REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR CAPACITY BUILDING

AIFO is an International NGO with headquarters in Bologna, Italy, working in the field of international health cooperation and disability since 1961. AIFO operates in Liberia since 1997. AIFO Liberia’s mission focuses on the promotion of disability rights, building the capacity of local Disabled People Organizations (DPOs) and on fostering economic independence for People with Disabilities (PWDs).

AIFO Liberia seeks a consultant to conduct training for DPOs on advocacy, the United Nation Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) and other legal human rights instruments and Institutional capacity building training of NUOD and their member DPOs under the Project tiltled: Voices for Inclusion and Civil Society Empowerment (VOICE) – Disabled People Organisations stepping up for people with disabilities rights in Liberia which is funded by the European Union.

Objectives of the assignment are to;

1. Build National Union of Organization of the Disabled (NUOD’s) and Disabled People Organisations (DPOs’) institutional capacity in those areas as identified in AIFO’s Diagnostic Study on the management capacity of NUOD and DPOs, enhancing their organisational self-esteem. The training course will better equip them to coordinate and complement their activities and expand their visibility and inclusion.
2. Shape NUOD’s and DPOs course of advocacy and strategies targeting/influencing the relevant audience such as businesses, policy-makers and duty bearers at national and county level for equal participation and inclusion in decision-making processes as it relates to the rights of PWDs.

How to respond to this request for proposal

Interested candidates are invited to request for a copy of the project log frame by sending an email with subject “VOICE Project Capacity Building” to nibo.browne@aifo.it and cc copy melany.oey@aifo.it

The proposal shall comprise:

∙ A cover letter stating why you consider your service suitable for the assignment (1 page) ∙ CVs highlighting qualifications and experience in similar projects

∙ Work references – contact details (e-mail addresses) of referees (firms for whom you’ve produced similar assignments)

∙ A brief document explaining the methodology on the approach and implementation of the assignment ∙ A detailed budget indicating consultancy fee and a breakdown of expenses (unit price together with any other expenses) related to the assignment

Interested individuals/institutions/firms should have:

∙ Relevant academic degree (master level) in Economics, Human Rights, sociology or other similar studies

∙ A minimum of five years’ experience and expertise in capacity building including Fundraising, Project management, Financial management, Report writing, human rights and advocacy.

∙ Conducted at least five or more capacity trainings for organizations in the last five years ideally in the relevant field

∙ Knowledge and working experience of Liberia with focus on topics such as disability Fundraising, Project management, Financial management, Report writing, human rights and advocacy. , socio-economic inclusion, awareness campaigns

∙ Experience and expertise in capacity building within the disable Community considering cross-cutting issues

∙ Excellent report writing skills

All applications should be sent via email to Mr. Nibo R. Browne. (VOICE Project Manager- AIFO Liberia): nibo.browne@aifo.it cc copy melany.oey@aifo.it. Please indicate in the subject line of the email: VOICE Project Capacity Building”.

The deadline for submission is 12th of July 2021.

TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR) FOR THE CONSULTANT

1. PROJECT INFORMATION

Project Title: “Voices for Inclusion and Civil Society Empowerment (VOICE) – Disabled People Organisations stepping up for people with disabilities rights in Liberia.”

Country of intervention: Liberia

Areas of intervention:

∙ Nimba, Garr Bain District

∙ Bomi, Senjeh District

∙ Montserrado, Greater Monrovia District

Project Duration: 2 years (24 months)

Consortium: Italian Association Amici di Raoul Follereau – AIFO (Lead Applicant); Williette Safehouse – WSL (co applicant): National Union of Organizations of the Disabled – NUOD; National Commission on Disabilities – NCD (Associate) Oscar Romero School of the Deaf -ORS (Associate).

Donor: European Union

2. INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND

This intervention builds on almost 60 years of AIFO’s experience in working in the field of disability and international cooperation. Since 1997, AIFO operates in Liberia in partnership with Liberian Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs), focussing on the promotion of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) rights. AIFO’s feasibility study for the Disability and Start-up (DASU) project, executed in partnership with NUOD (AIFO Liberia, 2017), found that economic empowerment is perceived by PWDs as a precondition attaining other human rights, including active participation in political and social life, as well as the right to health, education, and food. Article 27 of the CRPD (2006) recognises the right of PWDs to work, on an equal basis with others. While Liberia ratified the CRPD into its own legislation in 2012, little overall progress has been made in the lives of PWDs to date, as asserted in the first draft report to the CRPD Committee (Liberia Draft National report, 2019).

The Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development, 2018-2023 (PADP), set by the Government of Liberia (GOL), states that social and cultural factors limit opportunities to find work while living with disability, but even more so, PWDs face discrimination from employers. PWDs are usually excluded from social and economic life and their rights are not fully fulfilled (p.9 PADP). In particular, youth experiencing hearing loss and deafness seldom receive schooling opportunities and therefore lack education and skillsets required for the job market. To inform the design of the Action, AIFO and partners drew on their most recent studies (Emancipatory Disability Research, Diagnostic Study on DPOs NUODi, Baseline Survey Report ii: Mapping Social Economy in Liberia. AIFO 2019).

With this Action, they propose to contribute to fostering PWDs economic independence, while simultaneously promoting the rights and obligations of rights-holders and duty-bearers, so a more inclusive Liberian society can be built. The activities proposed in this Action are in line with the priorities of the National Action Plan (NAP) for the inclusion of PWDs in Liberia 2018-2022.

The VOICE project’s overall goal is all deaf and hard of hearing persons in Liberia enjoy the right to have equal access to work and employment.

The project’s specific objective is Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) enhanced their capacity and autonomy to engage for the socio-economic empowerment of the deaf and hard of hearing persons (HOH) in Liberia. In order to achieve this goal, the project includes four different outputs with specific activities.

Output 1.1: 9 DPOs and NUOD members (100), in particular deaf and HOH persons, trained to advocate for PWDs economic and work rights on national and county level.

Output 1.2: 9 DPOs and NUOD members (100), in particular deaf and HOH persons, engaged in the development of advocacy and lobby strategies to influence policy-makers at local and national level. Output 1.3: Raised awareness of the general public, as well as national and local decision-makers regarding the right of PWDs to work and employment.

Output 1.4: 90 Deaf and HOH young persons improved employability and technical/vocational skills.

3. OBJECTIVES OF THE CAPACITY BUILDING

The Action aims to contribute to improving the socio-economic condition of Liberia’s deaf and hard of hearing (HOH) community, by empowering PWDs and by enhancing Liberian CSOs’ engagement capacities and autonomy, specifically DPOs in Montserrado, Bomi and Nimba counties. In the long-term, this will result in a more inclusive society where all people with disabilities in Liberia can fully enjoy their right to have equal access to work and employment. The interventions will address specific operational and technical constraints that DPOs encounter as well as barriers that limit PWDs, and in particular the deaf and HOH community, opportunities to work and employment.

4. SPECIFIC TOPICS TO BE FACILITATED

The key areas of focus of the capacity building will therefore include:

1. Institutional capacity building training of National Union of Organization of the Disabled (NUOD) and their member Disable People Organization (DPOs) in the area of;

• Fundraising
• Project management
• Financial management
• Report writing

.

2. Training for DPOs on advocacy, the United Nation Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) and other legal human rights instruments.
3. Advocacy Skills, Strategy & Tools will be organised for NUOD and DPOs to provide basic advocacy skills, and knowledge on international and national human rights instruments and SDGs and how to use these in all DPO activities, as well as reviewing of existing legislation on national and county level.

Relevance

∙ To what extent are the capacity building project’s objectives be valid for the country, the partner organizations and the beneficiaries?

∙ Are the topics of the capacity building consistent with the outputs, objectives and overall objective (as part of the log frame matrix)?

Effectiveness

∙ To what extent has the capacity building achieved its objective(s)?

∙ What are the major factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of the outputs? (Also consider any which were possibly beyond the control of the project)

∙ Did the project contribute to DPOs capacity building as planned?

Efficiency

∙ If applicable, to what extent were all beneficiaries attended the capacity building training?

∙ Was the training session implemented in the most efficient way (time, organisation, personnel resources)? Have any issues emerged, if so which ones and why?

Impact

∙ How many deaf and hard of hearing persons including women, men, girls and boys in total benefited from the capacity building?

∙ Have the skills of women, men, girls, boys with disabilities improves after the training session (immediate impact)?

∙ Which positive and/or negative effects/impacts in terms of gender and environment can possibly be attributed to the training session?

∙ Which organizations benefitted from the capacity building session and how?

∙ Are there any other important aspects regarding impact?

Sustainability

∙ To what extent will the capacity building session benefit beneficiaries after the end of the training session?

∙ What are the major factors that will influence the achievement or non-achievement of sustainability of the capacity building skill?

∙ If applicable, what needs to be done and/or improved to ensure sustainability? Effectiveness of project management

∙ Was the capacity building session managed as planned? If not, what issues occurred and why?

∙ To what extent have all targeted beneficiaries under the project/programme stakeholders collaborated as planned?

∙ Is there a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities by all beneficiaries involved? 5. APPROACH AND METHODS

The methods of implementation and rationale for such methodology. The action follows the Community Based Rehabilitation/Community Based Inclusive Development (CBR/CBID) approach, that is a strategy within community development for rehabilitation, equalisation of opportunities and social inclusion of PWDs. CBR/CBID is implemented through the combined efforts of PWDs themselves, their families, organisations, communities and the relevant governmental and nongovernmental actors. The Action methodology will focus on two of the five components of the CBR/CBID matrix: 1) livelihood – of deaf and HOH people through their skills development, self-employment, wage employment and; 2) empowerment – through advocacy and communication actions, community mobilisation and political participation of DPOs members.

6. TIMELINE

The Consultancy will consists of 2 phases:

1. Phase-1 Institutional capacity building training
2. 20 July – Contract and Kick-off meeting: Contract is signed, and a discussion of the assignment takes place meeting with AIFO Team (1 day)
3. 21 July – 22 July – Desk Study: The Consultant will make available all necessary capacity building documents need to be printed and packaged (2 days)
4. 23 July -Travel: It is expected that the Consultant leaves for Ganta, Nimba in preparation of the 1st training sessions (1day)
5. 27 July – 30 July -: Institutional capacity building training in Ganta, Nimba County (5 days) e. 2 August – Travel: It is expected that the Consultant leaves for Tubmanburg, Bomi in preparation of the 2nd training sessions (1day)
6. 3 August – 7, Aug: Institutional capacity building training in Bomi (5 days)
7. 9 August – 13, Aug: Institutional capacity building training in Montserrado (5 days) h. 16 August – 20, Aug: Submission of Institutional capacity building training report (5 days) II. Phase-2 Training for DPOs on advocacy including advocacy Skills, Strategy & Tools a. 23 August, travel It is expected that the Consultant leaves for Ganta, Nimba in preparation of the 1st training sessions (1day)
8. 25 August – 27, Aug: Advocacy training in Nimba (3 days)
9. 30 August – travel: It is expected that the Consultant leaves for Tubmanburg, Bomi in preparation of the 1st training sessions (1day)
10. 31 August – 2, September- Advocacy training in Bomi (3 days)
11. 6 September– 8, September – Advocacy training in Montserrado (3 days)
12. 10 September – 14 September: Submission of training for DPOs on advocacy including advocacy Skills, Strategy & Tools (5 days)

7. BUDGET

The consultant should provide a detailed budget in which all costs as it relates to the implementation of this end training are outlined. The Consultant is expected to work across the three localities where the VOICE project is implemented (Bomi, Nimba and Montserrado counties).

8. DELIVERABLES

The consultant will deliver the following:

∙ a Capacity building kick-off meeting

∙ Preparation of training materials

∙ Conduct capacity building trainings

∙ Conduct pre and post training evaluation

∙ a final draft report, including a draft executive summary and narrative (part of the reporting requirement)

All reports must be written in English.

Identify lessons learned and provide recommendations: It is expected that the Consultant will present concrete recommendations addressed to each specific training phases. The findings and recommendations of the final report have to be structured according to agreed outline of the report’s structure during the kick- off meeting.

The quality of the reports will be judged according to the following criteria:

∙ Is the results-matrix format part of the report?

∙ Does the report contain a comprehensive and clear executive summary?

∙ Were the Terms of Reference fulfilled and is this reflected in the report?

∙ Are the methods and processes of the Consultancy sufficiently documented in the consultant report?

∙ Does the report describe and assess the intervention logic (e.g. logframe, project methodology/theory?

∙ Are cross-cutting issues analysed in the report?

∙ Are the conclusions and recommendations based on findings and are they clearly stated in the report? ∙ Does the report clearly differentiate between conclusions, lessons learnt and recommendations?

∙ Are the recommendations realistic and is it clearly expressed to whom the recommendations are addressed to?

∙ Does the report present the information contained in a presentable and clearly arranged form? ∙ Is the report free from spelling mistakes and unclear linguistic formulations?

∙ Can the report be distributed in the delivered form?