BACKGROUND

People in Need (PIN) started out in 1992 as a grassroots initiative by a group of Czech war correspondents who wanted to complement their reporting on conflicts and crises around the world with providing aid to those in need. Our co-founder and current director Simon Panek was a student activist during the Velvet Revolution, and the surge of creative energy, civic mobilization, and social responsibility during that time was the driving force behind who we are today. That’s why we are drawn to like-minded civic actors who are committed to building their communities and changing the world around them for the better.

About the project

As one of the largest non-profit organisations in Central and Eastern Europe, PIN works in the fields of humanitarian aid, development cooperation, human rights, education, and social inclusion across more than 30 countries. In Iraq, PIN is partnering with the Women Empowerment Organization (WEO) to implement the Pathways to Peace (P2P) project, a 30-month EU-funded initiative aimed at strengthening the capacities of youth-led civil society organisations (CSOs), including grassroots, informal, and established groups. The project promotes inclusive peacebuilding, civic engagement, and advocacy across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

We recognize the diversity of civil society and do not envision everyone following the same path of becoming NGOs similar to us today. On the other hand, we do believe that we have much to learn from and offer to each other. 

 As part of this project, PIN and WEO are launching a tailored Capacity Development Programme for Inclusive Peacebuilding. A core component of the Programme consists of two sets of in-person training workshops tailored around findings from conducted organizational capacity assessment of 33 targeted civic society organizations. The first set will focus on organizational operation and management, while the second set will focus on technical knowledge and skills in youth participation and inclusive conflict transformation and peacebuilding.

Objectives

Each of the individual training workshops aims to support strengthening leadership, organizational and technical capacities of targeted civic society organizations (CSOs) to enhance inclusive youth participation in peacebuilding initiatives and promote a culture of peace and respect. The methods of workshop deliveries are to reflect on the way adults learn; theory and practice within a training workshop set up, application to real life, bringing the learnings and the newly created value back to the group via peer exchanges, thus amplifying and enriching the good practices.

The trainer(s) will lead training workshop(s) on one or more of the selected topics, ensuring a delivery of high-quality, participatory, and engaging training session. The training workshop should be tailored to the specific needs and priorities of the targeted civil society organizations (CSOs), as identified through prior assessments or consultations with PIN and WEO teams. Trainer should adapt the content and learning methods to ensure relevance, inclusivity, and practical value for participants.  S/he will also conduct pre- and post- tests to assess the level of acquired knowledge during the training workshop and write a narrative report for each of the sessions.

PIN is looking for several trainers to cover 9 training topics, each delivered in both, Duhok and Erbil governorate, for a group of up to 20 CSOs representatives. The training language should reflect on the needs of the targeted audience (Kurdish Sorani, Kurdish Badini, Arabic).

Scope of Work & Deliverables

Each trainer will deliver:

• Training materials consulted and developed,
  • Consult the content and methodology with PIN team to tailor the training to the needs of Capacity Development Programme and targeted CSOs (approx. 1.5 hours session);
  • Develop and prepare training materials and agenda for 1-day-long training workshops (approx. 6-7 hours);

• 1 day training workshop per governorate,
• Deliver the training workshop (per group/per governorate) (6 hours per each of the sessions);

• Pre and post test data to measure acquired knowledge through the session,
• Availability for technical consultation with the Project team after the delivery of the training (cumulative, up to 1.5 hours),
• Final report (in English), outlining the main challenges, findings, methodology applied, package of recommendations for follow up.
  • Prepare and submit detailed reports on each of the sessions (1 hour per each of the sessions).

List of Training topics

Set 1 – Internal operation and management

• General operational skills (including financial management, procurement planning, administration) for grassroot organizations and volunteer groups (1 day training workshop per governorate, up to 20 participants) - September 2025
• Project Cycle Management (including launching, implementation, planning, closing of projects, risk management, transparency and safeguards, monitoring and evaluation, reporting routine) for grassroot organizations and volunteer groups (1 day training workshop per governorate, up to 20 participants) - September 2025
• Organizational governance, leadership, and decision-making for grassroot organizations and volunteer groups (1 day training workshop per governorate, up to 20 participants) - October 2025
• General operational skills and project cycle management for well-established civic society organizations (1 day training workshop per governorate, up to 10 participants) - October 2025

Set 2 – Technical expertise

• Youth empowerment and engagement (1 day training workshop per governorate, up to 25 participants), expected in November 2025, with possible topics including coverage of, but not limited to:
  • Understanding youth leadership and civic engagement;
  • Building personal and collective agency;
  • Youth-led initiatives and social innovation.
• Conflict sensitivity, peacebuilding and peace dialogue (1 day training workshop per governorate, up to 25 participants), expected in December 2025, with possible topics including coverage of, but not limited to:
  • Understanding conflict: Causes and dynamics;
  • Conflict sensitivity and Do-No-Harm approaches;
  • Peace dialogue facilitation – basics;
  • Peacebuilding strategies at the community level.
• Equality and social inclusion (ESI) mainstreaming (1 day training workshop per governorate, up to 25 participants), expected in January 2026, with possible topics including coverage of, but not limited to:
  • Key concepts and approaches;
  • Inclusive program design and delivery;
  • Right-based approaches and pro-ESI;
  • Monitoring and evaluation of pro-ESI approaches.
• Security and safety (1 day training workshop per governorate, up to 25 participants), expected in February 2026, with possible topics including coverage of, but not limited to:
  • Community safety mapping and risk assessment;
  • Personal security and situational awareness;
  • Engaging community stakeholders in safety initiatives.
• Inclusive decision-making (1 day training workshop per governorate, up to 25 participants), expected in February 2026, with possible topics including coverage of, but not limited to:
  • Principles and approaches to inclusive governance;
  • Participatory tools and techniques;
  • Consensus as a peacebuilding initiative.

 Duration and Level of Effort

• The service will be provided between the months of September 2025 and March 2026, with approximate time allocation as described in specific tasks. On average, 3 working days are expected per delivery of an individual training topic in both of the governorates; Duhok and Erbil.
• Additional time for preparation, documentation, travel and follow-up as necessary.

Qualifications and Experience

• Extensive technical knowledge and expertise in one or more of the listed training topics, in case of the Set 2, substantiated by supporting documents (such as developed and previously used training materials);
• Strong background in participatory workshop facilitation, including the ability to manage group dynamics effectively. Strong supporter of tailored, empowering ways to work with diverse civil society actors, respecting their own choices and development path;
• In case of trainings under the Set 1 - Proven experience in working at and understanding organizational culture and management, including operations, human resources, project cycle management as well as CSOs work;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• Ability to perform tasks and fulfil responsibilities within the fixed timeframes;
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills in English and (Kurdish Sorani, Kurdish Badini, or Arabic).

Application Process

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications by latest 15th October 2025 via a link: Pathways to Peace: Trainers (application form)

• Curriculum Vitae (CV): A detailed CV, including at least two references from individuals or organizations familiar with your work
• A record of conducted trainings, specifying the subject matter, dates, and audiences

• Availability: Specific dates of your availability in the months of September 2025 – March 2026, as per the list of the training topics (approx. 3 working days for a training topic)

• Examples of training materials/tools: As per the list of the training topics, please, for technical individual training topics, provide an example of previously designed/delivered training materials covering the topics or any of its aspects.

The selection of trainers will be conducted on a rolling basis, aligned with the schedule of trainings. To ensure fairness, all applications submitted by the deadline of 15th October  2025 will be reviewed. Trainers may be contracted and confirmed progressively in line with upcoming training dates, so early applications are strongly encouraged.

Applicants can apply for more than one training topic, if they have the expected expertise.

In case of applying for the “Set 2 – Technical expertise”, applicants are to share an example(s) of previously

delivered/used training materials (handbooks, manuals, handouts, ppts) relevant to selected training topics.

Contact Information

For further inquiries, please contact the project team by email iraq.cso@peopleinneed.net or on WhatsApp: +964 772 978 9755.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.