EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI)
Invitation to Rwanda-Based Institutions, Companies and Organisations
Key information:
About project
| Project Title | Strengthening Educational Inclusion for and with Girls and Women with Visual Impairments in Rwanda |
| Funder | Marga Schulze Foundation grant through CBM CBM |
| Location | Rwanda |
| Application period | October 1st, - October 31, 2026 |
| Thematic focus | Inclusive Education |
| Target population | Persons with disabilities with focus on blind and partially sighted Girls and Women |
| Founding | to be disclosed to the selected partner |
| Geographical coverage: | Five selected schools from 2 Districts (MUSANZE & GATSIBO) |
| Partnership type | Strategic/Implementation Partnership |
| Number of partners needed | One (1) |
| Duration | Multi – year project |
| Eligible applicants | NGOs, Companies, Social enterprises |
| Current stage | expression of interest |
| Language | English |
1. Background
RUB, with support from the Marga Schulze Foundation through CBM International, is implementing a multi-year project 2026-2028 to advance educational inclusion and equitable learning opportunities for girls and women with visual impairments in Rwanda.
The project recognises that girls and women with disabilities experience multiple and intersecting barriers to education. These may include inaccessible learning environments and materials, limited availability of appropriate support, negative social attitudes, inadequate teacher preparation, financial constraints, and limited opportunities for participation in decisions that affect their education and future.
Children with disabilities in Rwanda continue to face significant barriers to accessing, participating in, and completing education. Girls with disabilities may experience additional barriers because of the intersection of disability and gender. These challenges can be particularly pronounced in rural and emergency-affected communities.
The proposed project therefore seeks to move beyond simply increasing access to schools. It aims to support meaningful participation, retention, learning, progression and empowerment, while strengthening schools and communities to become more inclusive of all learners.
A central element of the project will be the development and testing of practical approaches to inclusive education that can generate evidence and learning for wider application in Rwanda.
RUB is therefore inviting qualified Rwanda-based institutions, companies, civil society organisations, academic institutions, Organisation of persons with disabilities, women-led organisations and other relevant entities to express their interest in contributing to the implementation of this project.
2. Overall Objective
To identify, support and empower girls and boys with disabilities, both in and out of school, particularly in rural and emergency-affected areas of Rwanda, with a specific focus on improving educational opportunities and outcomes for girls and women with visual impairments.
3. Specific Objectives
The project aims to:
- Identify girls and boys with disabilities who are in and out of school across selected rural and emergency-affected contexts in Rwanda and assess their individual and educational support needs.
- Provide identified girls and women with visual impairments with appropriate and comprehensive support to enhance their enrolment, participation, retention, learning and progression.
- Support selected schools to develop and implement a holistic approach to inclusion that enables all learners, including learners with disabilities, to participate and learn equitably.
- Empower women with visual impairments with knowledge, skills and opportunities in human rights, social justice and advocacy, enabling them to contribute to policy, practice and decision-making on disability inclusion and gender equity.
4. Key Areas of the Proposed Project
The project is expected to include the following interconnected components.
4.1 Identification and Mapping
4.2 School Engagement and Inclusive School Development
4.3 Learning and Alternative Pathways
4.4 Empowerment of Women with Visual Impairments
4.5 Inclusive and Gender-Responsive Education
4.6 Monitoring, Learning, Accountability and Evidence
The project will generate evidence to inform future practice and potential scale-up.
Potential activities include:
- Development of tools to monitor enrolment, attendance, participation, retention and learning.
- Participatory monitoring involving girls and women with disabilities.
- Regular review and reflection meetings with schools and stakeholders.
- Documentation of promising practices and lessons learned.
- Generation and dissemination of evidence through reports, learning briefs, webinars, conferences, publications and other appropriate platforms.
- Development of recommendations for strengthening inclusive education policy and practice in Rwanda.
5. Who Can Apply?
RUB welcomes Expressions of Interest from legally established organisations and institutions operating in Rwanda, including :
- Civil society organisations and NGOs.
- Organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs).
- Women-led and women-focused organisations.
- Educational institutions and universities.
- Research institutions.
- Teacher training institutions.
- Social enterprises.
- Technology and digital solution providers.
- Community-based organisations.
- Professional associations and networks.
- Organisations working on education, disability inclusion, gender equality, children's rights or social justice.
- Other institutions or organisations able to demonstrate relevant expertise and added value.
6. Desired Organisational Experience and Capacity
Interested organisations should ideally demonstrate:
- Experience working with children, women and/or persons with disabilities.
- Demonstrated expertise in one or more of the areas described in this EOI.
- Experience working with government, schools, communities or other relevant stakeholders.
- Understanding of the Rwandan education and disability-inclusion context.
- Appropriate organisational governance and management systems.
- Capacity to manage activities, finances, safeguarding and reporting requirements.
- Commitment to gender equality, disability inclusion, safeguarding and the rights of children and persons with disabilities.
- Ability to work collaboratively with RUB, CBM and other programme stakeholders .
- Experience generating, documenting or sharing evidence and learning is desirable.
Organisations led by or meaningfully involving persons with disabilities, women with disabilities and/or other underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged to apply.
7. What Applicants Should Submit
Interested organisations are invited to submit a concise Expression of Interest addressing the following:
A. Organisational Profile
- Name and legal status of the organisation.
- Year established.
- Location and areas of operation in Rwanda.
- Contact details.
- Brief description of the organisation's mission and areas of expertise.
- Relevant registration/accreditation information, where applicable.
B. Relevant Experience
Please describe:
- Experience working with girls and women with disabilities, particularly persons with visual impairments.
- Experience in inclusive education, gender equality, disability rights or related areas.
- Relevant programmes or projects implemented in Rwanda.
- Experience working with schools, communities, government or other relevant stakeholders.
C. Proposed Contribution
Applicants should describe:
- How they would interpret this project and its contribution
- The expertise, resources, networks or approaches they would bring.
- The geographical areas or communities they could potentially support.
- Any innovative approaches they would propose.
D. Organisational Capacity
Applicants should briefly describe their:
- Technical capacity.
- Staffing and expertise.
- Operational presence (What does it mean).
- Financial and administrative capacity.
- Monitoring, evaluation and learning systems.
- Safeguarding and protection systems.
- Experience managing partnerships or donor-funded programmes.
E. Indicative Budget
A detailed budget is not required at this stage. It will be discussed for father stages
8. Selection Considerations
Expressions of Interest will be reviewed against criteria that may include:
- Relevance of the organisation's mandate and experience to the objectives of the project.
- Demonstrated technical expertise.
- Experience working in inclusive education, persons with disabilities and/or OPDs.
- Organisational and operational capacity.
- Geographical reach and community relationships.
- Commitment to meaningful participation of persons with disabilities.
- Strength of the proposed contribution and potential for impact.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with other stakeholders.
- Commitment to safeguarding, accountability, inclusion and gender equality.
- Potential contribution to evidence generation, learning and scale-up.
Submission of an Expression of Interest does not constitute a commitment by RUB or CBM or the Marga Schulze Foundation to award funding or enter into a partnership.
9. Partnership Principles
The project seeks partners who share a commitment to:
- Nothing about us without us – ensuring meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in programme design, implementation and decision-making.
- Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
- Inclusive and equitable education.
- Rights-based approaches to disability and development.
- Safeguarding and protection of children and vulnerable adults.
- Accountability to communities and programme participants.
- Evidence-informed programming and continuous learning.
- Local ownership and sustainability.
- Collaboration and complementarity among stakeholders.
10. Indicative Partnership Structure
Selected organisation may be engaged through different partnership arrangements depending on their capacity and the final programme design.
These may include:
- Implementation partnerships.
- Technical partnerships.
- Service provision.
The final scope of work, deliverables, funding arrangements and contractual mechanisms will be agreed with selected partners through a subsequent process.
11. Indicative Application Timeline
| Activity | Indicative Timeline |
| EOI issued | 21.09.2026 |
| Deadline for submission of EOIs | 29.09.2026 |
| Review and assessment | 06.10.2026 |
| Clarification/discussion with shortlisted organisations | 08.10.2026 |
| Selection of potential partners | 09.10.2026 |
| Detailed programme design and partnership discussions | 12.10.2026 |
| Anticipated commencement |
RUB reserves the right to amend the timetable where necessary.
12. Submission of Expressions of Interest
Interested organisations are invited to submit their Expression of Interest electronically to: rubura1994@gmail.com
Subject:Expression of Interest – Educational Inclusion for Girls and Women with Visual Impairments in Rwanda
The Expression of Interest should be concise and should not normally exceed [5–7] pages, excluding organisational registration documents and supporting annexes.
Applicants are encouraged to submit clear and practical proposals demonstrating their specific added value rather than responding to every component of the proposed project.
13. Selection of Service provider
For transparency and ensure the selection of the most competent service provider, RUB and CBM will work hand in hand during throughout the recruitment process. While RUB will lead the overall coordination of the process, CBM will provide technical guidance and oversight to ensure compliance with donor procurement standards and best practices. A selection committee made up of representatives of both organizations will be set up to evaluate all applications received using set criteria and interview shortlisted applicants.
14. Enquiries
Questions concerning this Expression of Interest may be submitted to:
Contact person:: RUB project staff
Email:umireille@rubrwanda.rw
15. Important Note
This Expression of Interest is intended to identify a potential partner and inform the further development of the project in question. It is not, in itself, a procurement process or a commitment to provide funding.
RUB reserves the right to:
- Request additional information from applicants.
- Invite shortlisted organisations to discussions or presentations.
- Refine the scope of the project.
- Decide not to proceed with any or all proposed partnerships
16. Conclusion
RUB, CBM and the Marga Schulze Foundation believe that advancing educational inclusion requires collaboration among government, schools, communities, organisations of persons with disabilities, women's organisations, civil society, research institutions and the private sector.
Through this project , we seek to work with Rwanda-based partners that bring strong local knowledge, technical expertise, innovation and commitment to ensuring that girls and women with visual impairments can access, participate in and benefit from education on an equal basis with others.
We invite interested institutions, companies and organisations to submit an Expression of Interest and demonstrate how their expertise, networks and resources could contribute to building more inclusive and equitable education systems in Rwanda.
Done at Kigali on 23/09/2026
MUGISHA Jacques
Executive Director, RUB