Request for Expression of Interest (EOI) for Local Non-Government Organizations(NGOs) or Companies to support in the Implementation of UNESCO’S our Rights, our lives, our future (O3) programme’s activities in Rwanda (2024-2027): (Deadline 30 July 2024)

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI) FOR LOCAL NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS(NGOs) OR COMPANIES TO SUPPORT IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF UNESCO’S OUR RIGHTS, OUR LIVES, OUR FUTURE (O3) PROGRAMME’S ACTIVITIES IN RWANDA (2024-2027): (Deadline 30 July 2024)

Background

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 31.7% young people ages 10-24 years of the 1 billion people, a number that is expected to rise to 281 million by 2050. This young population comes with tremendous potential for achieving Africa’s development, but only if sustained investments are made to address the education and health challenges that continue to undermine young people’s wellbeing. Despite significant progress in recent years, sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most affected by the HIV epidemic, early and unintended pregnancy (EUP), and gender-based violence (GBV). Three out of four new HIV infections among those aged 15-19 are among young women, and seven out of ten young women do not have comprehensive knowledge about HIV.

In December 2013, Ministers of Health and Education from 20 countries affirmed to the Eastern and Southern African Ministerial Commitments aimed at strengthening HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) efforts in Eastern and Southern Africa by ensuring access to good and quality sexuality education (SE) and life skills-based HIV education and youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services for all adolescents and young people, recognizing each country’s socio-cultural context.  This was documented in the ESA Ministerial Commitment in 2013-2020. The goal of the commitment was to enable and support governments, civil society, and communities to expand access to good quality life skills-based, gender-sensitive sexuality education and related support services.  The 9 key areas of intervention under the ESA Commitment were: Work together on a common agenda; Urgently review – and where necessary amend – existing laws and policies on the age of consent, child protection, and teacher codes of conduct; Make an AIDS-free future a reality; Maximize the protective effect of education;  Initiate and scale-up age-appropriate SE during primary school education; Ensure that the design and delivery of SE and SRH programs include ample participation by communities and families; Integrate and scale-up youth-friendly HIV and SRH services; Ensure that health services are youth-friendly; Strengthen gender equality and rights; and, Mobilize national and external resources.

To actualize the ESA commitment, in 2018, UNESCO launched the “Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future” (O3 Programme) in 33 countries across Sub- Saharan Africa (SSA) which envisages a sub-Saharan Africa where all adolescents and young people attain positive health, education, and gender equality outcomes. The O3 programme seeks to improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, gender, and education outcomes for adolescents and young people (AYP) aged 10-24 years through sustained reduction in new HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), early and unintended pregnancy (EUP), and gender-based violence (GBV).

To achieve the vision and mission, the program pursues 5 outcomes namely:

• Objective 1: Support an enabling policy and institutional environment for implementation of school health programmes that include CSE and prevention of school violence.
• Objective 2: Support Countries to scale up and strengthen the delivery of accurate, rights-based, gender transformative, and good quality teaching and learning on CSE and school violence prevention.
• Objective 3: Empower AYP and respect their rights to make decisions and drive change in their lives and communities using digital innovations.
• Objective 4: Promote the creation of safer, inclusive school and community environments with linkages to accessible, youth-friendly SRH services.
• Objective 5: Strengthen programme implementation through evidence generated from monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning. 0. Rationale

Lacking access to CSE services leads to unwilled results in all nations. For instance, globally, 225 million have an unmet need for family planning which increases the rate of unplanned pregnancies, with 2.5 million adolescent girls under 16 years giving birth. Like elsewhere globally, CSE services and information in Rwanda are still limited and considered taboo, as adults, especially parents, consider it unacceptable to discuss it with children. Adults and children rely on partial and often inaccurate knowledge about sexual and reproductive health from the media and their peers, limiting their service-seeking behaviors. The situation aggravates unmarried people who seek SRHR services because culturally sexual activities are accepted within wedlock. The Demographic Health Survey published in 2020 highlighted that 1 out of 2 sexually active unmarried women, including girls, do not use a contraceptive method.

By 2020, 5% of women aged 15-19 have begun childbearing and the number of teenage mothers increased to 15% of children at the age of 19% which reflects a rapid increase by age. Unprotected sex for young people is also linked to legal restrictions on contraceptives, where the Reproductive Health law states that adolescents should access SRHR services through parental consent. In this regard, parental consent raises a concern as parents’ beliefs may not allow their children to access contraceptives. In addition to the legal constraints, adolescent girls and young women are reluctant to use contraceptives for fear of stigmatization.

This stigmatization is mainly due to the deep-rooted cultural beliefs that hold sexuality in the Private sphere for adults and children. In development and humanitarian settings, the SRHR rights of adolescents and young people, including those with disabilities, are violated the most. This stage of life is a significant transition period and an essential window for young people to protect and plan for their lives as they transition to adulthood. However, thousands of young people around the country remain vulnerable to risks such as HIV, violence, and unintended pregnancy, among others.   Therefore, it is both timely and necessary to focus on their SRHR and their potential. With more adolescents and young people today than ever before, the Government of Rwanda has recognized the critical importance of addressing their needs and securing their aspirations. Young People will also be able to confidently stand up and challenge harmful social norms affecting their rights to SRHR and wellbeing and work with families and community leaders to change attitudes and challenge harmful, social, gendered norms to create an enabling environment supportive of the SRHR.

It is against this background that UNESCO through 0³ programme in collaboration with Government of Rwanda, local NGOs, CSOs, and other service providers planned various activities to ensure they provide supportive legal frameworks and appropriate services, and information which will help young people make better-informed choices about their SRHR and access responsive and friendly services in their communities, leading to much improved SRHR outcomes for adolescents and young people.

3.0. Purpose of the Work

3.1. General objectives

UNESCO through 0³ programme invites competent local NGOs to submit the supporting documents as requested below in the requirements, to support in various activities related to GBV, HIV and EUP prevention among adolescents and young people in Rwanda.

The main objective of the work is to implement various activities by UNESCO through 0³ programme in collaboration with Government of Rwanda, local NGOs, CSOs, and other service providers so as to contribute to improved sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, gender, and education outcomes for learners in primary and secondary school levels and the community through sustained reduction in new HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), early and unintended pregnancy (EUP), and school-related gender-based violence (GBV).

3.2. Specific objectives

Through this activity, the following specific objectives will be pursued:

1. To conduct trainings to core people through a technical review of existing learning and teaching materials on HIV, Gender and SRHR to determine the existing gaps in implementing the National sexuality education framework in the Education sector in line with the International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education towards existing Eastern and Southern regional modules on the required activities on sexual and reproductive health (SRH).
2. To develop a comprehensive advocacy strategy to respond to and mitigate opposition to CSE and SRHR.

• To organize workshops and seminars that bring together policymakers, educators, parents, students, and health professionals to facilitate discussions, share best practices, and address concerns related to CSE, SRHR, and school violence prevention.

1. To conduct sessions of trainings of pre- service teachers on CSE and school violence prevention in Teacher Training colleges (TTCs)
2. To support the integration of CSE in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) curriculum.
3. To capacitate building of youth workers, and other adults who work with young people on how to support young people’s safety and well-being in digital spaces.

• To Sensitize Parent Teacher Association (PTA) members on CSE,GBV and prevention of EUP and Child Marriage (Parents-Child communication model).
• To strengthen the capacity of the education sector to report on and use of CSE, SRHR and school violence data for planning and decision-making in regards to teenage pregnancies and reproductive health related issues.

1. To support development of and/or integration of key SRHR and school violence indicators in Education Management Information System (EMIS) and other school-based surveys.

• Duration and Timelines

This task will be implemented within a period of 3 years from August 2024 to December 2027.

• Eligibility Requirements

The interested candidates are invited from qualified and competent local NGOs.

Mandatory

1. Staffing: Bachelor’s degree with 8 years of experience or master’s degree with 3 years of experience in any of the following fields: Education, Translation and Interpreting studies, linguistics and Literature, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Public Health, Evaluation, development studies, Project management, finance, business administration or other related studies.

*At least have clear proof of having permanent staff to perform the duties and the documents accompanied by the payroll and deposit to the bank for 6 months: Executive Director, Finance Manager, HR manager, Project/field operation managers, IT and communications managers, etc

1. Proof of organization’s policies (e.g. Code of conduct policy, Equal employment opportunity policy, Workplace health and safety policy, Leave and time off policy, Data protection and privacy policy, social media policies, Remote work policy, Expense reimbursement policy, Conflict of interest policy, Whistleblower policy, Performance management policy, Harassment and discrimination policy, Recruitment and selection policy, Travel policy, Drug and alcohol policy, etc.)
2. At least 10 years of relevant experience in CSE, GBV and prevention of EUP and Child Marriage.
3. Experience in designing needs-based teaching or training programmes in the Education sector at National or regional levels.
4. Proven experience in conducting needs assessments; facilitating participatory workshops and developing training curricula; supported by at least two (3) references/MoU with Rwandan government ministries.
5. Proven experience in conducting training using adult learning methodologies, supported by at least two (2) references.

Desirable

1. Previous experience working with the UN or other Multilateral agencies on related assignments.

Note: Failure to meet any of the mandatory criteria will result in disqualification of the submission.

6.0. Evaluation of proposals

Expressions of interest will be reviewed by UNESCO and selection of participants will be made by UNESCO in its sole discretion. Selected NGOs will be identified based on the following (non-exclusive) criteria: relevant technical expertise in CSE and SRHR, experience in international and country program implementation, operational, and policy work, and research experience.  Special attention will also be given to ensuring geographic, gender, sectoral, professional, and age diversity, as well as representation of communities vulnerable to and impacted by CSE and SRHR change.

Due to an expected high volume of interest, only selected individuals will be informed of their participation.

All interested NGOs/companies are required to submit the requested documents in one file via email.

7.0. Management

The selected NGOs  will be working with UNESCO Eastern Africa Regional office and will be supervised by UNESCO Rwanda Antenna, Kigali office through O3 Programme. The Contractor will be responsible for own overheads and logistical requirements such as office space, administrative and secretarial support, telecommunications, and printing of documentation as well as mobilization of participants for workshops in collaboration with the lead Ministry of Education (MINEDUC), Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF), Ministry of local government (MINALOC)and Ministry of Health (MINISANTE) and focal institutions.

All deliverables will be prepared in English.

8.0. Application Process

Interested local NGOs are requested to submit the required documents: NGOs profiles, staffing (lists and qualifications/ degrees) and proof of previous payments as explained above, MoUs with the government, RGB/RDB certificates, policies as mentioned above, and any other supporting documents. Besides, they should submit the following documents to UNESCO Rwanda antenna Coordination, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at Ebenezer House, 1370 Umuganda Boulevard, Kacyiru, Kigali- Rwanda or via email at [email protected] NOT LATER THAN July  30th, 2024 at 17:00  Kigali time.

• A letter of application addressed to the Director of UNESCO Eastern Africa Regional office and Representative.
• A CV and photocopy of the degrees, diplomas and certificates; and all documents related to working experience as mentioned above.
• A list of three recommendations with their complete addresses.

Incomplete applications and applications that are not similar to the wanted profile will not be examined.

Only pre-selected candidates will be contacted.

Done at Kigali on 21^st June 2024

Dr. Ben Alexandre MPOZEMBIZI, PhD

National Project officer for O3 programme (Education for Health and Wellbeing)

UNESCO/ Rwanda antenna coordination.