Terms of Reference for Consultancy Services

Harmonisation of Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI) training materials across Kvinna till Kvinna Partner Organisations

The Youth Entrepreneurship in Agriculture - Rwanda (YEA-R) program

1. Context. 

The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation is a Swedish non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering women in conflict-affected areas by enhancing their power and influence. Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation has defended women’s rights since 1993 For every woman and girl’s right to be safe and to be heard. 

Kvinna till Kvinna has been present in Rwanda since 2017 and promotes women’s human rights. Together with partners, Kvinna focuses on preventing and responding to Gender-Based Violence (GBV), promoting Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and information, supporting conflict resolution, and advancing women’s participation in decision-making and supporting Economic empowerment particularly with marginalised women and girls. Kvinna till Kvinna also supports networking, cooperation and shared learning between women’s rights actors from different social backgrounds. 

The Kvinna till Kvinna’s approach is grounded in feminist values, long-term partnerships and strong local ownership. In Rwanda, the organisation supports women’s rights actors to challenge restrictive gender norms and address intersecting inequalities that limit women’s access to resources, markets and opportunities. 

As part of its economic empowerment efforts, Kvinna till Kvinna is currently implementing the Youth Entrepreneurship in Agriculture-Rwanda (YEA-R) program in a consortium led by SNV. This five-year program aims to enable 40,000 youth, (70%) of them young women and 5% persons with disability (PWDs) to access dignified and equitable work opportunities in the Agrifood sector in Rwanda particularly horticulture and poultry value chains across 10 districts namely Muhanga, Nyabihu, Musanze, Ngororero, Nyamasheke, Karongi, Bugesera, Rusizi, Rutsiro and Rubavu Districts. 

The program is structured around three interlinked pathways:

• Pathway 1: Strengthened Resilience (skills development, climate smart agriculture (CSA) training, financial resilience).
• Pathway 2: Strengthened Business Operations and Linkages to Markets and Financial Services (market access, cooperatives, financial services).
• Pathway 3: Empowerment, Voice & Agency (GESI transformation, youth empowerment, and inclusion of People with Disabilities - PWD).

Kvinna till Kvinna is leading the implementation of pathway three, which cuts across and complements the other two pathways. This component focuses on youth Agency, Empowerment and Voice aimed at promoting gender equality and social inclusion. This includes equipping young women and youth with disability with the knowledge, tools and confidence to challenge social norms, overcome systematic barriers and engage meaningfully in economic and decision-making spaces.

To ensure Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, Kvinna till Kvinna has partnered with three local partner organisations namely Afro Ark, Our Sisters Opportunities (OSO) and resonate who will roll out GESI training across 10 districts of Rwanda under the YEA-R program. On the ground, Kvinna till Kvinna and its Partner Organisations are working with GESI champions, young leaders and volunteers selected by fellow YEA-R Program participants who will model GESI among fellow participants. 

At present, partner organisations deliver GESI training using different training materials, tools, and modules that vary in structure, content, and approach. A harmonized Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) training package is essential to ensure consistent, high quality, and context specific adaptation to the YEA-R Participants and their related “persons” across 10 program districts mentioned above. 

Therefore, Kvinna till Kvinna is hiring a consultant to review, harmonise, improve and contextualize GESI training materials to ensure they are standardized, inclusive, and relevant to the targeted project participants and across all YEA-R partners. The assignment will focus on aligning content with the YEA-R program objectives, integrating disability and gender perspectives, and ensuring user-friendly, culturally sensitive materials that strengthen participants’ capacity to challenge harmful norms, promote equality, and access to economic opportunities equitably.

For further information, Kvinna till Kvinna is conducting a GESI Analysis in six districts, which will generate critical gendered insights and highlight social barriers affecting young women and youth with disabilities. The findings from this analysis will directly inform the design and adaptation of the GESI training modules, ensuring they are evidence-based, responsive to local realities, and fully inclusive of diverse groups.

By integrating insights from the ongoing GESI Analysis particularly on structural, systemic and cultural barriers faced by young women and youth with disabilities, the training will be better adapted to local realities. The harmonised training package will strive to use inclusive language, and the content is expected to be more result oriented so that the program is able to track and measure the outcome of the training overtime. Ultimately, the harmonised training will strengthen the empowerment of young women and youth with disabilities and contribute to more inclusive and equitable agri-food value chains. 

Objectives

The main objective of this consultancy is to review, improve, and produce harmonise and contextualise GESI training tools and materials, that align with the YEA-R program objectives, expected outcome on GESI, and inclusive of youth with disability and co-created with Kvinna till Kvinna partners. 

Scope of Work

The consultant will focus on the following key activities: 

• Review and analyze the existing GESI training materials and tools, identifying strengths, gaps, and their alignment with the YEA-R GESI Analysis findings.
• Produce a harmonized GESI training package targeting the Youth under the YEA-R Program, including production of GESI facilitator guides for both Partner organisations and for GESI Champions.
• Co-create and refine content with partner organisations through participatory workshops, ensuring inclusive training methodologies that directly address gender and socio-economic barriers faced by young women, men, and persons with disabilities.
• Develop a harmonised GESI training toolkit, including a Facilitator’s Guide and a GESI Champion Guide, tailored to local contexts and designed to promote transformative change.
• Strengthen partner capacity through Training of Trainers (ToT), piloting sessions in the field, and feedback integration to ensure effective, consistent, and sustainable delivery.
• Facilitate ToTs and co-creation workshops with Kvinna till Kvinna partner organisations, leading collaborative reviews and refinement of the final training modules.
• Ensure coherence, inclusivity, and adaptability of the harmonised training package so it can be applied effectively across diverse youth contexts, including rural and urban settings, young women, and youth with disabilities.

a) Education and relevant experience, knowledge and skills: 

• Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Inclusive social Development, Experience is developing GESI or gender transformative training tools. 
• Proven experience in agribusiness, especially in youth entrepreneurship and agriculture.
• In-depth knowledge of gender equality, social inclusion, disability inclusion including familiarity with the principles of universal design and reasonable accommodation and youth empowerment in the context of agricultural development.
•  At least 8 years of experience in GESI programming, with proven work in youth economic empowerment or livelihoods.
• Knowledge of the Rwandan GESI context is strongly preferred.
• Ability to conduct a GESI ToT coupled with expertise in training adults and facilitation experience in participatory and co-creation processes and experience in curriculum development and/or training material design.
• Strong writing and facilitation skills in English. Writing in Kinyarwanda an asset).
• Strong knowledge of the Rwandan context and agriculture sector

6.Financial Framework

Consultancy fees shall be specified as fees per day including taxes, social security contributions and VAT. The proposal should state the total value of tender, including expenses such as telephone, internet or postage, expenses for travel related to the assignment. It is not acceptable for the contracted consultants to subcontract the assignment without prior approval. In cases where the expression of interest includes a team of consultants, their division of work should be specified within the submitted proposal 

7. Reporting

• The consultant/team will report directly to Kvinna till Kvinna Programme Officer who is overseeing the YEA-R pathway 3. 
• Regular updates will be required throughout the assignment, with progress meetings scheduled as necessary

8. Application package

The application file should contain the following documents: 

• Technical proposal should not exceed 10 pages, excluding annexes, with a clear description of the proposed methodology detailing how the deliverables will be achieved, timeframe and detailed Curriculum Vitae of the proposed team to carry out the assignment with clear roles and functions in this assignment.
• Sample work from similar assignments completed within the last 2 or 3 years
• Financial offer detailing consultant fees, travel costs (if applicable), and any other expenses associated with the execution of the gender equality and social inclusion analysis and GESI strategy development in PDF format.
• The technical proposal must be a separate document from the financial proposal. 
• Minimum 3 certificates of similar work done in the past.
• Company profile; VAT registration certificate; RRA tax clearance certificate; RSSB tax clearance certificate 

9. Submission of tenders

Interested candidates should submit tenders (with a detailed technical proposal and financial proposal) to Kvinna till Kvinna not later than 26th September 2025 by email to esperance.umulisa@kvinnatillkvinna.se . 

Any questions or requests for clarification regarding this ToR should be submitted in writing and by
email to esperance.uwimana@kvinnatillkvinna.se no later than 24th September 2025, after which no further inquiries will be addressed. 

Only the successful candidate will be contacted upon completion of the evaluation process.