REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Scope of Work

Consultancy to provide technical assistance on gender equality and positive masculinities in joint business management to Orora Wihaze partners couples

Assignment Locations: Kigali and Orora Wihaze target districts namely Kayonza, Ngoma, Gakenke, Burera, Rutsiro, Ngororero, Nyamagabe, Nyamasheke

Assignment Period: June - August 2024

Type of contract: Fixed Price Contract 

I. Introduction

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded the 5-year Feed the Future Orora Wihaze (Raise Animals for Self-Sufficiency) Activity in October 2019 to Land O’Lakes Venture37. The Orora Wihaze Activity works with local partners and the private sector actors in Rwanda to strengthen the animal source foods (ASF) market system by sustainably increasing the availability of access to, and consumption of ASF. Orora Wihaze’s primary target participants are ASF producer and consumer households in Burera, Gakenke, Nyamagabe, Nyamasheke, Rutsiro, Ngororero, Kayonza and Ngoma districts in Rwanda. The Activity specifically targets women, youth, and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

Land O’ Lakes Venture37 is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that exists since 1981 helping communities around the world (currently operating in 80+ including Rwanda) build economies by strengthening agriculture from farm-to-fork, helping businesses grow, and linking farmers to markets. Since its start, Land O’Lakes Venture37 has been leveraging nearly 100 years of expertise in dairy, animal nutrition, crop inputs and agricultural insights from its close affiliate, Land O’Lakes, Inc., a farmer-owned agribusiness committed to fulfilling its purpose of feeding human progress.

Orora Wihaze theory of change has integrated the promotion of gender and social inclusion as a necessary condition for accelerating enterprise growth and household incomes with the belief that women, youth and PWD engagement in income generating activities promote household functionality, gender relations at household level and nutrition behavior change, through giving women greater control over resources and making them better informed to make ASF consumption decisions for their households.

II. Background of the assignment

Under its intervention 6 of “Development of Women’s Empowerment Programming”, Orora Wihaze works with various actors to implement ideas that make the ASF sector more inclusive of all categories of people, including women and youth so that they are all and equally empowered to participate in decision making for ASF production and consumption at household and community levels. This is done by ensuring that gender and social inclusion principles are integrated into all new activities and partnerships whereby Orora Wihaze encourages its actors to promote meaningful and equal participation of women and men as livestock multipliers and producers, but more importantly, by ensuring an agency for women’s access to finance and market linkages.

To this end, in March 2024, Orora Wihaze facilitated a two-days couples’ dialogue for 28 participants (14 couples) partners and market actors from Orora Wihaze intervention districts namely Nyamasheke , Burera , Gakenke , Rutsiro , Ngororero , Kayonza and Ngoma District in order to prevent some household level conflicts that may arise from gender social norms and beliefs that women or men-led ASF businesses may encounter such as: the lack of full support by spouses, lack of shared responsibility and common understanding about the management of business. This workshop helped the participants to understand the social construction of gender and how it affects not only the business but also the social and economic relations. They were then introduced to the gender mainstreaming within their businesses.

During the couples’ workshop, participants proposed, among other recommendations, to:

• Organize an in-depth training to allow couples to understand more about gender equality and how it can be included in business.
• Organize an outreach technical support to Orora Wihaze partners through accompaniment and support the application of learned principles and best practices.

• Description of Assignment

The proposed assignment is a follow up to the couples’ dialogue and build on participants recommendations as listed above to organize a session for Orora Wihaze partners and provide a post-workshop coaching through technical assistance to the targeted couples in order to ensure that a tangible impact is made in as far as the gender power relations and nurturing positive masculinities are concerned.

• Couples Dialogue

The couples dialogue workshop will be conducted for 22 couples (44 participants) using appropriate couple dialogue approaches and methodologies to ensure effective involvement of both spouses in the management of their businesses.

• Post-workshop technical assistance

Through technical assistance, the successful bidder will provide coaching and accompaniment to all 22 couples. This will involve site visits to couples’ workplaces as needed. The visits will be done purposely for post-training mentorship and evaluate the tangible impact being obtained from the couples’ dialogue and workshop. If possible, the successful bidder may commit to continue with follow up and provide coaching to the targeted couples along with their other beneficiaries beyond the contract period.

• Final couples dialogue session after home/workplace-based coaching.

The service provider will facilitate a final couples’ dialogue as a refresher workshop bringing together all 22 couples at one venue to share the feedback from onsite visits and discuss the way forward beyond Orora Wihaze assignment.

Objective of the assignment

The proposed training and technical assistance are in line with Orora Wihaze work around the integration of Gender and Social Inclusion and seeks to promote gender equality and positive masculinity among the partners and key actors that work with Orora Wihaze. Through this activity, Orora Wihaze aims to alert its partners about some household level conflicts (that arise from gender social norms and beliefs) which women or men led ASF businesses may encounter such as the lack of full support by spouses, lack of shared responsibility and common understanding about the management of business; and discuss prevention mechanisms.

Therefore, the purpose of this activity is to create awareness about the benefits of working together as couples for proper management of their ASF related businesses, and to contribute to behavior change in relation to gender equality and the role of both men and women in increasing access to, availability of and consumption of ASF for households in Ngoma, Kayonza, Gakenke, Burera, Ngororero, Rutsiro, Nyamasheke and Nyamagabe districts.

V. Key Activities for the Service Provider

• In collaboration with Orora Wihaze develop and agree on the activity implementation plan.
• Facilitate a training workshop for couples to enhance their understanding of the principles and benefits of gender equality and positive masculinity in business management
• Develop checklist and reference materials to facilitate couples to professionally run joint business.
• Develop and share with Orora Wihaze visits plan and schedule for couples’ coaching and accompaniment.
• Deliver post-training coaching to couples to further strengthen the application of acquired knowledge and gender equality best practices.
• Submit monthly updates (progress report) and a debrief to Orora Wihaze and final report at the end of assignment.

VI. Key deliverables

The Service provider will be expected to deliver the following:

• Detailed inception report, including an action plan with clear timelines.
• Training materials with detailed methodology and training agenda
• Couples’ joint business management checklist and reference materials
• Training reports (monthly and final) for the couples
• Submission of modules and tools to be used during the technical assistance with clear detailed methodology and timelines.
• Final assignment report and presentation on lessons learned and recommendations from this assignment.
• APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR QUALIFIED CANDIDATES

Interested individual consultants are encouraged to send their applications to ProcurementROW@landolakes.com not later than 26^th May 2024 Kigali time. The title of the email must include “Consultancy to provide technical assistance on gender equality and positive masculinities in joint business management to Orora Wihaze partners couples.” 

The application email should attach a comprehensive 2-section technical proposal as one (1) document in pdf format: 

• A Proposal with (i) brief description of why the individual considers themself as the most suitable for the assignment, (ii) a detailed clear methodology and assignment execution roadmap on how they will approach and complete the assignment, and (iii) a duly completed Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using consultant’s self-created template or a project-specific template where applicable. 
• The Proposal should also contain (iv) personal CV indicating education background/professional qualifications, all relevant experience, consultant contact details, (3) professional references and (v) a financial proposal.

7.1.Organizational arrangements

The consultant/service provider will undertake the assignment as described in this ToR and will report to the Gender and Social Inclusion Advisor while remuneration will be handled by procurement department. The consultant/service provider will spearhead the assignment and will be responsible for the submission of the deliverables as requested.

7.2.Duty Station

The duty station of the work will be Kigali and travels to the target Districts for providing continuous assistance and coaching.

Required expertise and experience. 

• Proven experience in conducting training and couples dialogue using gender transformative approaches to challenge unequal gender norms in order to promote positive masculinities.
• Good understanding and working knowledge in the integration of Gender and Social Inclusion into ASF and livestock-based businesses.
• Have a good understanding and working knowledge of strategies to promote gender equality in the business set-up through reconstruction of a non-violent identity of men, adoption of positive masculine behaviors.
• Be familiar with awareness campaign and capacity building training on men’s empowerment to be positive and supportive partners, role models for other men and change agents in promoting healthy families and women’s socio-economic development, eradication of sexual and gender-based violence.
• Excellent communication skills in English and Kinyarwanda, both oral and written.

Payment Modalities

• The consultant/service provider shall be paid in accordance with Orora Wihaze’s procurement procedures upon completion of the following milestones:
• 25%. Upon submission and approval of detailed plan of action and training materials (for the 2nd group) with detailed methodology and training agenda
• 35%. After completion of the training and submission of training report
• 40%. After completion of the assignment and after the approval of the final report by Orora Wihaze technical team.

Assignment Period 

This assignment is expected to start in June 2024 through 31^st August, 2024. However, the consultant/service provider will continue to follow up and provide coaching to the targeted couples along with their other beneficiaries beyond the contract period.

• Evaluation Criteria
• The Service Provider will be evaluated against the following criteria:
• Quality of Proposal (This includes Action Plan, 2nd cohort training outline, Methodology, and Cost) (50%)
• Experience and proven capabilities (25%)
• Consultant’s relevant knowledge, qualifications, and skills (25%)

ANNEXES

Annex 1. Targeted Participants and respective districts

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