UNICEF - Consultancy Assignment, Design and Develop a Community Education Package (CEP) to support the Implementation of the One Stop Shop, UNICEF Lesotho

UNICEF Lesotho

Terms of Reference

Consultancy Assignment

Background:

The Government of Lesotho (GoL) adopted a national Decentralisation Policy in February 2014 with seven specific objectives, all centred around increasing service delivery to citizens by transferring functions, responsibilities and resources for service delivery to governance structures closest to them. Then in January 2015, the GoL launched the National Social Protection Strategy, which seeks to link the most vulnerable sectors of the population to services that build their human capital and productivity. The strategy thus recognizes that at subnational level, social welfare staff will have an important role to play as a focal point for coordination between local government agencies, potentially acting as a “one-stop-shop” to a range of public services.  

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the GIZ have thus partnered to support the GoL to pilot the One Stop Shop concept in four community councils (CC). The cooperation aims to expand the range of services available to citizens at local level and simplify access to those services.

As a starting point for the project, a rapid assessment on the status quo of service access and delivery was carried out in the second half of 2014. The study addressed six major areas of public service delivery in Lesotho:

1. Social Protection

2. Education

3. Health and HIV and AIDS

4. Legal and Civil Services

5. Agriculture and Employment

6. Natural resources and infrastructure

On the demand side, a key finding was that communities are generally aware of services available to them, but have the perception that their information is incomplete because there are insufficient official, homogeneous communication channels. Some people don’t know about procedures and eligibility criteria for many programs and have no reliable and easily accessibly source of information. At the most simple level of integration, the One Stop Shop will thus seek to become a hub of information on public services.

1.  Objective of the assignment:

The objective of the consultancy is to design and develop an integrated Community Education Package (CEP) to positively influence uptake of basic social services at community council level. The contents of the CPE package will be a set of Information, Education and Communication IEC materials that are culturally relevant for the delivery of the package to target audience using a mix of messaging strategies and channels.

The target group for the CPE package is community members of all ages and service providers themselves. The design must take into consideration low literacy rates among the population and also be child-friendly when appropriate. The CPE package is meant to provide information that will constitute a reliable source of information on what public services are available to people in their community councils and larger districts, and how they can access them.

The CEP will be translated into Sesotho, the local language, and a solid pretesting (Piloting) of the package will be conducted in a limited number of councils to ensure that it is understood by the intended audiences.

2.    Work assignment

The Consultant will be provided with the Service Delivery Mapping Report, out of which the incumbent is expected to undertake the following tasks:

• Review existing service delivery and communication channels at community council level to establish gaps with regards to services available, information provided and service utilization.

• Having identified the information gap, the consultant will conceptualize, adapt/develop layout, culturally relevant communication materials for the delivery of the CEP to the target audiences, using an effective mix of messaging strategies and channels. This work will be done in consultation with the respective government partners at sub-national level.

• Pre-test and finalize materials.

• In consultation with community groups/social networks identify roll-out plan for CPE package and also explore collaboration with new partners and explore use of new media.

• Conduct training at Council level on the use of materials developed.

• Develop clear indicators to track the impact of the CPE package.

3.          Key deliverables

4.    Desired Background and Experience

The successful entity is required to meet the following criteria:

• Strong theoretical and practical background in graphic design, including the use of design software such as Adobe Design Premium, In-Design, CorelDraw, web design tools such as Dreamweaver and Flash, etc.

• Show a clear and mature style of design, demonstrating an understanding of the communication requirements of a UN agency.

• Proven experience of graphic production from start to published/printed product with knowledge of printing processes (offset and digital) and colour management;

• Good understanding of new and evolving technologies and digital platforms;

• Knowledge of standard software packages, including MS Office– MS Access–MS Visio –Adobe Acrobat;

• Excellent writing skills in English and the ability to transform complex information into easy to understand, non- technical content.

• Working experience in development sector, preferably in sub-Saharan Africa is highly desirable.

• Clear understanding of Communication for Development (C4D) concepts and their application is desirable.   

• Self-motivated and results oriented.

• Proven ability to deliver under tight deadlines.

• Possesses strong organizational and detail-oriented skills.

• International professional experience is an asset.

• Understanding of UNICEF‘s work is a plus.

This application is open for individuals and institutions.

5.    Working Conditions

The consultancy will be based in UNICEF Lesotho. The consultant must provide own lap-top and cell-phone.  However, the LCO will facilitate transport to project sites as might be required during the undertaking of this assignment.  

6.    Supervision, Reporting and Feedback

The consultant will be supervised by the Chief of Social Policy who will call upon Country Office staff to support the work of the consultancy as required.

The consultant’s work will be evaluated according to the deliverables.

7.    Fees

Payment will be based on deliverables.

8.    How to apply

Qualified candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, Company Profile, CV, names, contact details of three referees and samples of similar work undertaken in the past.  Submission should be made by 12 August 2015

Please indicate your availability and daily rates to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without daily rates will not be considered.

Applications and queries should be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and copy to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Please indicate Lesotho CPE Package in the subject of your application.