Project Background:

SAYWHAT and WILD in a consortium with SC Norway are implementing an EU funded project/action whose main goals are;

• To enhance the capacity of youth-led civil society organizations (CSOs), including those for young women and people   in policy dialogue and effective representation at local and national levels, thereby contributing to good governance and development in Zimbabwe, and
• To support youth  economic empowerment by creating an enabling environment for green jobs and digital inclusion, ensuring youth participation in governance and policy dialogue

The project primary outcomes are to build the capacity of youth organizations for effective advocacy and policy dialogue, with a target of selected organizations demonstrating improved capacity, and to promote creativity and innovation among young people, including  Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) aged 15-29.

Specifically, the project seeks to enhance the operational and internal capacity of youth-led civil society organizations, focusing on organizational development, strategic planning, and resource mobilization, and to promote transparency, accountability, and good governance practices within youth organizations, ensuring their sustainability and effectiveness in delivering their mandates.

In that regard, the consortium is requesting for Expression of Interest (EOI) from the most suited consultants in Zimbabwe.

Purpose of the Consultancy:

The purpose of this consultancy is to design and deliver a comprehensive training package on CSO advocacy for selected youth-led CSOs in Zimbabwe. The training on CSO advocacy should equip participants from the selected CSOs with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to effectively advocate for policy reforms and programs that address the challenges facing youth in Zimbabwe.

Scope of Work:

The Consultant will be responsible for the following:

1. Training Needs Assessment
2. Conduct a review of the capacity assessment key findings, which identified specific advocacy training needs of the 40 selected youth-led CSOs with varying backgrounds and settings from 10 districts and 6 provinces in Zimbabwe.

• Curriculum Development
• Develop a comprehensive and participatory training curriculum on Youth led and Youth Focused advocacy, tailored to the identified needs of youths within  the Zimbabwean context. The curriculum should cover topics such as:
  • Understanding the policy landscape in Zimbabwe related to good governance and national development
  • Importance of Youth participation
  • Importance of Advocacy, setting advocacy objectives,
  • Tools for problem identification specifically related to issues that affect youth in Zimbabwe e.g. poverty, unemployment, vulnerability to climate change.
  • Mapping the platforms for advocacy – national, regional and global opportunities.
  • Advocacy strategies and tactics (e.g., lobbying, public awareness campaigns, media engagement)
  • Creating context specific advocacy plans
  • Risk awareness as pertains to advocacy
  • Developing effective advocacy messages
  • Building coalitions and networks
  • Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning from advocacy efforts
  • Resource mobilization for advocacy

  • Ethical considerations in advocacy

• Training Materials Development

Develop all necessary training materials, including presentations, handouts, case studies, and practical exercises. Materials should be accessible and engaging for young people.

• Training Delivery
• SAYWHAT will be responsible for covering the following costs related to the venue, meals, and other needs for the implementation of the training, media etc.
• The Consultant shall follow-up on action plans developed and status of scaling.
• The Consultant shall facilitate interactive and participatory training workshops for selected youth-led CSOs.
• The training should be conducted in a format that is conducive to learning and encourages active participation.
• The consultant shall provide where necessary the training materials and handouts that will aid the delivery.

• Post-Training Support
• Provide post-training support to participants, such as mentoring, coaching, or access to online resources.
• Reporting
• Submit a comprehensive report on the training, including a summary of the training content, participant feedback, and recommendations for future training activities.

• Deliverables:
• Inception Report outlining the needs assessment methodology and proposed training curriculum.
• Comprehensive training curriculum and materials.
• Facilitation of training workshops.
• Post-training support plan.
• Final training report.

• Timeline

• The consultancy is expected to be carried out for approximately 25 working days, spread across the period from 21 March to 4 April  2025.
• The consultant will then have an additional 14 days, until 14 April 2025, to finalize and submit the training report.
• A detailed and specific timeline with specific milestones and deadlines will be agreed upon with the selected consultant at the start of the consultancy.

• Target Group

Selected youth-led CSOs in Zimbabwe.

• Target Provinces and Districts
• Harare Metropolitan
• Bulawayo Metropolitan
• Manicaland (Chipinge, Chimanimani, Mutare Urban
• Matabeleland South (Matobo, Gwanda, Beitbridge)
• Matabeleland North (Binga)
• Mashonaland West (Kariba/Nyaminyami)

1. Consultant Qualifications

• The Consultant should have the following qualifications and experience:
• Advanced degree in a relevant field (e.g., law, political science, social work, development studies, communications).
• Demonstrated experience in designing and delivering training programs on advocacy, preferably for CSOs.
• Strong understanding of the Zimbabwean political and social context.
• Experience working with young people and youth-led organizations.
• Excellent facilitation and communication skills.
• Fluency in English and at least one other local language.

1. Application Process
2. Interested consultants should submit the following:
3. Expression of Interest (EOI):
4. A brief cover letter outlining their interest and suitability for the consultancy, highlighting relevant experience and qualifications.
5. Technical Proposal

1. The technical proposal should include:
2. A detailed methodology responding to the Terms of Reference (ToR) and deliverables, highlighting relevant experience and competencies.
3. A work plan with a clear timeline, including delivery dates.
4. CVs of the consultant/consulting team, outlining their specific roles.
5. Contact information for three professional referees.
6. The technical proposal should not exceed 10 pages, excluding annexes
7. A detailed proposal outlining their approach to the consultancy, including the proposed methodology, training curriculum outline, and timeline.

1. Financial Proposal
2. A detailed budget outlining all costs associated with the consultancy, including consultant fees, travel expenses, training materials, and other related costs.

1. Curriculum Vitae
2. A detailed CV demonstrating relevant experience and qualifications.
3. References
4. Contact information for at least two references.

1. Evaluation Criteria:

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Technical expertise and experience (30%)
• Proposed methodology and training curriculum (30%)
• Financial proposal (20%)
• Relevant experience in the Zimbabwean context (20%)

1. Submission Deadline

Applications should be received no later than 14 March 2025 at 2300hrs

1. Contact Information:
2. Applications should be submitted electronically to tenders@saywhat.org.zw with “Consultancy – Advocacy Training for youth-led organizations” in the subject line.
3. Only shortlisted applicants shall be contacted.
4. All questions or clarifications of a technical nature are to be sent to tenders@saywhat.org.zw no later than 10 March, 1600Hrs