Equality for Peace and Development Organization (EPDO) established as National NGO in 2010 and registered in Ministry of Economy. EPDO envisions Afghanistan to be a peaceful, prosperous and developed state, where all Afghans enjoy equal rights without any form of discrimination.

Mission: EPDO’s mission is to empower and strengthen women and youth at the community and policy levels and promote human rights, peace and good governance. EPDO’s main office is in Kabul and has provincial offices in several provinces.

Background & Context

The purpose of the assignment is to provide capacity strengthening and technical training for a joint group of three Afghan NGOs. A need has been identified to support these NGOs in technical elements of inclusive project design, proposal writing, and organisational strategic planning. This will include interactive training, guidance and support on:

- how to design and conduct needs assessments to actively engage and include the perspectives of the most marginalised groups;

- how to build on this primary as well as secondary data for inclusive, participatory and evidence-based project design;

- how to write effective donor funding proposals;

- best practice in organisational strategic planning to help develop resilient organisations.

CAFOD therefore intends to contract a training provider to deliver high quality technical and practical trainings for representatives of the three partner organisations. The trainings will be delivered by one or more consultants with technical expertise in the relevant areas.

Scope of work:

• The overall aim is to build the project design and strategic planning skills of representatives of the partner organisations that can be applied in partners staff’s daily professional lives. The participants will be identified as those individuals whose work is most closely connected to the training topic.
• The trainings are expected to require a maximum of 18 days of consultant time, with the following suggested breakdown:

Needs assessment, inclusive project design and proposal writing:

• 2 days for preparation
• 4 days in-person workshops (with some participants joining online)
• 1 day dedicated to each partner for extra guidance and support (3 days total)
• 1 day for report-writing and follow-up

Organisational strategic planning:

• 2 days for preparation
• 2 days in-person workshops (with some participants joining online)
• 1 day dedicated to each partner for extra guidance and support (3 days total)
• 1 day for report-writing and follow-up

Please note that an applicant may apply for either or both of the above series of trainings.

• The workshops will take place in a hybrid form. Some staff may join together from a single location. If possible, the consultant will join them. Staff who are not able to join in person will join remotely via an online platform. The training must be designed to be inclusive of those joining in person and online.
• The arrangements will need to be gender sensitive and inclusive. The consultant is expected to propose measures to ensure this.
• The consultant will liaise with CAFOD and assist in carrying out any relevant monitoring and evaluation actions related to the training.

Deliverables:

• 4 days of workshops on inclusive needs assessments and project design, and proposal writing in the Afghan context (plus one day of dedicated in-office support for each partner)
• And/or 2 days of workshops on organisational strategic planning (plus one day of dedicated in-office support for each partner).
• Preparation of materials for the sessions: presentation, handouts, etc.
• If translation into local languages is required, train the translators before the workshop to ensure material is understood and group work facilitated well in Kabul.
• Within 7 days of the workshops, the consultant will compile a short (up to two-page) workshop completion report, summarising the contents of the workshop and the key learning outcomes, especially the impact on partners’ confidence and capacity.

Contract Timescale:

Key milestones and deadlines:

• Milestone 1: materials prepared for needs assessment, project design and proposal writing workshop in Kabul and any necessary materials translated – Deadline: end of November 2024
• Milestone 2: training on needs assessment, project design and proposal writing delivered, and extra partner-specific days: Deadline: end of January 2024.
• Milestone 3: materials prepared for organizational strategic planning workshop in Kabul and any necessary materials translated – Deadline: end of February 2024
• Milestone 4: training on organizational strategic planning delivered, and extra partner-specific days: Deadline: end of March 2024.

Consultant Experience:

The chosen consultant/organization must fulfill these criteria:

a) Technical qualifications:

• Minimum bachelor's degree in international development, social sciences or relevant subject.    
• Previous experience in delivering and devising training in relevant topics for
• NGO/humanitarian workers.
• Experience in developing workshops and training materials for adult learners.
• Proven ability to adapt training materials and methodologies to suit diverse needs and experience levels of participants.
• Experience in facilitating hybrid workshops with some participants joining in person and some joining online.
• Knowledge of wellbeing and resilience techniques and methodologies.
• Experience working in Afghanistan and detailed knowledge of the Afghan context.

b) Competencies and skills

-      Spoken and written fluency in English and preferably local languages (Dari and/or Pashto) OR willingness to work with translators in these languages.

-      Teamwork: develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimise results.

-      Delivering results: produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner; is action-oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.

-      Managing and sharing knowledge: continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.

-      Accountability: takes ownership for achieving the Organisation’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own action and delegated work.

-      Communication: encourages and contributes to clear and open communication; explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

c) Values and ethical criteria

The consultant is expected to abide by the following values:

-      Inclusion and respect for diversity: respects and promotes individual and cultural differences; encourages diversity and inclusion wherever possible.

-      Integrity: maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organisational principles/rules and standards of conduct.

-      Professionalism: demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.

-      Confidentiality and contextual sensitivity: abides by strict standards of discretion and confidentiality, showing appreciation of the risks involved in participation in such trainings in

Afghanistan and a commitment to mitigate those risks.

-      Safeguarding: a commitment to doing no harm and mitigating any safeguarding risks to participants.

Reporting:

The key stakeholders involve are: CAFOD Afghanistan team:

o Grace How (Country Programme Representative)

o Kitty Chevallier (Programme Officer)

o  Hannah Griffiths (Programme Development and Funding Officer)

• The consultant will provide CAFOD with a plan and agenda for the contents of each             session in advance of the workshop.
• Within 7 days of the workshops, the consultant will compile a short (up to two-page) workshop completion report, summarising the contents of the workshop and the key learning outcomes, especially the impact on partners’ confidence and capacity.

Please note: The successful consultant will be required to work flexibly with CAFOD in the delivery of the agreed services. Time frames and exact logistics may be subject to change, and precise details will be agreed in writing between CAFOD and the consultant.

Contact Information:

For any questions or inquiries, please contact: kchevallier@cafod.org.uk

Expression of Interest:

Interested candidates should submit an expression of interest, including:

-      Their suitability for the assignment, detailing relevant past experience (with examples attached if possible).

-      How they demonstrate the qualifications, skills, competencies, values and ethical considerations detailed in this ToR.

-      Which of the workshops they propose to deliver (or both)

-      A proposal of the topics to be covered in the workshop with learning outcomes, broken down by each day.

-      A proposal for how they might use the additional day with partners (bearing in mind that this will be discussed and agreed with partners)

-      A logistical proposal for managing the in-person/hybrid workshops, bearing in mind gender segregation requirements.

-      A financial proposal for the assignment, including all fees and any costs for which the consultant will be responsible for the workshops.

o     Please stipulate exactly what is and is not covered within the proposed budget and show a breakdown of these different costs, for example translation cost.

o     Please note that the budget for this assignment should not exceed £12,000. The daily rate for the consultant(s) will not exceed £660 (inclusive of any taxes and costs)

-      At least two referees which the candidate permits CAFOD to contact for references.

Expressions of interest must be submitted to submissions@cafod.org.uk by Wednesday 20 November.

Submissions will be reviewed and scored according to a) the criteria listed in this Terms of Reference, b) the suitability of the project plan/method statement and c) value for money.

Other Practical Considerations:

CAFOD is committed to creating a safe environment for all project participants, especially children, young people and vulnerable adults, and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse. The consultant will be expected to follow these commitments and adhere to all relevant policies and procedures.