The AECF is a leading African development organization that supports innovative enterprises in the agribusiness and renewable energy sectors to reduce rural poverty, promote resilient communities, and create jobs. AECF has raised over US$ 400 million to provide catalytic funding and technical advisory support to enterprises that struggle to meet traditional risk-return standards for commercial investors. In just over a decade, we have supported 510 enterprises in 26 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, impacted more than 30 million lives, created over 35,000 direct jobs, and leveraged US $838 million in matching funds.

We surface and commercialize new ideas, business models, and technologies designed to increase agricultural productivity, improve farmer incomes, expand clean energy access, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve resilience to the effects of climate change while also addressing the crosscutting themes of women, youth, and fragility. AECF is committed to working in frontier markets, fragile contexts, and high-risk economies where few mainstream financing institutions dare to go. In 2021, the AECF launched a refreshed strategy of building resilience and sustainable incomes for rural and marginalized communities in Africa.

2.0 About Kakuma Kalobeyei Challenge Fund (KKCF)

The KKCF applies a competitive financing mechanism for disbursing donor funding to incentivize for-profit companies, social enterprises, and local and refugee entrepreneurs to start or scale existing operations in the Kakuma-Kalobeyei area. Attracting the private sector to the area and supporting local entrepreneurs can expand job opportunities, improve services, provide more choices, and reduce prices. This will, in turn, enhance the self-reliance and socioeconomic integration of refugee and host communities while also contributing to the development of Turkana County. KKCF is a program of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and AECF is the implementing partner. For more information, visit https://kkcfke.org/

Despite operating in challenging environments like rural communities and refugee camps, businesses often face gender-related issues such as gender-based violence, unequal pay, staffing difficulties, and limited access to financing and permits. KKCF supports established companies, social enterprises, and local entrepreneurs to address these challenges. This collaborative project focuses on building commercially viable and sustainable businesses that can:

1. Increase incomes for both refugees and host communities.
2. Provide essential goods and services.
3. Create jobs and stimulate economic growth.
4. Improve living standards for those in the refugee camp and surrounding communities.
5. e. Supporting Strategies to Mitigate Gender-Based Violence (GBV) building a Safe and Equitable Business Landscape.

 

The KKCF program fosters socioeconomic integration and self-sufficiency for displaced populations and host communities within Kakuma/Kalobeyei. This is achieved by supporting the development of 120 commercially viable and sustainable Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across diverse agribusiness value chains. This targeted approach promotes sustainable business growth and improves access to essential goods and services, empowering displaced populations and host communities.

 

3.0 Rationale for this consultancy

This assignment aims to document the impact, success stories, and lessons learned from KKCF’s integration of businesses into refugee camps and ASAL (Arid and Semi-Arid Lands) communities. It tackles key challenges like poverty, limited opportunities for women, and lack of basic resources. The storytelling approach will emphasize human stories, using testimonials and case studies of KKCF program beneficiaries to illustrate the impact on their lives. These narratives will be complemented by clear and concise data visualizations, and voices from refugees, host communities, business owners, and KKCF/AECF staff are included to present a well-rounded picture. The documentation will focus on the following Impact metrics.

Measurable Impacts:

Poverty Alleviation: Testimonials from a beneficiary highlighting how the KKCF program improved their financial situation. Showcase how the program has fostered economic growth in refugee and host communities, creating jobs and increasing incomes. Highlight the increase in household income for refugees and host communities participating in the program.

Women’s Economic Empowerment: Highlight the journey of female entrepreneurs who attained financial independence through the KKCF program. Highlight how integrating gender-smart solutions empowered women to participate in the economy, leading to increased economic involvement through business ownership, employment, and leadership roles.

Job Creation: Share stories of individuals from both refugee and host communities who found employment through program-supported businesses, including pre-program and post-program comparisons for participating households.

Climate-Smart Agriculture: Farmers’ testimonials illustrate how the KKCF program’s approach has enhanced food security and environmental management. Highlight the impact of sustainable agricultural practices on food security and environmental protection within ASAL (Arid and Semi-Arid Lands) communities, such as increased crop yields, improved agricultural productivity, and enhanced nutrition for women and children.

Social Impact:  Include a testimonial highlighting how increased business activities within Kakuma have improved access to essential services, education, and healthcare within the refugee and host communities due to heightened economic activity.

Increased Energy Access: Highlight the KKCF program’s impact on increased energy access by showcasing the types of sustainable energy solutions promoted and their effect on living standards and livelihoods. Share stories demonstrating how access to clean energy has enhanced living conditions for refugees and host communities. Include the number of households or businesses now utilizing clean energy solutions. Additionally, it emphasizes the reduction of reliance on traditional fuels like firewood due to program interventions.

Safeguarding: Safeguarding is a priority but cannot be directly measured through digital stories due to potential privacy concerns. However, Focus will be on stories that emphasize the safe environment created by the program for refugees and host communities to participate in economic activities.

4.0 Scope of Work

The task involves capturing stories from Kakuma/Kalobeyei. To accomplish the intended objective, the consultant, under the overall supervision of AECF will:

 

•  Work in collaboration with KKCF/IFC to determine the exact scope of the stories, identify and develop topics and agree on investee end-beneficiaries to be visited.
• Prepare tools and formats that will be used to document the stories.
• Conduct fieldwork in the selected communities with KKCF program and investee staff where applicable. This will include focus group discussions, interviews, observations, and visits to beneficiaries to elicit their views.
• Prepare success stories by analyzing and presenting relevant information about project implementation.
• Produce text, photographs, and infographics highlighting the success stories and including voices of beneficiaries and other stakeholders.
• Prepare a draft publication featuring the assessment findings and the digital stories using text, visuals, and multimedia content.
• Conduct validation meetings with respective companies to ensure the draft publication reflects the company’s experiences and perspectives.
• Prepare a final comprehensive publication incorporating validated findings, company stories, achievements, lessons learned, recommendations, and conclusions.
• Prepare a comprehensive presentation to disseminate the digital stories.

 

5.0 Specific Deliverables and Expected output.

The consultant will deliver to AECF:

Deliverable	Description	Timelines
Inception Report	Submit an inception report demonstrating an understanding of the assignment, proposed methodology, and detailed work plan for the assessment and digital story development.	2 days
Approved data collection tools/assessment framework	Data collection tools, digital stories phototype anticipated, and assessment framework to gather relevant information within the selected companies for the study, approved by KKCF/IFC	5 days
Field Reports	Field visits for documentation of the digital stories, field reports that summarize the findings, including data analysis, key insights, and preliminary findings.	15 days
Draft Publication	Prepare a draft publication and digital stories using text, visuals, and multimedia content.	5 days
Validation Report	Edit and refine one story for each of the five themes that will be provided, across eight companies based on interviews(3minutes), and a general documentary featuring all the companies (7 minutes).	10 days
Final Publication in the form of digital stories	Incorporate feedback and finalize compelling digital stories that can be hosted online in videos, photos, and text highlighting the impact of gender inclusion initiatives within each company.	5 days
Presentation	Deliver a comprehensive presentation of the assessment findings and recommendations.	3 days

NB: The dates will be adjusted based on the actual contracting date.

6.0 Duration

The assignment will be completed within 45 days from the date of signing the contract.

7.0 Reporting

The consultant will report to the KKCF/IFC communications team.

Qualifications and experience

The consultant team should have;

• A bachelor’s degree in a related field such as development studies, journalism, communications, or media studies.
• At least 5 years of experience in digital story writing, editing, and documenting human interest stories for a diverse audience.
• Demonstrated understanding of gender lens investing principles, strategies, and best practices, particularly at the intersection of gender and agribusiness.
• Proven experience in investigative journalism and crafting human impact stories supported by statistics and data, specifically within the agribusiness sector, with a focus on emergency settings and refugee contexts.
• In-depth knowledge of gender issues and their implications for refugees and host communities.
• Strong research and analytical skills to gather information, conduct interviews, and derive key insights.
• Experience collaborating with international organizations, especially those involved in development, humanitarian aid, or the private sector.
• Proficiency in navigating emergency settings, particularly in refugee contexts, and familiarity with current trends, challenges, and opportunities in the agribusiness sector concerning gender inequalities.
• Previous success in documenting similar stories or contributing to gender-focused initiatives, demonstrating the ability to manage complexities and deliver high-quality results.
• Proven ability to manage timelines, prioritize tasks effectively, and ensure deliverables are completed within agreed scopes.

 

8.0 Evaluation criteria

An evaluation committee will be formed by AECF, which will include employees. The same standards of confidentiality will bind all members. Applicants should ensure they fully respond to all criteria to be comprehensively evaluated. In deciding the final selection of qualified applicant, the technical quality of the proposal will be given a weighting of 80% based on the evaluation criteria below. Only the financial proposal of those applicants who qualify technically will be reviewed. The financial proposal will be allocated a weighting of 20%, and the proposals will be ranked based on the total points scored.

 

NO.	CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT	Weighted Award
TECHNICAL PROPOSAL		80
An understanding of the terms of reference
1.	Demonstrate understanding of the assignment and expected outcomes.	10
2.	Demonstrated understanding of developing digital stories	10
Methodology and work plan that will deliver the best value on the assignment
1.	Soundness and feasibility of the proposed technical approach and methodology that provide comprehensive findings and analysis to document company stories, achievements, lessons learned, recommendations, and conclusions.	20
2.	Realistic and well-structured timeline, clear identification of deliverables and milestones, and coherence with the intended program goals.	10
Qualification and Experience
1.	Qualification and experience of the consultant/team and evidence of relevant certification	10
2.	Demonstrated experience and relevant services are undertaken by the applicant in past engagements with evidence links to previous work done / completion certificate	10
3.	All the required registration and certification documents and at least 3 signed reference letters of similar work done.	10
FINANCIAL PROPOSAL: Detailed showing the level of effort of the team, Clarity, relevance, and reality to market value/ value for money of cost for the assignment (inclusive of any applicable tax, reimbursable, and travel where applicable).		20
	Total Score	100

 

9.0 Proposal Submission 

Interested companies/individuals must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• Technical and Financial proposals should be submitted as separate documents.
• Sample of past work: applicants are requested to submit a sample of three previous projects or links to the projects to demonstrate the experiences required by this Terms of Reference
• Financial proposal to be submitted in KES.
• As per the requirements in the Evaluation Criteria

10.0 Pricing

AECF is obliged by the Kenyan tax authorities to withhold taxes on service contract fees and ensure VAT, at 16%, is charged where applicable. Applicants are advised to ensure that they have a clear understanding of their tax position with regards to provisions of Kenya tax legislation when developing their proposals.

11.0 Application

The AECF is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The AECF considers all interested candidates based on merit without regard to race, gender, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

• Interested consultants must submit their technical and financial proposal to aecfprocurement@aecfafrica.org by 30^th July 2024, 5pm (EAT).
• The email’s subject should be Communications consultancy to develop digital stories on the Gender Impact in implementing the KKCF Program. The AECF shall not be liable for not opening proposals submitted with a different subject or responding to questions that did not meet the deadline as indicated.

12.0 Disclaimer

AECF reserves the right to determine the structure of the process, the number of short-listed participants, the right to withdraw from the proposal process, the right to change this timetable at any time without notice and reserves the right to withdraw this tender at any time, without prior notice and without liability to compensate and/or reimburse any party.

NB: The AECF does not charge an application fee for participation in the tender process and has not appointed any agents or intermediaries to facilitate applications. Applicants are advised to reach out directly to the AECF PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT.