TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR CONSULTANCY SERVICE TO DEVELOP NUDOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT STRATEGY FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN RWANDA

1. NUDOR Introduction

NUDOR is a National Union of the Disability Organizations of Rwanda that has been established as a civil society organization on 17^th September 2010; and currently NUDOR has nine member organizations which are National organizations of Persons with Disabilities.

NUDOR’s vision is a society where people with disability enjoy the same human rights and opportunities as other citizens.

NUDOR’s mission is to serve as a platform for organizations of People with Disabilities, to share their experience, to express their views and to support them in strengthening their capacities and achievements. NUDOR advocates for the rights and needs of people with disabilities.

Together NUDOR and its thirteen members are working so that persons with disabilities can enjoy the equal rights to which they are entitled.

The NUDOR strategic plan covers the period 2015 – 2020 and comprises three main strategic aims (Representation and accountability; Capacity building and resource mobilization; Advocacy and influencing).

NUDOR Strategic Plan also focused on 4 Areas of Intervention (Education, Health, Poverty reduction and Disability Rights Awareness).

2. NUDOR Background and livelihood experiences  

Since 2014, NUDOR has been in partnership with CBM to support the inclusion of persons with disabilities in different government programmes. NUDOR has been supported by CBM to conduct a baseline survey on the economic situation of persons with disabilities in Gasabo and Nyaruguru Districts. After presenting the findings from the baseline survey, NUDOR and CBM came up with planning and implementing a pilot livelihood project with the aim of promoting the economic situation of persons with disabilities in Gasabo District through Village Savings and Loan Groups formation and linking them with microfinance institutions for access to additional services. At the end of the pilot project, NUDOR conducted a project evaluation to assess the impact achieved and gaps identified against the planned outcome. 

The evaluation report highlighted that the economic situation of people with disabilities who are members of the Village Savings and Loan Groups has improved and they are committed to continue the next cycles. The evaluation recommendations assisted NUDOR and CBM in planning a multi-year project (MYP) to be implemented from 2018 to 2021.

NUDOR through CBM attracted funding from CBM Germany as well as from the Scottish Government to implement two projects targeting 17,200 persons and 14,000 persons respectively. The multi-year Projects are being implemented in the new eight districts(Rutsiro, Rusizi, Ngororero in Western, Nyaruguru, Ruhango, Nyanza in Southern, Musanze in Northern and Kayonza in Eastern region of the country). So far, 1,049 Village Savings and Loan Groups have been established with 27,733 members who are persons with disabilities and their caregivers. The groups meet weekly, have started savings and lend money using their own savings mainly for income generating activities.

3. Impact brought by the implemented VSLA Programme in all 9 districts

The NUDOR VSLAs Programme has helped Persons with disabilities to Improvement their Livelihoods where they have more food than non-VSLAs’ members because they augment their farm produce with income from other economic activities.

The number of economic activities that members were engaged in has increased and the magnitude of others has also increased. The formed VSLGs have been interested to open the bank accounts to the nearest Microfinance where they have started benefiting financial services such as getting individual loan from the Inclusive MFIs.

The VS&L’s program records show that the majority of members are females (16,145) 58.2%. VSLGs’ members have more personal confidence, they dress better, some of them have built better houses, acquired more household goods and access more land now than they did before joining VSLG’s savings program.

The VSLGs’ members are contributing more to decision making in their households as their level of confidence has gone up.

In both developed and developing countries, the unemployment and underemployment rate of persons with disabilities is much higher than those without disabilities.

• Persons with disabilities should be encouraged, promoted and supported to become self-employed, to develop their entrepreneurship capacity or even to own and operate their business.
• The mainstream business sector should be included as a key stakeholder in order to ensure its openness, accessibility and inclusiveness for persons with disabilities as customers, work force and business partners.
• Microfinance Institutions should be more empowered to promote financial inclusion that will enable persons with disabilities barrier free access to financial services.

In this regard, NUDOR would like to hire a consultancy firm to develop the NUDOR Socio-Economic Empowerment Strategy for Persons with disabilities that will help NUDOR to strengthen persons with disabilities position as economic actors and to address their exclusion from economic processes and structures (informal as well as formal). This will reduce exploitation, marginalization and vulnerability among persons with disabilities; enable them to participate in and reap the benefits of economic opportunities; and build prosperity for themselves, their families and their communities.

4. This Strategy will focus on the following key intervention areas:

• Financial inclusion
• Persons with Disabilities and value chain
• Economic growth, help people with disabilities get back to work
• Vocation Training and Entrepreneurship

5. Objectives of the Strategy

5.1. Overall objective of the Strategy

The purpose of the Strategy is to help NUDOR to have a clear position on what could be done to improve the Socio-economic status of Persons with Disabilities in Rwanda.

5.2. Specific objectives

• To build their skills and capabilities to manage financial resources and actively use relevant financial services and products.

• To advocate for policies and regulations change that enable equal access to financial inclusion for Persons with disabilities like other citizens.

• To have a particular emphasis on small-scale producers (Persons with disabilities) in rural or peri-urban value chains.

• To realize their full economic potential as (small-holder) producers that requires greater access to financial services, access to and control over land, rural extension, input, technology and skills development.

• To Support Persons with Disabilities to gain equal access to decent work which is safe, fairly and equally rewarded, and to have greater levels of control over their earnings from this work, which requires a combination of efforts to improve labour rights, both legally and in practice.

• To enhance the capacity of group members to become successful entrepreneurs with disabilities by providing business training, technical skills, access to financial services and technical assistance. Gaps in literacy and numeracy may also need to be addressed.

• To enhance the social or relational environment for support to entrepreneurs with disabilities through facilitating peer networks, mentoring and collective organisation (for example through VSLAs).

• To address structural barriers to entrepreneurship training to Persons with Disabilities through advocacy for policy and social changes, including resetting social norms.

6. Scope and focus of the assignment

The consultant will lead the development of the NUDOR Socio-Economic Empowerment Strategy and implementation plan with consultation of NUDOR livelihood documents, policies and other international Instruments as well as economic development agenda. The Consultant will work under supervision of the NUDOR Livelihood Programme Coordinator. The following tasks assigned:  

• Submit an inception report detailing the methodology and timeframe to develop the Strategy with necessary tools to be used;
• Meeting with NUDOR Staff and Members to understand their views on poverty reduction among persons with disabilities.
• To analyze collected information and produce a draft Strategy responding to the above highlighted specific objectives; 
• Present the draft NUDOR Socio-Economic Strategy to the NUDOR team first and then to NUDOR members as well as partners for final  validation;
• Finalize the Strategy by integrating the provided comments during the validation session;
•  Submit final Strategy to NUDOR.

7.     Baseline Survey Methodology

• Under the supervision of the NUDOR Livelihood Programme Coordinator, the consultant will review the relevant secondary data.

• The consultant will conduct a meeting with NUDOR Members through poverty reduction steering Committee to collect their views on poverty reduction among persons with different types of disabilities.

• The Consultant will conduct the field visit to formed 6 VSLGs in Musanze, Ngororero, Gasabo Districts as well as skills development  Centres in those above districts.
• The Consultant will organise meetings with Local Authorities including District Disability Mainstreaming Officers and NCPD District Coordinators from Musanze, Ngororero and Gasabo District to gather information related to livelihood work that NUDOR could focus on in this strategy.

• The Consultant will organize meetings with National Council of Persons with Disabilities at National level, VSO, Humanity and Inclusion, MyRight, CBM to gather their inputs on what should be included in this NUDOR Strategy in livelihood Sector for the nest period.

• Deliverable Results
• An Inception report detailing the methodology and timeframe to develop the Strategy;
• A draft Strategy in English responding to the above highlighted specific objectives;
• A final submitted NUDOR Socio-Economic Empowerment Strategy with integration of all inputs provided during the validation.

• Financial Proposition  

The financial proposition must include:

•    Costs for the service to be delivered in Rwandan francs and all taxes included,

• The number of days estimated for this activity

• The daily rate of human resources  involved in the development of this strategy
• Any other expenses related to this consultancy

 Reporting and Timeline

The consultant shall report to the NUDOR Livelihood Programme Coordinator during the duration of the assignment not exceeding 20 calendar days. The first draft Strategy is due to be submitted to NUDOR no later than 04^th October 2019 and the final report will be submitted no later than by 08^th October 2019.

1. Requirements for submission of proposal.

The consultant(s) shall have:

• Preferably a Master’s degree in Social Sciences or Development studies with at least 3+ years of experience in  qualitative and quantitative data collection methodologies  and  skills and experience in conducting evaluation and baseline studies, or developing Programmes,  Strategies, Policies  preferably within livelihood or Economic Development Programmes;
• or a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences or Development Studies or any other related field with at least 5+ years of experience in the field, preferably within livelihood or Economic Development Programmes ;
• Proven experience in research, especially on disability issues. Prior experience with similar work in disability will be an added value;
• Strong interpersonal, writing, presentation, and organizational skills are required;
• Understanding approaches to communicate technical information to a non-technical audience is critical;
• Ability to work as a team member and collaborate with others
• Professional and mature demeanor 
• Proficiency in Kinyarwanda, French and English.

1. Application process

Interested consultants should submit the following:

• Detailed Curriculum vitae (CV) with three references;
• Copy of degree (not necessarily notified)
• Technical proposal describing how the consultant intends to undertake this assignment in a sealed envelope with the title of the assignment.
• Separate financial proposal
• At least three certificate of good completion in the field;    

N.B: for a company do not forget to include the RDB Certificate of the company and Tax Clearance including TIN Number registration from RRA.

The application documents should be submitted in hard copy (1 original and 1 copy) not later than 23^rd September 2019 at 12pm.

THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF NUDOR

KICUKIRO DISTRICT, NIBOYE SECTOR, Road KK 360 KK ST, Building 4.

KIGALI CITY-RWANDA

Done at Kigali on 9^th September 2019

NSENGIYUMVA Jean Damascène

Executive Secretary