SHORT CONSULTANCY FOR CONDUCTING VILLAGE SAVINGS AND LOANS ACTIVITIES (VSLA) TOT TRAINING (5 Days)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

CONDUCTING VILLAGE SAVINGS AND LOANS ACTIVITIES (VSLA) TOT TRAINING

Duration: 5 days (Possible starts dates 4-8 July 2022)

1. BACKGROUND

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organization with a strategic focus on assisting people affected by displacement, particularly in hard to reach areas, and on facilitating durable solutions to displacement. NRC delivers programmatic responses across six core competencies: Livelihoods and Food Security (LFS), Camp Management, Education, WASH, Shelter, and Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA). NRC started its operations in Kenya in 2007 and established a regional office in Nairobi in 2012 from where it covers operations in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Yemen. NRC has implemented several innovative livelihoods projects in Kenya that seek to “pull” refugees and host communities into local and global value chains as well as promote a more enabling environment for refugee businesses to flourish. Until now however, NRC’s livelihoods activities in Kenya have not yet deliberately targeted extremely poor refugees and enable them to “graduate from poverty.”

With technical support from Trickle-Up, NRC is currently implementing a three-year project targeting the extremely poor refugees and host community participants in an innovative Graduation Approach model. The project’s goal is to enable displacement-affected and/ or other vulnerable households within the host communities have better access to safe water, adequate sanitation facilities, enhanced safety and hygiene practices (WASH) as well as meeting their basic needs including food consumption and building livelihoods. The Livelihood and Food Security Core Competence targets 200 (150 Refugees / 50 Host Community) extremely poor participants for this project to build self-reliance and resilience of the households.

The Graduation Approach is a livelihood-focussed set of interventions that are sequential and time-bound for people living in extreme poverty enabling each household to engage in sustainable livelihoods and be resilient to shocks. The model comprises of four pillars namely Social protection to meet immediate relief for basic needs; Financial inclusion to provide income management and increase savings; Social empowerment to promote inclusion and behaviour change; and Livelihood promotion to develop productive income generating activities for each household. Eight components are the building blocks of the four pillars. The components include coaching support, providing referral services and linkages, consumption support, enabling savings, supporting network engagement, core capacity building, technical skills training, and job support / asset transfer. One of the main intervention for building household and community resilience and empowering households in this project is the VSLA model. It is in this light that NRC seeks the services of a professional consultant to train program staff and coaches on VSLA, as part of financial inclusion. The consultant should have the required skill and experience in adaptation of the VSLA methodology in line with extremely poor households in refugee and host community context.

1. OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The consultant will conduct ToT training on VSLA model to 25 NRC staff and coaches for a period of five days. The main objective of the training is to build the capacity of staff and coaches on VSLA model. The training shall cover all phases of the VSLA model. It is expected that the trained staff and coaches will facilitate the implementation of VSLA model among Graduation Approach project participants within the refugees and host community by supporting the formation of 15 saving groups and enabling the project participants to engage in savings and loaning activities. The training should be highly participatory and practical.

Specific objectives of the assignment

• To conduct training on VSLA concepts, principles, phases and modules.
• To provide skills and knowledge to staff and coaches on the establishment and operationalization of savings groups in VSLA model
• To train staff and coaches on record keeping, and documentation required for successful implementation of VSLA
• To provide training on available digital options and how they can be integrated into the VSLA model during implementation by savings group
• To highlight Islamic ways of loaning and knowledge about Sharia Compliance
• To conduct hands-on training on how NRC staff and coaches can facilitate the smooth implementation of the VSLA model among the project participants
• To provide skills on how NRC staff can supervise, support and monitor the coaches who will facilitate group sessions on VSLA for the target project participants

1. Scope of work

The following are the key areas to focus on:

• How to improve communities’ behaviour and attitude towards savings, loans and income generation during times of crises
• Establishing of savings groups and introduction of VSLA concept
• VSLA Management structures, leadership and gender composition
• Recording keeping and documentation of VSLA
• Using digital resources in VSLA
• Loaning, entrepreneurship and recovery processes.
• Referrals for tapping into available funding sources

1. Methodology

It is preferred for the consultant to use participatory adult learning approaches. The consultant will develop a detailed training methodology and approaches based on their understanding of the terms of reference. The final training methodology and approaches shall be agreed upon between the consultant and the NRC.

The following are the expected key tasks for this short-term consultancy:

• Develop and submit training plan / proposal to NRC for approval
• Prepare necessary handouts for the participants based on the approved training plan.
• Provide NRC with the necessary materials, handouts or manual as point of reference for the training and for reproduction and distribution to participants
• Prepare a training delivery schedule that has full itinerary of activities
• Conduct hands-on training based on participatory adult learning approaches
• Submit the final training documents (handouts, manual, power point slides, group work exercises, etc).
• Prepare and submit the training report

1. Management and Implementation Responsibilities

The consultant will report directly to the LFS Specialist. However, s/he will also be required to work closely with the LFS Project Coordinator (PC).

NRC will provide:

• Guidance and technical support as required throughout the training.
• Training venue
• All training materials, such as stationery; projector; VSLA kit for training, etc.
• Meals, refreshment, travel & accommodation
• Ensure all participants are present during training

The consultant will be responsible for:

• Developing and sharing with NRC the training plan
• Developing training materials and tools;
• Conducting the training in a participatory and practical way
• Sharing training report and training materials for reproduction

1. Contract and Logistics

• The consultant will sign a contract including terms and conditions of the consultancy and payment modalities.
• The consultant’s logistics, travel costs (to and from locations) and accommodation will be covered by NRC
• The consultant will abide by NRC’s rules and regulations related to security
• The consultant will be offered office space during the period of the Training at NRC Area Office, Kakuma

1. Qualifications and Experience

• A Master ‘s degree in economics, business management, rural development or relevant related disciples
• Minimum 3 years of working experience in delivering VSLA TOT training and directly training beneficiaries in VSLA methodology, with a strong focus on extremely poor market-based projects, micro-finance, small business management, and empowering women and households in refugee and host community settings.
• Demonstrated experience in facilitation of VSLA training and use of participatory and adult learning techniques. Must have conducted similar work for other INGOs or UN agencies.
• Have presentation skills and good report writing skills
• Fluent in Kiswahili and English languages, both written and verbal.
• Ability to travel to Kakuma, Turkana County, Kenya