TRAINING OF PROJECT CYCLE MANAGEMENT AND PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT, MONITORING, EVALUATION, ACCOUNTABILITY AND LEARNING (MEAL), AND FUNDRASING

YOUTHRIVE SCALE-UP

Project: Masarouna/ Our pathway 

Country: Iraq – Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) 

Preferred typology of the consultancy: in person

Preferred training location:  Sulaymaniyah

Background  

Oxfam is an international confederation counting 22 organizations working together with partners and local communities in more than 90 countries.  

Oxfam has been working in Iraq since the 1990s with both an expanding and contracting presence. At present, Oxfam works through five offices across the country.  

Oxfam in Iraq's strategy is shaped around 3 key pillars 1) Humanitarian response 2) Governance and 3) Equality. Within each of these pillars, intervention covers the following sectors: Emergency Food Security and Vulnerable Livelihoods, Water and Sanitation and Hygiene, Gender and Protection, Emergency lifesaving support, and Local Humanitarian Leadership. 

YouTHrive   

The Masarouna project is supporting young people (YP) as change makers who participate in - and lead movements that develop creative solutions on reproductive health (RH). The project aims to support local NGOs, groups, and youth volunteers in improving their skills and knowledge on Project Cycle Management and Proposal Development, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning, and Fundraising.

The Youthrive is an initiative that promotes RH among youth. Phase One of Youthrive focused on empowering young people to lead advocacy efforts on RH. Five teams were selected and were trained on Reproductive health, Civic Engagement, and Advocacy. They implemented advocacy initiatives using grants from Oxfam.

In 2024, the programme intends to provide technical support to the project beneficiaries on programme management and sustainability through a planning and programme development process.

Overview of the training

1. Key PCM principles
2. Planning and designing projects to address these issues. How to develop a project plan. Logical framework Matrix, budget and activity plan.
3. Implementing and managing the activities involved. Managing projects. Key steps.
4. what is Monitoring? How to report progress using indicators. (Continuously evaluating, monitoring, and reviewing how well the project is meeting its objectives, incorporating and capturing learning.
5. Working well with others
6. Exiting the project in a way that ensures its sustainability.

Objectives of the consultancy  

The consultant, or consultant team, will be responsible for conducting three rounds of training, each lasting two days, covering topics: Project Cycle Management and Proposal Development, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL), and Fundraising. These trainings will be directed at a group of young activists, consisting of around 10 to 12 trainees. The aim of these trainings is to capacitate the selected participants on the identified topics and further develop their skills.

The language of the training can be in English and Kurdish, in the case of English, interpretation will be required. Proficiency in English is required to communicate with Oxfam throughout the consultancy.

The preferred training duration is two-day sessions each, with flexibility depending on the prepared materials and deliverables. It is expected that the trainings will be done through a participatory approach, using participatory tools and group work. Incorporate diverse teaching techniques, such as group discussions, case studies, role-playing, and hands-on exercises to ensure that the capacity building initiative caters to different learning styles.

The goal of the training is further explained below

1. Fundraising

• Identifying new funding opportunities and donor mapping.
• Donor engagement and tips for building strong relationships.
• Developing a fundraising plan including pitching techniques, setting strategy, fundraising goals, and objectives.
• Grant writing essentials, budgeting, and financial management
• Common fundraising challenges faced by small initiatives and ways to overcome them.

1. PCM and Proposal development

• Project Planning: Participants know how to develop clear project objectives, define scope, identify stakeholders, and create project plans outlining tasks, timelines, and resources needed.
• Goal Setting and Prioritization: Activists set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals and prioritize activities to maximize impact with limited resources.
• How to set indicators for the project design.

How to do a stakeholder analysis.

How to do Log frame analysis. 

• Team Collaboration and Communication: Provide strategies for effective team collaboration, communication, and decision-making, including establishing roles and responsibilities, conducting regular meetings, and using communication tools.
• Integration with Project Management: Integrating MEAL processes into project planning, implementation, and decision-making to enhance accountability and learning.
• Budgeting and Resource Management: Participants learn how to develop project budgets, track expenses, and manage resources efficiently to ensure projects stay within budget and on schedule.
• Risk Management: Introduce risk management techniques for identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential risks and challenges that may arise during project implementation.
• Sustainability and Exit Strategies: Discuss strategies for ensuring project sustainability beyond the initial implementation phase, including building local capacity, securing long-term funding, and planning for project exit or transition.

• Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL):
• Introduction to MEAL: Understanding the importance of MEAL in project management and development work.
• Monitoring Systems and Frameworks: Designing and implementing monitoring systems to track progress, outputs, and outcomes of projects. Plus designing of MEAL framework.
• Evaluation Methods and Techniques: Learning various evaluation methodologies such as baseline studies, impact assessments, and process evaluations.
• Data Collection and Analysis: Training in data collection methods (quantitative and qualitative), data management, and analysis techniques.
• Indicators and Targets: Defining measurable indicators and setting realistic targets to gauge project performance and impact.
• Accountability Mechanisms: Establishing mechanisms for transparency, participation, and feedback from stakeholders.
• Learning and Adaptation: Promoting a culture of learning and continuous improvement within organizations by using evaluation findings to adapt strategies and approaches.
• Ethics and Standards in MEAL: Understanding ethical considerations in data collection, analysis, and reporting, as well as adhering to professional standards.
• Communication of Results: Effectively communicating monitoring and evaluation findings to stakeholders through various channels, such as reports, presentations, and visualizations.

The goals of the session can be expanded or reduced as per suggestion and recommendation by the consultant/team of consultants and in agreement with Oxfam.  The consultant/team needs to ensure creating flow and connection between the main topics mentioned above, in relation to the training overall objective.

Methodology 

The consultant shall conduct three rounds of training on the topics mentioned above. Each round will target a group of young activists consisting of 10 to 12 participants.

During the trainings, the consultant should alternate between frontal sessions, scenarios, practical exercises, and group activities, ensuring each participant is engaged and gets the chance to interact and showcase their understanding of the training content and knowledge gained. The training module and approach should use examples and exercises that are as focused on reproductive health (RH) as possible, with a connection to the context in KRI.

A final evaluation and feedback form should be designed by the consultant and filled out by participants at the end of each training. At the end of the trainings, a comprehensive analysis report on the results of the training evaluations must be submitted. In addition, a pre-post-test should be conducted within the training to measure the capacity of trainees before and after participating in the training.

Ethical requirements, safeguarding and confidentiality. 

Do no harm. The consultant will adopt a gender-sensitive approach, inclusive of all participants, culturally sensitive and participatory, he/she/they will ensure the application of the “do no harm” principle. The consultant shall respect the Oxfam code of conduct and the guidance regarding safe programming.  

Lastly, the service Provider shall not use or disclose to any person during or at any time after service provider’s engagement by Oxfam any information relating to Oxfam’s business and operations or any other matters which may come to Service Provider’s knowledge whilst providing the Services and which may reasonably be regarded as confidential (Confidential Information).

Deliverables and timeframe  

The expected start date of this consultancy is End-July; however, the training could start in early- August and shall be completed by end-August 2024. Delivery before the above-mentioned date is considered a plus.  

Please note, there will be multiple rounds of feedback on content and language. The service provider is expected to have the flexibility for amendments and adjustments after the delivery of the first draft of the outline, training materials, and PowerPoint presentation which will be defined during the month of June.

The materials developed should be disseminated to participants by the end of the training delivery.

Supervision and management  

The Masarouna Project Manager and the Oxfam Gender Justice Program Manager will provide technical and practical supervision to the consultant/ consultant team. 

Logistics  

Oxfam team will organize the logistics related to the arrangements of venues, accommodations for the participants only, and lunch for everyone. 

The consultant is responsible for the day-to-day follow-up on the attendance lists, participant feedback collection, and any specific stationary materials needed for the training (if the hotel is the hotel is not able to provide them to provide them).

Identifying and Selection of the training Participants  

The identification of the participants is done by Oxfam Masarouna Team in a stage prior to the training. A list with the participants details will be provided to the consultant / consultant team.  

Skills and experiences:  

• Proved experience in design and conduction of training packages on project management, fundraising, and RH topics in the context of the region.  
• Expertise in equality between female and male, and human rights-based approaches is a plus. 
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills 

Language:  

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Kurdish is mandatory. 
• Knowledge of Arabic is an asset.
• In case of lacking Kurdish language skills, a translator is required to be part of the consultant’s team.

Interested consultancies, with relevant experience and skills based on the ToR, can submit their Expression of Interest (EOI), including the following:

1. Cover letter of no more than 1 page introducing the consultant/team and intention to deliver the assignment. The cover letter should also indicate the consultants’ availability for the proposed period.
2. The technical proposal should provide details on the capacity in line with the competencies required for the assignment, including experience with similar assignments, CVs of the consulting team directly involved in the assignment, and their specific roles. A work plan detailing the anticipated timeline to undertake the assignment and finalize the deliverables, clearly indicating the dates of delivery. The technical proposal should not be longer than 10 pages, including all annexes. 
3. Financial proposal consisting in a one-page budget of the offer, covering all major anticipated costs including all the fees related to the training.

Please submit the EOI and other documents by 11:59 PM Iraq time by the 8th of July, 2024 to  IRQConsultancy@oxfam.org.uk   with TRAINING OF YOUTH GROUPS ON PCM AND PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT, MEAL, AND FUNDRAISING in the subject line. No EOIs will be accepted after the deadline. 

TOR LINK: https://jobs.oxfam.org.uk/vacancy/21269/description