BRIDGE: From secondary education and skills development to job opportunities for refugee and host community youth in Uganda

Consultancy Title: 2.1.1.13: Review and develop institutional policies of Bridge Implementing Partner Organizations (Finance and Administration, Human Resource Management, Procurement policies) in Southwestern and West Nile sub-regions.

Reports to: Senior Grants, Compliance and Partnership Officer.

Supported by: BRIDGE Project Director, Head of Finance and Operations, Logistics Manager, and Country Director.

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 programs and in currently implements projects in nine refugee hosting districts in Uganda (Adjumani, Koboko, Madi Okollo, Terego, Yumbe, Obongi, Isingiro, Kikube, Kamwenge).

The BRIDGE PROJECT: War Child Canada in partnership with Mastercard Foundation, Community Empowerment for Rural Development (CEFORD), Education Local Expertise Uganda (ELECU) and eight refugee-led community-based organizations, is implementing the BRIDGE: From Secondary Education and Skills Development to Job Opportunities for Refugee and Host Community Youth in Uganda project.

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 settlement areas in Adjumani, Obongi, Isingiro, Kamwenge, Kikuube, Yumbe, Terego, Madi Okollo and Koboko districts.

War Child Canada and project implementing partners will employ a gender sensitive and inclusive approach to programming, empower young people and recognize their potential as agents of change to ensure effective implementation and sustainability of the interventions. This will be achieved through two outcomes.

Increased access to market relevant secondary and tertiary education and skills for refugee and host community youth
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: Review and develop institutional policies of Bridge Implementing Partner Organizations (Finance and Administration, Human Resource Management, Procurement policies) in Southwestern and West Nile sub-regions.

This consultancy will support the development of Finance and Administration, Human Resources Management and Procurement Policies which should be tailored to each organization’s needs and capacity. Based on the above, War Child Canada is seeking for services of a consulting firm / consultant to facilitate the processes of reviewing and developing the three policies mentioned herein.

Key specific policies to be developed for each partner under this consultancy include the following:

Finance and Administration policy.
Human Resource Management policy.
Logistics & procurement policy.
Purpose of Consultancy: This consultancy's main purpose is to review and develop organizational policies for Bridge Project implementing partner organizations in Southwestern and West Nile sub-regions.

Approach and Deliverables:

The consulting firm will use a participatory approach and will ensure that the entire process develops staff capacities and skills. This process will involve the engagement of partner staff, Board of Directors, and War Child Canada. War Child Canada team will make inputs into consultancy tools designed for the purpose of developing the policies.

The policy development should follow the processes below:

Conducting a situation analysis with partners that do not have policies.
Review existing policies to document areas of need before the development of a policy.
Facilitate the workshops to develop the policies / manuals.
Ensure all draft policies are validated in a participatory manner.
The consulting firm / person will facilitate the workshop for the development of the manuals, provide technical skills and guidance, quality control and reporting in consultation with War Child Canada.

The consulting firm will provide the following deliverables:

A. Pre-activity level.

Inception report: Upon signing the contract, the firm will have 5 working days to submit a detailed report on the proposed approach to this assignment. The inception report will include a detailed description of the methodology and tools, expected outputs, budget with a breakdown of costs and detailed work plan for the entire assignment.
Revised inception report: Following the provision of feedback on the first draft of the inception report from War Child Canada and partners, the consulting firm will incorporate revisions and recommendations from War Child Canada and submit a final inception report. The inception report will also be clear on timelines.
B. During activity delivery level

Undertaking the assignment: The consultant is expected to facilitate the process of developing policies for each implementing partner and share the draft copies and any other accompanying documents for review by War Child Canada and Partners. The Consulting firm should submit the first drafts of the outputs for each organization to War Child Canada within 30 days after the start of the contract.
Sharing the partial report- Midway the development process, the consulting team will be required to submit a process report to War Child Canada as a way of tracking and reflecting on the progress. The report's structure will depend on the approach and methodology agreed upon at the inception phase.
Submission of draft and final policies. The consulting firm will finalize the assignment within 30 days based on the comments and feedback received from War Child Canada and partners on the draft output.
Final consultancy / training report: The consultant will prepare a final report summarizing the results of the consultancy, the process undertaken, and any challenges and lessons learned from the process. The report's structure will depend on the approach and methodology agreed upon at the inception phase. Any relevant documents should be included in the report as annexes.
Responsibility of War Child Canada and Partner: War Child Canada and implementing Partners will be responsible for the following.

Under the direct supervision of Senior Grants, Compliance and Partnership Officer, oversee the overall processes of the development of policies based on guidance provided by the consultant and provide timely feedback on draft copies submitted.
All conference and workshop related costs shall be taken care of by War Child Canada and or Partner.
Mobilize participants required for the development of different policies.
Scope of work and timeline: This assignment will be conducted in Uganda. The assignment is expected to take a maximum of 60 working days beginning on 1st March 2024. The final assignment report and all other deliverables should be submitted to War child Canada by 1st June 2024.

Experience and skills:

War Child Canada is looking for a competent firm/individual with skills, knowledge, and proven experience in facilitating and developing institutional policies in development and humanitarian settings. The consulting firm / consultant must have experience working with Civil Society Organizations, Community Based Organizations and or Refugee Led Organizations. Applications from consulting firms will be assessed on their ability to demonstrate the following qualifications, experiences, and competencies:

Team members with a University Degree in Business Administration, Business Commerce, Finance and Accounts, Procurement, Statistics, Humanities, Economics, Law, Project Management, Organizational Development, or any other related discipline.
Postgraduate training in any related fields will be an advantage.