Consultancy : Needs and opportunities assessment Vietnam and Indonesia

1. Context

Bibliothèques sans Frontières is an international non-governmental organization recognized as being of general interest. Since 2007, in more than 30 countries, BSF provides access to education, information and culture to those who are deprived of it. Through the development of innovative and mobile tools (ldeas Box, ldeas Cube, Kajou cards), the selection of tailor-made content and the training and support of field workers, BSF aims to enable everyone, in all circumstances, to live with dignity thanks to a better access to knowledge.

In contexts of development or crisis, BSF deploys its tools and expertise in coordination with the development/humanitarian community in order to enable the most vulnerable populations to have access to reliable sources of information and content in their own language, edutainment spaces for children, etc.

Bibliothèques Sans Frontières is an international network composed of 5 organizations (BSF France, BSF Belgium, BSF Italy, BSF Switzerland, Libraries without Borders US) and active in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

Learn more: www.librarieswithoutborders.org.

Faced with the urgent need to reduce the gap between the connected and the disconnected, BSF decided in 2019 to create Kajou, a social enterprise dedicated to the distribution of educational and informative content directly into the phones of populations with little or no internet connection.

Learn more: https://www.kajou.io/en/ww.kajou.io/en/)

As part of its “Horizon 2030” development strategy, Bibliothèques Sans Frontières wishes to develop its activities and those of its social enterprise Kajou, in Asia and particularly in Vietnam and Indonesia. In this context, BSF is recruiting one or two consultants to conduct a needs assessment and propose a global operational response plan for these two countries.

2. Objectives of the Mission

BSF wishes to better understand the Vietnamese and Indonesian context, to identify opportunities to develop activities and to set up permanent representations/missions in the medium term. The objectives of the consultancy(s) envisaged to meet these expectations are the following:

• To analyze in depth the needs and capacities of the populations in terms of access to information, education and cultural resources and spaces as well as the existing response and gaps.
• Based on this needs analysis, propose a 2-year development and operational response plan for BSF and Kajou in Vietnam and Indonesia

3. Geographical Scope

The mission will focus on two priority countries in Asia: Vietnam and Indonesia. BSF may consider each country as a batch. Vietnam as Lot 1 and Indonesia as Lot 2. Thus, candidate consultants may submit a proposal for Lot 1 only, Lot 2 only or both lots.

4. Tasks

As part of this assignment, the consultant will be responsible for:

Analyzing the context and the actors present in the area

• Analysis of the context of the targeted areas by country
• Analysis of stakeholders and potential partnerships to be developed in the field of international solidarity but also in the field of social entrepreneurship and Ed Tech.

Assessing the needs and capacities of the populations

• Analysis of the needs of the affected populations in terms of access to information, education, cultural spaces and resources
• Analysis of their capacities, skills, social and cultural characteristics (to support the definition of participatory approaches)
• Analysis of Kajou’s economic development opportunities within the “social entrepreneurship” ecosystem of the two target countries.

Elaborating a development strategy for BSF in the area

• Initiation of partnership discussions with relevant actors (authorities, NGOs, institutions, companies…)
• Definition of target groups and specific objectives
• Drafting of project proposals
• Evaluation of the feasibility of an intervention and potential risks (technical, logistical, administrative)
• Identification of potential funding for BSF and Kajou
• Identification of potential operational partners
• Elaboration of an action plan detailing the operational set up envisaged for its implementation over 24 months and an associated budget

5. Methodology

The mission will be carried out by a consultant and may be structured around:

• Preliminary interviews with BSF and Kajou teams (BSF General Director, CEO Kajou and BSF Direction of Operations in particular)
• A mission of 8 days in a current operating country to allow the consultant to gain sufficient understanding of the various types of projects carried out by BSF, the resulting partnership relations, and the key success factors
• Review of secondary literature (sectoral evaluations, humanitarian response plans, donor strategy documents, corporate CSR strategies, etc.)
• Field mission in the targeted countries: meetings with key actors, working sessions with potential partners and, if possible, site visits and focus groups with communities involved in future actions
• Analysis of results and drafting of deliverables

A detailed and coherent methodology is expected in the application file sent to BSF.

6. Expected Deliverables

The expected deliverables are as follows:

• A mission report including:
  • an in-depth analysis of the context, the stakeholders, the needs of the populations
  • the list of actors met and the minutes of the interviews
  • Strategic recommendations for the development of BSF and Kajou in the area, including operational and administrative modalities
  • An analysis of the relevant sectors for BSF and Kajou according to needs and available funding
  • A detailed logical framework by country
• A 24-month action plan detailing a roadmap for the implementation of activities in each country, with its related budget (including revenues, project costs, administrative costs)
• A debriefing (remote or at BSF HQ in Paris)

7. Duration of the Mission and Estimated Budget

The consultancy mission(s) must start by mid-September 23 and last no more than 3 months (final deliverables by end 2023 maximum). The candidate is responsible for presenting a provisional timetable for the mission as well as an exhaustive budget for the proper conduct of the mission.