Producing and broadcasting scenes of the new home, new life drama on child development & COVID response topics

  • Contractor
  • Kabul, Afghanistan
  • TBD USD / Year
  • AKF profile




  • Job applications may no longer being accepted for this opportunity.


AKF

The Aga Khan Foundation, Afghanistan (AKF (Afg)) is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a group of international, private, non-denominational development agencies working to improve living conditions and opportunities for people in some of the poorest parts of the developing world. The Network’s organizations have individual mandates that range from the fields of health and education to architecture, rural development and promotion of private-sector enterprise and institutions that seek to empower communities and individuals, usually in disadvantaged circumstances, to improve living conditions and opportunities.

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is a non-denominational international development agency established in 1967 by His Highness the Aga Khan. Its mission is to develop and promote creative solutions to problems that impede social development, primarily in Asia and East Africa. Created as a private, non-profit foundation under Swiss law, it has branches and independent affiliates in 19 countries.

AKF seeks to provide sustainable solutions to long-term problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and ill health. In Afghanistan, AKF works with rural communities in mountainous, remote or resource poor areas to improve quality of life in the areas of natural resource management, market development, governance, education, and health.

1. Rationale

Globally, Early Childhood Development (ECD) is becoming increasingly recognized as the most critical period for learning for lifelong achievement and is now included in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). ECD is internationally defined as the period from before birth to the first few years of school (prenatal to the age of eight years), therefore pre-primary (preschool) education is a significant component of this period. Many governments have formally recognized the importance of this significant period. AKF (Afg) recognize a trend in many low and middle-income countries towards a “push down” of developmentally inappropriate formal school methods into pre-primary level education. Rote learning approaches will not result in children developing the 21st century skills that are a pre-requisite to them interacting effectively with the world and contributing to society. The seven domains of learning recommended by the Learning Metrics Task Force emphasize the vital importance of children mastering a range of competencies, beginning in early childhood, for future academic and life success.

The Government of Afghanistan law concerning pre-primary education stipulates that the MoE is responsible for providing preschool education to all children (Afghanistan’s National EFA Review Report, 2017) and the MoE has aimed to structure preschool education in both formal and non-formal educational settings with the aim of integrating the community-based preschools into the government school system by establishing linkages and opportunities for best practice sharing. However, there are major disconnects between the preschool policies being discussed and planned at the national MoE level and the MoE’s scope and outreach reality in the rural and remote areas. Preschool education is still a relatively new process and programming needs are far from being recognized or from meeting the Education for All (EFA) goals or the Sustainable Development Goals.

2. Project Background

Foundations for Health and Empowerment (F4HE) is a five-year project that will improve the health and wellbeing of women, girls, their families, and their communities in Afghanistan. F4HE is comprised of four components: Foundations for Health (F4H), Foundations for Children (F4C), Advancing Gender Equality through Civil Society (AGECS), and Advancing Canadian Champions for Development (ACCD).

Through these interrelated components, F4HE will:

(1) strengthen the delivery of quality, gender responsive, and inclusive maternal, new born, child and adolescent health, sexual, and reproductive health, and early childhood development services.

(2) reduce gender and social barriers to utilization and uptake of maternal, new born, child and adolescent health, sexual, and reproductive health, and early childhood development.

(3) engage international and Canadian stakeholders in gender-sensitive and evidence-based research, dialogue, and development programming.

F4HE will reach and serve rural and marginalized communities in Afghanistan, where sexual, reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health (SRMNCAH) and nutrition indicators are particularly poor, and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like breast and cervical cancer and mental health issues are rapidly increasing. Women, adolescents, and young children lack access to the knowledge, services, and support that they need to protect and promote their health, including the engagement of men as supportive partners in addressing these issues.

Taking a lifecycle approach to development, ECD programming (F4C) will be integrated with health programming (F4H) in Afghanistan. This will enable parents, caregivers, and health care providers to support and promote child development holistically. The integrated programming approach is aligned with the Nurturing Care Framework and provides multiple opportunities and engagement points to advance the mandate, messaging, and impact of both F4C and F4H and serves to ensure effective use of human and financial resources.

Foundations for Children (F4C)

The F4C component of the project aims to improve the knowledge and skills of preschool children, teachers, parents, and adolescents who are often also significant caregivers for children in their families, through the development of a preschool curriculum, quality preschool centres, and parent/caregiver education. F4C recognizes that children in their early years are especially vulnerable, making it critical they receive the care, stimulation, and learning opportunities needed to ensure their healthy social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development.

From experience, it has been shown that children under six are especially at‐risk when involved in crisis events such as armed conflict, natural disasters, and health emergencies such as the COVID‐19 pandemic, and they are more likely to experience abuse and/or neglect as families struggle to cope. Since services and systems to support young children are often informal and risk being overlooked, they can best be reached by providing support to parents and caregivers on practical, actionable ideas to promote and protect their child’s development. To address these challenges, F4C intends to:

· Use mobile phones, radio and television broadcasts, and social media platforms to educate parents, caregivers, and adolescents on child development, including psychosocial support for children.

· Provide gender responsive, holistic ECD training (professional development) and support to health professionals and preschool service providers.

3. Overall objective of the short-term assignment

The objective of this consultancy is to design and broadcast radio messages on child development (ECD) topics aimed at parents and caregivers with focus on the Nurturing Care Framework components (good health, adequate nutrition, responsive caregiving, opportunities for early learning and security and safety).
The specific objectives of this consultancy are to:

• Work in close coordination with AKF (Afghanistan) to produce 312 radio messages in Dari, based on the Nurturing Care Framework components and materials developed by AKF Global teams.

• Broadcast radio messages through local and national media outlets in Afghanistan, with a specific focus in the project areas (Badakhshan and Baghlan province).

4. Work Location(s)

Radio messages to be broadcasting throughout Afghanistan with specific focus in project area (Badakhshan and Baghlan province)

5. Main duties and responsibilities

· Conduct a throughout desk review of the existing and relevant AKDN, Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), WHO, child development, and COVID -19 documents.

· Design and produce 312 creative and Informative radio messages in Dari.

· Share radio messages with AKF (Afg) and Global team for review and approval.

· Share approved radio messages (mp3) with AKF (Afg) on shared drive or hard drive.

· Broadcast and monitor 312 messages (2 messages per week for 3 years) nationally, through the BBC channel and other local radio with specific focus in Badakhshan and Baghlan province; and

· Conduct Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and/or Key Informant Interviews (KII) with a sample of project beneficiaries to assess and report on broadcast impact.

6. Methodology

Develop new scripts (in a style of dramas) for each message on agreed list of topics, record radio messages, finalize broadcast schedule with national and local media networks, broadcast radio messages, monitor the broadcasts, and report on broadcast impact through focus group discussions and mini assessments with project beneficiaries. **

7. Deliverables

Deliverable 1: Finalize Radio Message Topic Schedule: The consultant will first conduct a desk review of all documents that AKF (Afg) and AKF (Global) will provide. After reviewing of the documents, the consultant will develop a 3-year schedule of relevant topics (in English and Dari) that will be used to produce the radio messages. The list will be reviewed and approved by AKF (Afg).

Deliverable 2: Produce 312 Radio Messages in Dari: AKF (Afg) and the consultant will develop a 3-year timeline that includes time needed for regularly sharing and reviewing scripts and the produced audio drama with AKF (Afg). Consultant will then design drama-style scripts for each radio message, based on approved topic list, and then share the scripts with AKF (Afg) for review and approval. Once approved, the consultant will then produce the drama and submit to AKF (Afg) for review and approval. **

Deliverable 3: Broadcast 312 Radio Message Nationally: The consultant will finalize a weekly broadcast schedule with the selected radio networks that have a national reach and those with specific reach in Baghlan and Badakhshan province. The consultant will then submit the approved radio messages to the radio networks for broadcasting. The broadcast schedule will include two messages per week for three years, starting in April 2022 and ending in December 2024 (timeline may be subject to change by the project donor). **

Deliverable 4: Submit Monthly Progress Reports and Quarterly Narrative and Financial Reports: The consultant will monitor all broadcasts as per agreed broadcast schedule and conduct monthly Focus Group Discussions/Key Informant Interviews with a sample of project beneficiaries in Baghlan and Badakhshan province, to assess impact of and obtain feedback on the radio messages that have already aired. Consultant will then integrate any relevant feedback into future messages and then submit monthly progress reports, and quarterly narrative and financial reports as per donor reporting templates and timeline that will be shared by AKF (Afg). **

8. Qualifications Required

· Consultancy is open to private media companies and Non-Government Organizations (NGO) that have the capacity to reach radio stations across Afghanistan, especially in rural areas.

· Minimum of three years’ experience producing high-quality, contextually appropriate, educational, drama-style messages made for radio in Afghanistan or similar cultural and developing contexts; and

· Demonstrated experience with broadcasting and monitoring educational programs and/or messages on national/local radio.

[1] World Health Organization 2018 https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/272603/9789241514064-eng.pdf

9. Timeline / Work plan

312 Dari messages will be broadcasted through BBC and local radios, two messages per week, for three years, from April 2022 to December 2024.

How to apply

Application:
Interested firms or individual should submit their proposal to [email protected] no later than 13th March 2022. For more information and any query please contact Mr. Wakil Fekri at [email protected] before 10th March 2022.

• Please quote the Vacancy Number as the Subject of the e-mail when applying.
• Please submit the trainer’s resume along with the company license when applying.
• Only short-listed proposals will be contacted for further assessment.

Female candidates are encouraged to apply. Aga Khan Foundation Afghanistan recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to equal opportunity and safeguarding of children, beneficiaries, partners, community members and employees in accordance with AKF(Afg)’s safeguarding policy.

Your details and information shared on this advertisement shall remain confidential.


Job Alerts

Subscribe to get the latest  vacancies

[wpforms id=”3416″]


Job Notifications
Subscribe to receive notifications for the latest job vacancies.