Communications consultant Consultancy

COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT

1. Background.

The Madrasa Early Childhood Programme (MECP), an affiliate of the Aga Khan Foundation, was established in Mombasa in 1986 to improve access and quality of Early Childhood care and services in marginalized communities on the Coast of Kenya. Evidence-based success and growing interest across East Africa led to MECP being established in Kenya in 1986, Zanzibar in 1990 and Uganda in 1993. Over the last 35 years, more than 8,000 teachers have graduated from MECP professional development courses and over 1 million children reached through the programming. MECP is seeking to better bring this experience, expertise, and learning and create impact and influence at scale. Evaluations have demonstrated the positive impact MECP has had on access and quality of pre-primary education and on the educational outcomes of boys and girls.

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), founded by His Highness the Aga Khan in 1967, as a member of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the world’s leading poverty solutions networks. AKDN’s integrated approach makes long-term investments, builds permanent institutions, and cultivates an active civil society, impacting tens of millions of people annually in 30 countries. Alongside its sister AKDN agencies, AKF implements innovative, community-driven solutions that are based on decades of experience, learning and evaluation. In Uganda, AKF is managing a robust and expanding portfolio of multi-sectorial initiatives that includes investments in education, early childhood development, sustainable economic development, and civil society strengthening.

AKF and MECP have collaborated and worked in partnership with and through Partners to improve the quality of ECD services.

“Kulea Watoto” a Swahili word which means nurturing children is a is a three-year project implemented in Yumbe, Kampala and Kyegegwa among refugees and Host communities. The project is delivered through a five-partner consortium, led by the International Rescue Committee with funding from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Other partners in the consortium are Literacy Adult Basic Education (LABE), Kabarole Research and Resource Centre, and the AfriChild Centre. Within Kampala the project is being implemented in the urban divisions of Kampala Central, Rubaga and Makindye by IRC and MECPU; in Kyegegwa district within the Kyaka II refugee camp among refugees and host communities by KRC and IRC; and in Yumbe district within the Bidibidi refugee camp and the surrounding host communities by IRC and LABE while Africhild does research across the three locations of the project implementation.

The overall goal of Kulea Watoto is to improve the well-being and school readiness of children aged 0-5 years in refugee and host communities. The theory of change for the project is based on the assumption that “If refugee and host community households are empowered with responsive caregiving and early learning skills, while their economic well-being and household income generation opportunities are enhanced, and the quality and inclusiveness of early childhood education services are improved within an enabling environment, THEN access to quality ECD services will improve, leading to overall. improvements in school readiness, well-being, and the full potential of children aged 5 and under.”

1. Objective:

To support MECPU in documenting project Most Significant Change Stories and designing Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials that effectively showcase the impact, outcomes, and achievements of the Kulea Watoto project to stakeholders.

Roles and Responsibilities of the Communication Consultant:

1. He/She will ensure he/she manages and maintains his/her equipment properly.
2. Collect and document 6 Most Significant Change Stories from 6 categories of the key stakeholders including: 1 parent, 1 VHT, 1 division official, 1 teacher, 1 CMC member, and 1 play space volunteers across the three divisions each video will take 2-3 mins.
3. Work closely with the team to meet photo and video specifications by follow Kulea Watoto communication and branding guidelines with support from the communication and advocacy persons
4. Submit final media content of at least 7-10mins to the Program Director.
5. Ensure compliance with MECPU’s data integrity and security policies.
6. Adhere to AKF and MECP safeguarding and child protection standards.

   Requirements and skills

• Must have their own high-resolution camera or relevant equipment.
• Proven professional experience in photography and videography.
• Proficiency in modern photography equipment and editing software (e.g., Photoshop, Capture One).
• Strong understanding of communication best practices and techniques.
• At least 5 years of experience in film and video creation, particularly in similar fields.
• Bilingual skills (English and Swahili language) are preferred.
• Experience with media agencies, international organizations, or NGOs is an asset.
• Willingness and availability to travel to project sites within Kampala.

1. Duration and Timeline:

The consultancy will be for a period of 30 days starting from the date a contract is awarded to the end of the 30 days. The consultant is expected to submit periodic progress reports and a final report at the end of the assignment.

1. Expected deliverables:

• Soft photographs taken during field activity.
• Short videos or interviews of key stakeholders.
• Write up soft copies of the Most Significant Change Stories
• High-resolution digital photographs capturing key moments.
• Success story short videos clips or interviews featuring beneficiaries and key stakeholders.

1. Reporting and Supervision:

The consultant will report to the Program Director and work closely with the Gender and Advocacy focal person, Program Officers and MERL department.

1. Budget and Payment Term:

The budget will be based on need to complete the deliverables but will not exceed the pre-approved budget under the Project approved budget.

Ethical standards and safeguarding

The Communications Consultant must fully abide by MECPU’s Safeguarding standards, and all members of the Consultancy must sign MECPU’s Safeguarding Statement of Commitment upon contracting. The implementation of the consultancy work must be in line with the ethical standards including protection of participants from potential harms, confidentiality, informed consent, and safeguarding principles to protect respondents from potential harms such as sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, and bullying.

Eligibility & Application Criteria:

Consultants meeting the above criteria are invited to submit a technical and financial proposal which should include:

• An understanding of the assignment based on the objectives and expected deliverables.
• Proposed methodology and approaches that you intend to use, and these will be adopted and the capacity of the firm to deliver the assignment.
• Experience of handling similar assignments including links or work samples
• Detailed budget
• Three referees for previous work done in the past 3 years and their contact details.
• Contact details of the consultancy firm (email, telephone, and physical address)

Tagged as: Aga Khan Foundation, Uganda