Terms of Reference: Market Dialogue for Digital Business Training

Bridging Digital Divide Programme - Kumwe Hub (part of Save the Children)

1. Background

Save the Children Rwanda, through its innovation arm Kumwe Hub, https://kumwehub.com  is implementing the "Bridging the Digital Divide” programme in the Mahama refugee camp in Rwanda. The programme aims to connect refugees to the internet, and create solutions that enable refugees to pay for the internet connection themselves.

Bridging the Digital Divide aims to understand the barriers that refugees face when accessing the internet, their unique needs, and then to work with the private sector to co-create solutions to overcome these barriers. For the Bridging the Digital Divide programme, Kumwe Hub embraces co-creation: creating solutions to refugees’ connectivity problems with refugees, the private-sector and NGOs. 

Through a needs assessment with refugee camp-based refugees in Rwanda it was learned that the reason why refugees are currently not connected to the internet, is because of the high cost of digital devices, the high cost of mobile data, and the lack of digital literacy. Therefore, the programme first tried to tackle these barriers by partnering with Samphone and MTN, to offer affordable 4G smartphones to a pilot cohort of 114 refugees in Mahama refugee camp. The pilot cohort were offered a 3-day basic digital literacy training by Internet Society followed by access to an affordable 4G smartphone that they will pay for themselves in installment payments through MTN’s “Macye Macye” programme, over 1 to 2 years.

The pilot cohort consisted of the following group:

• 114 refugees based in the Mahama refugee camp
• All who are parents to at least 1 child between the ages 0-5 years
• All who are entrepreneurs and owning and operating businesses in/from the Mahama refugee camp
• All are literate (would be able to use a digital device and the Internet)
• Have received business training by Inkomoko and are running a business in the Mahama refugee camp.

After 3 months of having received the digital literacy training, and owning the 4G smartphones, the pilot cohort has expressed the desire to receive Digital Business Training to strengthen their business capacities. They now want to receive new training to learn how they as entrepreneurs can use the smartphone to increase their business revenues.

The Bridging the Digital Divide  programme is therefore now looking to partner with an African entity that can co-design and facilitate a Digital Business Training for refugees. This service provider will be meeting the following experience and qualifications detailed herein below. 

2. Objectives

For the tender to co-design and facilitate a Digital Business Training targeting entrepreneurial refugees in Rwanda to enhance their online business skills. The training is designed to equip refugees with business skills that they can execute through access to smartphones and the internet, to impact the revenues from their business.

3. Scope

The Digital Business Training is to be designed for  refugees in Rwanda. The training is meant to be co-designed by the tender winning this proposal and refugees. As mentioned above, the pilot cohort has already received business training by Inkomoko, and digital literacy training by Internet Society. Thereby, this is a supplementary training meant to teach refugees how they can use their smartphones in their businesses.  Content examples include:

1. Digital marketing strategies and techniques
2. E-commerce fundamentals, covering online store setup, payment gateways, and customer management.
3. Social media for business promotion and customer engagement.
4. Cybersecurity awareness to ensure safe online business practices.

Tenders are encouraged to be creative and are in no way limited to the above examples of what could be included in the Digital Business Training. 

4. Methodology

The tender is very welcome to submit a tailored methodology but should include the following features:

1. Conduct a co-design session with refugees  clients in the Mahama refugee  camp to learn about refugees’ digital business existing skills and needs
2.  Create the tailored Digital Business Training curriculum
3.  Facilitate the Digital Business Training with Bridging the Digital Divide’s 114 clients
4. Conduction of a baseline and endline evaluation on the clients with Kumwe Hub, and report back to Kumwe Hub .

5. Timeline and deliverables

The Digital Business Training must be designed and facilitated by the tender in the Mahama Refugee Camp by 1st March 2024. Within this proposed timeline, the tender will deliver the following:

1. Co-design in-person in Mahama with some of the Bridging the Digital Divide clients
2. Develop a Digital Business Training curriculum to be reviewed by Kumwe Hub prior to delivery of the training
3. To deliver the training and develop a comprehensive report outlining successful models, challenges, and recommendations. 

6. Reporting and Communication

Regular check-ins will be scheduled to monitor progress of the co-design session and designing of the curriculum and training, and address any queries. The final report is expected to be submitted by the agreed-upon deadline. 

7. Budget

Interested entities are invited to provide a detailed budget proposal outlining the costs associated with facilitating the training, including any potential expenses like the co-creation session, transport, per diem etc. 

8. Submission of Proposals

Interested entities  are requested to submit:

1. A technical proposal
2. A financial proposal
3. RDB Business registration certificate
4. Valid RRA tax clearance certificate
5. Valid RSSB tax clearance certificate
6. VAT certificate 

9. Evaluation Criteria:

• Relevant experience in providing Digital Business Training.
• Quality and innovation in training methodologies.
• Suitability of proposed programs to the organization's needs.
• Cost-effectiveness and value for investment.
• References and testimonials from previous clients. 

10. Questions/Clarifications

All additional questions and/or requests for clarifications regarding this procurement must be made via email and submitted to Programmes Officer Adrine Uwimana on adrine.uwimana@savethechildren.org  before 10th January 2024. Phone calls or requests for online meetings will be accepted in response to requests for proposals. 

Proposals must be submitted by 19th January 2024 at 12:00 PM, Rwanda time. Proposals must be submitted to rwanda.bid@savethechildren.org.

Save the Children Rwanda reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal and to negotiate modifications to the scope of work and budget with the selected consultancy firm.