Short term consultancy: Conduct 3 days training on Social Enterprise & Social Innovation for revenue generation among non for profit organizations Consultancy NEW

Bridge from secondary education and skills development to job opportunities for refugee and host community youth in Uganda (Re-advertised)

Task Title: 2.1.1.2 Conduct three days training of 35 Bridge project implementing partners and War Child Canada staff on social enterprise and social innovation for revenue generation among non-for-profit organizations.

Activity dates and venue: The training is planned to run in December 2025. A specific venue will either be in Kampala, Hoima or Gulu.

Reports to: Advocacy and Partnership Lead

Supported by: Bridge Project Director and Head of Program

Background

War Child Canada is an international charity organization registered in Toronto, Canada, dedicated to helping children and their communities overcome the devastating effects of active and post war. Its vision is “Accelerating Peace by disrupting the cycle of violence” and its mission is “Driving Generational Change for The Hardest Hit by Investing in The Power of Local Communities.”

Since being founded in 1999, War Child Canada has worked in 20 countries across the world, and we are currently operational in Afghanistan, Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.

During the past five years, War Child Canada reached over 2,500,000 conflict-afflicted children and adults; 985,000 people benefitted from War Child’s educational initiatives; 480,000 people were helped to climb out of poverty and 1,075,000 people learned more about their rights and had better access to justice systems.

War Child Canada has been operating in refugee hosting districts in Uganda since 2005. War Child Canada is registered as an international non-governmental organization (INGO) and holds a registration as a law firm in Uganda. War Child Canada is currently implementing education, protection, and livelihood projects in ten refugee hosting districts in Uganda (Adjumani, Koboko, Madi Okollo, Terego, Yumbe, Obongi, Isingiro, Kikube, Kamwenge and Lamwo).

Bridge Project Summary

Bridge project is a 5-year initiative aimed at addressing youth unemployment in 9 refugee hosting districts of Uganda. The project is part of the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works Strategy, which seeks to provide young people with education and training to enable them to secure dignified and fulfilling work. The Bridge project is implemented in partnership with Community Empowerment for Rural Development (CEFORD), Education Local Expertise Uganda (ELECU), and eight refugee-led community-based organizations.

The 5-year BRIDGE project (2022 to 2027) is part of the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works Strategy (2018 to 2030) to address the youth unemployment challenge among refugee and host communities in 9 refugee hosting districts of Adjumani, Obongi, Isingiro, Kamwenge, Kikuube, Yumbe, Terego, Madi Okollo and Koboko districts.

The project will be achieved through two outcomes namely:

1. Increased access to market relevant secondary and tertiary education and skills for refugee and host community youth
2. Improved capacity of education institutions and teachers to offer quality and relevant education and skills for refugee and host community youth.

BRIDGE ’s overarching program goal is to improve access to quality & relevant education and skills for 73,439 refugee / host community youth and transition 38,912 refugee / host community youth to dignified and fulfilling work in Uganda by 2027.

Consultancy summary: Social enterprises for social innovation

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) including NGOs, Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) play a critical role in responding to the needs of displaced populations and host vulnerable communities. However, many CSOs/RLOs/NGOs face persistent challenges in accessing sustainable funding, especially in an increasingly competitive landscape where traditional donor support is dwindling. To remain effective and resilient, NGOs especially the RLOs must explore alternative and innovative financing models.

Social enterprises offer a viable pathway for RLOs to diversify their funding sources while staying true to their social missions. By applying business strategies to achieve social, environmental, or community objectives, RLOs can generate income that is reinvested into their programs and services. This approach not only enhances financial sustainability but also strengthens organizational autonomy and impact.

While social innovation provides alternatives for organizations to develop new solutions that meet social needs more effectively than existing approaches. This approach is a key driver of successful social enterprises. When RLOs integrate innovation into their enterprise models, they are better equipped to respond to complex community issues with agility and creativity.

Based on the above, War Child Canada is seeking a qualified consultant / firm to plan and deliver a three days training aimed at strengthening the capacities of 35 implementing partner organization’s staff to conceptualize, design and managing social enterprises that generate revenue and support to drive meaningful social change. The training will focus on empowering participants with practical knowledge, tools and strategies to develop sustainable business models aligned with their organization missions as well as launch or scale social enterprises that generate revenue while driving social innovation within their organizations and communities while contributing to long-term financial sustainability.

Purpose of this consultancy

The purpose of this consultancy is to develop a comprehensive training curriculum and facilitate an intensive three-day training on Social Enterprise for social innovation. The training is designed to equip 30 participants with the skills necessary to conceptualize, develop, and manage viable social enterprises in not-for-profit organizations.

The specific objectives of this consultancy include the following:

• To enhance participants’ understanding of social enterprise principles and models, and their role in achieving social impact and financial sustainability.
• To introduce innovative approaches for solving social problems using business-driven strategies.
• To build practical skills in designing and managing social enterprise initiatives among not-for-profit organizations.
• To strengthen knowledge of income diversification and sustainability strategies for refugee-led and community-based organizations
• Facilitate experience sharing and peer learning among implementing partners on existing or emerging social enterprise initiatives.

During the training, WCC expects the consultant or firm to cover among others the following topics.

Topic

A. Introduction to social enterprises and its concepts

• Introduction to social enterprises
• Models and types for non-profit, hybrid, for-profit organizations.
• Sharing successful case studies

Result Area: Understanding social business models and their relevance

B. Innovation and design thinking

• Innovation fundamentals
• Stages of design thinking
• Practical tools for creativity thinking
• Prototyping approaches
• Using digital platforms for social enterprises.

Result Area: Creative problem-solving methods

C. Ideation / building the social enterprise model

• Business models for social enterprises
• Preposition a business for support
• Funding and sustainability strategies

Result Area: Turning social problems into opportunities and applying innovation to create viable social enterprises.

D. Pitching, implementation and scaling up impact

• Developing a compelling social business pitch
• Developing a phased implementation plan
• Strategies or pathways for scaling up social impact

Result Area: A pitch outline, scaling pathways for viable social enterprises and simple work plan for the business first period of stay.

Note: The above topics are just examples. A consultant should be able to exhaust relevant social enterprise and social innovation training topics that can be covered in three days.

Consultant’s responsibilities

• Develop a comprehensive training curriculum including modules, session plans, and learning objectives related to the topics.
• Prepare training materials including slides, handouts, worksheets, templates among others.
• Facilitate the workshop and support each partner to develop prototypes or samples business plans.
• Conduct a pre-training assessment to tailor the training to participants’ knowledge gaps on social enterprise and social innovation.
• Submit a consultancy or training report which includes the methodology and training outputs with clear action plans.
• Conduct a post training assessment at the end of the three days training.
• Produce a training report, including key outcomes, participant feedback, and recommendations for follow-up mentoring or support.

War Child Canada’s responsibilities

• Mobilize RLO and WCC participants
• Secure training venue and take care of participants logistics and meals
• Provide the consultant with timely information regarding this training.

Implementation approaches

The consulting firm will employ a participatory and learner-cantered approach to ensure that the training builds practical skills and organizational capacity in social enterprise development and social innovation. The methodology will be tailored to the context of Refugee-Led Organizations, emphasizing real life application, collaboration, and innovation.

Specific training methodologies will include, but are not limited to:

• Brainstorming and guided group work by organizations.
• Participatory presentations and discussions.
• Practical sessions for developing business plans and pitching.
• Learning videos and tutorials
• Simulation and role play exercises.
• Peer review and feedback**.**

Deliverables and outputs

• Inception report outlining the training methodology, itemized budget, curriculum outline, and work plan
• Post-training report summarizing outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations for continued capacity building.
• Social enterprise briefs, concepts or models developed by each organization with support of the consultant.
• Training / consultancy report summarizing the results of the consultancy, the processes undertaken, successes, challenges, action plans, lessons learnt and recommendations.
• Training contents which will be shared with participants.

Scope of work and timeline

The consultant will be responsible for designing and delivering a participatory three -day training program combining theoretical sessions, case studies, and practical exercises. The training will be tailored to the local context of refugee and host community organizations in the West Nile and Southwestern Uganda regions. The training is planned to run in December 2025 in one of the districts either in Southwestern or West Nile.

Travel

The consultant is expected to transport him/herself to and from the training venue unless communicated otherwise by War Child Canada.

Target participants

The training is designed to equip Project Managers, Project Officers, and Finance Officers from the implementing partner organizations with practical skills and knowledge to conceptualize, initiate, and manage social enterprises within Refugee-Led Organizations. Each partner organization will nominate three staff members to participate in the training. Additional participants will be drawn from War Child Canada’s team, ensuring a collaborative learning environment that promotes cross-organizational exchange and capacity strengthening.

Experience and skills

War Child Canada is seeking services of a qualified firm with expertise in designing and delivering trainings on social enterprises and social innovation for International NGOs, Civil Society Organizations, Refugee-Led Organizations, and Community-Based Organizations aimed at diversifying organizational sources of funds. Consultant applications will be evaluated based on their ability to showcase the following qualifications, experiences, and competencies:

• Team Lead member with master’s degree in business administration, International Business, Development Studies, Humanities, Project Management, Organizational Development, or any other related discipline.
• The consulting firm should have at least 5 – 7 years of demonstrated professional work experience in developing social enterprises or facilitating capacity building trainings on social enterprises and social innovations for NGOs or Community Based Organizations.
• Previous experience working with International Non-governmental Organizations, Refugee Led Organizations and in refugee settlements especially in Western or West Nile regions of Uganda.
• Knowledge and experience in using participatory approaches and innovative techniques, with exquisite facilitation skills.
• Excellent analytical, presentation and report writing skills.
• Experience working on humanitarian and development projects focusing on community empowerment, education programs, youth engagement and working with persons of concerns in Uganda or similar context.

Tagged as: Uganda, War Child Canada