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Job Title:    Terms of Reference for
conducting Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) TOT

Organisation: Farm
Africa

Duty Station: Kampala,
Uganda

About Farm Africa:

Farm Africa, founded
in 1985, is an international non-governmental organization working in Uganda,
Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. We drive agricultural and environmental change to
improve lives. Our strategy has three pillars: agricultural expertise,
management and preservation of ecosystems, and the power of business to drive
prosperity. We believe Africa has the power to feed itself and are helping make
this happen by establishing and spreading the best farming and forestry
techniques so that poor farmers and herders have more food to feed their
families and to sell. We help smallholders manage their natural resources
sustainably so that they can withstand climate change challenges and shocks and
ensure their families have enough food in the future as well as now. Farm
Africa works in partnership with communities, government, local and
international organizations, and the private sector to innovate, learn and
share best practices for maximum impact of our projects.

About the project:

Farm Africa is
currently implementing a three-year project supporting coffee farmers in
Western Uganda’s Kanungu district. The project comprises of two distinct parts.
The first part, funded by the European Union, is already under way and focuses
on building the capacity of Civil Society Organisations (CSO) to create
employment and self-employment opportunities within the coffee value chain for
4,800 young women and men Kanungu district. A broad range of CSOs are engaged
ranging from coffee growers’ cooperatives to national stakeholder platforms
representing both young farmers and coffee farmers. The second part, funded by
UK aid, started in September 2019 and is focussing on ensuring that women are
empowered and able to fully benefit from support given to coffee farmers in
Kanungu, as well as financially benefit from their contributions to the coffee
value chain.

Objectives of the Consultancy Assignment:

One of the project
key performance indicator for the UK Aid funded project is to support the
establishment of 160 women-led VSLAs. This will help women access essential
funds for purchase of inputs, to lease and even potentially buy land. VSLAs
will also help bridge cash-flow issues. Farm Africa would like to engage a
local consultant to conduct TOT training on VSLA methodology to 20 participants
for a period of 3 days. The aim of the training is to expose participants to
the range of methodologies and techniques that can help turn the delivery of
VSLA training into a participatory, high-impact and memorable learning
experience. Emphasis is on developing and applying active learning
methodologies such as exercises and simulations to reinforce learning. The
training will be highly participatory and practical, focusing on techniques,
tools and tips of training management, with participants themselves designing,
delivering and critiquing presentations. Participants will be required to apply
lessons in developing and delivering training based on their own experience. The
indicative budget for the training is UGX. 2,000,000 covering daily expenses
and professional fees. The training will be co-facilitated by Farm Africa staff.

The consultant’s tasks include but not limited to the
following activities:

·        
Conduct
a 3-day training on VSLA field training methodology to CGC extension officers
and selected TOTs.

·        
To
provide the Farm Africa with the necessary materials or manual as point of
reference for the training and for reproduction and distribution to
participants.

·        
To
produce a training report.

Expected Deliverables and Timeline

·        
Training
Plan: Submit a training
plans/proposal by 27th of November 2019

·        
VSLA
TOT Training of Participants:
Conduct TOT training of participants in VSLA methodology from 3rd of December
2019 to 5th of December 2019

·        
Training
Report: Submit a comprehensive
training report for review and approval by 12th December 2019

Management and Implementation Responsibilities

The consultant will
report directly to the Gender Specialist. However, s/he will also be expected
work closely with the Project Coordinator (PC).

Farm Africa will
provide:

·        
Guidance
and technical support as required throughout the training.

·        
Training
venue

·        
All
training materials, such as stationeries; projector; VSLA kit for training etc.

·        
Meals,
refreshment, Transport refund & accommodation for participants

·        
Ensure
all participants present during training

·        
The
consultant will be responsible for:

·        
Developing
training plan

·        
Developing
training materials and tools;

·        
Conducting
the training in a participatory and practical way

·        
Sharing
training report and training materials for reproduction

·        
Transport
to/from Kanungu and any living/accommodation expenses incurred

Farm Africa Evaluation Principles

Farm Africa follows
five basic principles of sound evaluation practice and the consultant is
expected to adhere to these throughout the evaluation process. These are:

·        
Confidentiality
and informed consent – all data
collected during the evaluation will be treated as confidential and cannot be
shared outside of Farm Africa. All respondents must be advised as such and
always given the opportunity not to participate, or to terminate or pause the
interview at any time. The purpose of the study should also be clearly
explained before commencing any interviews. Data collection must conform to
Farm Africa’s minimum standards on Informed Consent, which will be shared with
the successful consultant.

·        
Independence
and impartiality – Farm Africa
is committed to impartial and objective evaluation of our projects. All
evaluation findings and conclusions must be grounded in evidence. Researchers
are expected to design data collection tools and systems that mitigate as far
as possible against potential sources of bias.

·        
Credibility – Farm Africa is committed to learning based
on credible evidence. The credibility of evaluations depends on the
professional expertise and independence of evaluators and full transparency in
the methods and process followed. Evaluations should clearly distinguish
between findings and recommendations, with the former clearly supported by
sound evidence. Methodologies should be explained in sufficient detail to allow
replication, and evidence of failures should be reported as well as of
successes.

·        
Participation – the views and experiences of beneficiary
households, groups and partners should form an integral part of all
evaluations.

·        
Openness
– To maximise the learning
potential of the evaluation process, Farm Africa may publish full evaluation
reports or excerpts from them or may otherwise share them with interested
parties.

Qualifications of Consultant

Essential

·        
Extensive
experience in delivering VSLA TOT trainings and directly training beneficiaries
in VSLA methodology, with a focus on markets and value-chain projects.

·        
Excellent
community facilitation and communication skills

·        
Excellent
reporting and presentation skills

·        
Fluency
in spoken and written English

·        
Good
knowledge and understanding of gender equality issues, particularly in the
context agricultural value chain

Desirable

·        
Understanding
of the Coffee value chain

·        
Fluency
in Rukiga

·        
A
Master’s degree in Agriculture, Economics, or related field

Submission of Proposals

Interested
consultants or firms are requested to submit:

·        
A
summarised technical and financial proposal, not longer than 5 pages of how you
intend to execute the assignment with a clear a training plan/time-table. 

·        
Copy of
your Curriculum Vitae (CVs).

·        
Contact
details for two references (including one from your last client/employer).

All documents must
be submitted by email to our ‘sealed’ email address tenders@farmafrica.org. The
email subject line should clearly indicate ‘Bid for Village Savings and Loans
Associations TOT Consultancy’.

Deadline: 27th November 2019 by 6pm East Africa Time

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