Call for Proposals – Short Term Consultancy

Request for Proposals to undertake a Comprehensive Sector Scoping and Programme Development to support Rural Enterprise Development and Resilient Livelihoods in the Musanze District adjacent to the Singita Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Proposal Submission Date: Friday, 18^th August 2023.      

Period of work: (3 months) September to mid-December 2023.

Proposals to be submitted to:

Similar Jobs in Rwanda
Learn more about Singita Rwanda Investments Limited
Singita Rwanda Investments Limited jobs in Rwanda

Ms Claudine Tuyishime, SVNP Conservation and Community Programme Manager (Claudine.T@singita.com), with a copy to Ms Angela Shillan, Singita Conservation Coordinator (Angela.S@singita.com). 

1. Background

Singita Volcanoes National Park is home to the Singita Kwitonda Lodge, situated adjacent to the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Singita is a well-known luxury ecotourism and conservation brand, committed to a 100-year purpose to preserve and protect vast tracts of African wilderness and wildlife for the benefit of future generations, whilst supporting the socio-economic and livelihood opportunities for the many neighbouring communities. The development of long-lasting, meaningful community partnerships is central to shaping landscapes where nature and people can thrive in harmony with one another.

At the core of Singita's Conservation and Community Partnership programmes and projects lies the support for neighbouring communities, whose well-being and livelihoods are reliant upon access to natural resources for their livelihoods and food security, whilst also often vulnerable to the human wildlife conflict when living directly adjacent to protected areas. Local communities need to benefit tangibly from the long term the preservation of these landscapes in order to value and support the ongoing protection of these areas.

Singita’s community partnership initiatives across the regions in which we operate encompass a wide range of socio-economic interventions that support and promote access to quality education, professional skills development, job creation, rural enterprise development, environmental awareness, sustainable resource use, and woman and youth empowerment.  

With approximately 80% of the Rwandan population defined as ‘rural’, rural enterprise development of critical importance in Rwanda. There are initiatives providing access to finance for rural entrepreneurs through the Rwanda Development Bank and capacity building through the Rural Development Initiative, as well as other government agency support for cooperatives, market linkages, value chain development and access to technology. Public-private partnerships like the Strategic Capacity Building Initiative are a source of significant support in all these areas, alongside enterprise development hubs established in Kigali.

Singita would like to support rural entrepreneurship, business skills development and resilient local livelihoods to enhance the growth of the already vibrant informal sector and micro-enterprises in under-resourced communities that surround the Singita Volcanoes National Park in the Musanze District of Rwanda.

Bottom of Form 

2. Objective of the consultancy

Singita is calling for proposals to scope, inform and develop or partner with existing initiatives to best support a rural enterprise and resilient livelihoods programme in the Musanze district of Rwanda. Singita wishes to engage an experienced consultant/ consultancy group with relevant expertise and successful track record in Rwanda (and/or elsewhere in Africa) to perform a full sector, national and district, scoping of rural enterprise development and resilient livelihoods initiatives.

The focus should be on all stakeholders including Government, international NGOs, local NGOs and CBOs, local community initiatives, private and finance sector, and research organizations, and outline of relevant policy, projects, partnerships, research and funders of relevance in Rwanda.

The deliverables will be a scoping document, followed on by a framework of a programme development plan to provide Singita a clear understanding of existing interventions, challenges and current gaps and opportunities in the landscape to provide recommendations as to where Singita could most effectively contribute to the area of rural enterprise development and resilient livelihoods within the Musanze District. 

3. Scope of work

Phase 1 Scoping Report & Initial Stakeholder Engagement

• Provide an overview of current context in Rwanda, and the Musanze district rural context and the socio-economic development, environmental and climate related challenges faced by local communities.
• Identify the specific risks and vulnerabilities faced by communities in relation to their livelihoods and micro-enterprises.
• Describe the importance of and potential areas of focus for initiating Rural Enterprise & Resilient Livelihood Development to address these challenges.
• Outline the goals and objectives of a rural enterprise development and resilient livelihoods programmes in this context.

Stakeholder Engagement & Potential Partnerships

• Identify the relevant stakeholders including government agencies, community organisations, NGOS, local communities, research institutions, private sector entities and financial institutions that support enterprise development in the broader region, Rwanda and/ or the Musanze district.
• Describe the mission / key objectives of each partner/stakeholder identified and its domain and area of intervention.
• Outline areas of common interest and strategies for collaboration and coordination amongst key stakeholders.

Phase 2 Programme Development

Outline the Programme Development Objectives:

• Clearly state the specific objectives for a developing a Community Partnership Programme, such as promoting rural enterprise development and micro-business opportunities, diversified income streams and resilient livelihoods, increasing rural employment opportunities, fostering sustainable agricultural practices and sustainable resource use and sustainable development, enhancing access to market.
• Define the measurable indicators and targets to assess the achievement of the Programme Objectives.
• Define the specific outcomes of the Programme.
• Identify the geographical scope and target beneficiaries of such
• Identity and define the expectations, roles and responsibilities of each partner.

Outline Programme Development and Activities:

• Detail the key activities, interventions and resources required to achieve the programme objectives.
• Include activities related to skills training and capacity building, business development support, access to micro-finance, market linkages, infrastructure development and any other relevant initiatives required to support the implementation of the Programme.
• Outline the proposed areas of focus – smallholder agriculture (livestock, cash crops and fresh produce, fisheries), arts and crafts, building materials, tree nurseries etc…
• Highlight any prioritised sectors, as per government priority, or value chain based on vulnerability or market-based procurement potential.
• Identity interventions that can support climate-smart agriculture, livelihood diversification, social protection mechanisms, incorporate climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, capacity building, and access to finance.
• Provide a timeline for development and implementation for each activity and specify responsible stakeholders.

Programme Components:

• Outline the major components of the Programme, key interventions required.
• Detail the proposed activities of each intervention and expected outputs.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL):

• Define a MEL framework to assess and track the Programme progress and impact.
• Specify key performance indicators or metrics and data collection methods.
• Identify responsible entities to participate and / or support the monitoring and evaluation activities.
• Identify potential risks and challenges associated with program implementation.
• Propose mitigation measures and contingency plans.

Financial and operational requirements:

• Provide an overview of the Programme budget, allocations and as well as identifying potential funding sources (donors, finance institutions, partners).
• Specify the frequency, format and contents of progress and MEL reports.

Ethical Considerations

• Highlight ethical principles and guidelines to be followed during programme implementation and of relevance to key funders, such as inclusivity, gender equality, environmental sustainability, respect for local culture and traditions, indigenous knowledge.
• Describe strategies to ensure long term sustainability of the impacts beyond the program duration and outline an exit strategy, including plans for empowering communities and micro-businesses, strengthening local institutions and partners and supporting government partnerships and policies.

4. Timelines and Deliverables:

The two key deliverables:

• Phase 1 (within the first month: 30 September 2023) a Scoping Report will provide a comprehensive overview of the current context as per the Scope and Stakeholder Engagement (as outlined in Section 3, Phase 1 Terms of Reference above) and recommendations for Singita’s role and potential Programme to support to Rural Enterprise Development and Resilient Livelihoods (RED&RL) in the Musanze District.

This report will be evaluated and discussed by the Singita team and the consultants, to agree on next steps prior to consultants commencing with the proposed RED&RL Programme Development (Phase 2).

• Phase 2 (two months: mid Oct – mid Dec 2023) Drafting of the RED&RL Programme Development & Implementation Plan (as per Phase 2 Terms of Reference outlined in Section 3 above).

5. Proposal, CV, and Experience and Track Record

Please submit a comprehensive proposal outlining your interest and approach to undertaking this work, an overview of your organisation, detail of the team and expertise, as well as relevant experience and track record in Rural Enterprise Development and Resilient Livelihood Programme Development Familiarity with relevant government policies and structures. Knowledge and understanding of civil society dynamics in Rwanda, as well as demonstrating a good understanding of rural enterprise development issues in Rwanda, and of the Musanze area context would be an added advantage. 

Submission of Proposals

Interested consultant/consultancy groups are requested to submit a proposal to Ms Claudine Tuyishime SVNP Conservation and Community Programme Manager (Claudine.T@singita.com), with a copy to Singita Conservation Coordinator, Ms Angela Shillan, Angela.S@singita.com

The documents to be submitted via email on or before the deadline.

The deadline for the submission is 18^th August 2023 by 17:00PM (CAT).

The following documents should be included in the Proposal submission:

1. Technical proposal- well documented approach addressing the requirements set out in this Scope of Work and Project Timelines.
2. Detailed budget, presented in USD (including VAT where applicable), including all expenses necessary to carry out the work according to this Terms of Reference.
3. Overview of track record and experience in RED Programme Development and a maximum of three client references for previous work relevant and expertise.
4. An overview of the project team, indicating their responsibilities/roles in the project, and including their CV’s.
5. Any other supporting documents that are relevant to the application.