, partners, and key actors.
• Be grounded in cross-cutting themes, including gender equality, youth empowerment, and climate resilience.
• Integrate key learnings from the previous Country Strategy, including insights from its mid-term review.
• Align with donor priorities through a detailed donor mapping exercise to identify key funding opportunities and implications for Plan International Rwanda

3. Scope of Work

The Lead Writer/Consultant will undertake the following tasks:

3.1 Review 1 and Key Insights from the Previous Country Strategy

• Organizeand facilitate a one-day session to review the previous Country Strategy (FY21–FY25), including its mid-term review.
• Identifysuccesses, challenges, and lessons 
• Ensurekey learnings are incorporated into the new strategy development

3.2 Stake holder Consultations and Feedback Integration

Engage with internal and external stakeholders regarding the positioning of Plan International in Rwanda and develop recommendations on the added value of Plan International Rwanda, including:

• Plan International Rwanda’s
• Government partners and Civil society organizations, especially youth-led
• Donor
• Children and youth 
• Document stake holder feedback and incorporate it into preparation of the design workshop and iterative drafts of the strategy document.

3.3 Donor Mapping Exercise

• Conduct a comprehensive donor mapping 
• Identify key donors (local and global, including bilaterial, multilateral, corporates, foundationsandprivatesector) for INGOs which align with Plan’s mandate, their strategies, funding priorities, and contributions to Rwanda.
• Analyze the implications and alignment for Plan International Rwanda and highlight strategic funding opportunities.
• Provide recommendations on how the Country Strategy can align with potential donor funding.

3.4 Facilitation of the Strategic Choices and Design Workshop

• Planand lead a multi-day workshop to refine programmatic focus, strategic objectives, and operational models for the Country Strategy.
• Collaboratewith the core team to develop workshop agendas, methodologies, and materials.
• Captureworkshop outcomes and translate them into actionable inputs for the strategy document.

The Country Office has already conducted a comprehensive mid-term review of the Country Strategy. Therefore, this reflection will be a light-touch exercise, focusing on what has been achieved based on the learnings and recommendations from the mid-term review up to the present date.

3.5 Drafting the Country Strategy Document

Develop the initial draft of the Country Strategy, incorporating:

• Outputs from the design 
• Findings from the situational 
• External consultation with key stakeholders including our partners, children, especially girls and youth
• Strategic directions provided by the core
• Integrate Plan International’s global priorities and standards, ensuring alignment with Rwanda’s socio-economic and political context.
• Address cross-cutting themes, including gender equality, child rights, youth- focused programming, climate resilience, and inclusivity.

3.6 Finalization of the Strategy Document

• Reviseand update the draft based on feedback from the core team, Reference Group, and stakeholders.

Producethe finalized Country Strategy document, ensuring it is:

• Clear and 
• Visually engaging with graphics, charts, and tables where 
• Suitable for dissemination to a broad 
• Develop supporting materials, including an executive summary and a presentation slide deck summarizing key aspects of the strategy.

4. Deliverables

• Reflection Session Report:Summary of key learnings from the previous Country Strategy and mid-term review.

· Strategic Choices and Design Workshop:

• Workshop agenda and facilitation
• Workshop summary report capturing key decisions and 

· Draft Country Strategy Document:

• Comprehensive draft incorporating findings from the situational analysis,workshop outputs, stakeholder consultation, donor mapping and alignment with cross-cutting themes and global organizational

· Stake holder Consultation Reports:

• Summary of consultations with internal and external 
• Documentation of feedback received and how it was 

Donor Mapping Report:Detailed analysis of donor priorities, funding trends, and implications for Plan International Rwanda.

· Finalized Country Strategy Document:

• High-quality,publication-ready strategy document for FY26–FY30.
• Executive summary for broader
• Presentation slide deck highlighting strategic objectives, priorities, and key initiatives.

5. Timeline

The consultancy will run from mid-February to the end of May2025, with the following key milestones:

· Mid-February–March2025:

• Conductthe reflection session on the previous Country 
• FacilitateStrategic Choices and Design 
• Conductthe donor mapping
• Conductstakeholder 

· April 2025:

• Begindrafting the Country Strategy 
• Revisethe draft strategy document based on the feedback received from internal team and reference group.
• Finalizethe Country Strategy document (3rd week of April 2025).
• Deliverthe executive summary and presentation slide

· May 2025:

• Updatethe draft based on the feedback from Regional/Global Hub

6. Qualifications and Experience

The ideal Lead Writer/Consultant will have:

• Proven experiencein drafting strategic plans for international NGOs/development organizations or government institutions.
• Expertise in facilitating participatory workshops and engaging diverse stakeholders, including children and youth.
• Strong understandingof gender equality, child rights, youth empowerment, and climate resilience.
• Familiarity with Rwanda’s development priorities and Plan International’s global strategy framework.
• Exceptional writing,editing,andcommunication
• Experience conducting donor mapping and funding landscape
• Proficiency in designing visually appealing documents and

7. Reporting and Coordination

The consultant will report to the Country Director and collaborate closely with the core strategy team and the Reference Group. Regular updates will be required to ensure alignment with the broader Country Strategy development roadmap.

8. Application Process

Interested consultants are invited to submit the following:

Technical Proposal:

• Detailedapproach and methodology for delivering the outlined 
• Proposedtimeline and 

Financial Proposal:

• Detailedbudget with consultancy fees and any related costs, including travel and accommodation (if applicable).

Administrative documents

• RDB Certificate, VAT certificate, RRA tax clearance and RSSB clearance.

CV(s):

• Highlightrelevant experience and 

References:

• Atleast two references from similar 

Applications should be submitted by 17 February 2025. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Plan International reserves the right to accept or reject any application not fulfilling the qualifications/requirements.

9. Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Technical approach and methodology (40%).
• Relevant experience and qualifications (30%).
• Cost-effectiveness of the financial proposal (20%).
• References and prior performance in similar assignments (10%).

HOW TO APPLY 

Applications should be sent to Plan International Rwanda Office not later than 17^th Feb 2025 referencing " Lead Writer/Consultant for Plan International Rwanda Country Strategy Development (FY26-FY30) " in the subject line and including support documents as outlined.