Request for Proposal

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About Tanager

Tanager, an ACDI/VOCA affiliate, is an international nonprofit that brings people together at the table, on the ground, and across supply chains to co-create economic and social opportunities that change lives. Working closely with our partners, we align interests to expand market access and unlock the full potential of shared market opportunities that result in reliable supply chains, stable incomes, healthy families, and resilient communities. Established in 1993, we work with the ACDI/VOCA family of companies to make agriculture work better for people. We offer a focused and diligent team of locally based experts and international advisors who work with our partners to reach common goals.

For more information, please visit www.tanagerintl.org.

About the IGNITE Project

Impacting Gender & Nutrition through Innovative Technical Exchange in Agriculture (IGNITE) works with African institutions to design, implement, and evaluate nutrition-sensitive and gender-integrated agriculture interventions. IGNITE also strengthens the ability of African institutions to incorporate nutrition and gender equality into their policy priorities and business practices—their way of doing business. Based on the interventions implemented by IGNITE clients, IGNITE identifies key mechanisms and drivers of demand for the scale up and replication of nutrition-sensitive and gender-integrated interventions. IGNITE activities are targeted in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Tanzania. Clients include NGOs, private sector companies, and government bodies.  

Project Goals 

Strengthen African institutions to integrate nutrition-sensitive and gender-integrated approaches into their agriculture interventions and their way of doing business. 
Identify models that demonstrate ways of effectively and efficiently increasing both equitable consumption of safe, affordable, nutritious diets year-round and increased women’s empowerment in agriculture. 
Cultivate network of local service providers [LSP] to reach greater nutrition impact and gender equality in agriculture through ongoing technical assistance

Assignment Overview

Tanager, seeks to support its client in developing targeted communication strategies for their products to increase production and sale of the Sasso dual-purpose bird and improve consumption of eggs and meat through various outreach channels. The individual consultant or firm will be responsible for the development of key messaging in the relevant language or dialects, field testing and adjusting the messaging and the design of communication material (print, audio or visual). 

Scope of Work

The objective of this assignment is to support Tanager’s client in Zimbabwe to develop a social and behaviour change strategy and roll out a messaging campaign. Households benefitting from the dual-purpose bird can improve their nutrition through direct consumption of chicken and eggs or through use of income from the dual-purpose bird businesses to contribute to diversified diets.

Social behaviour change communication (SBCC) can contribute to increased consumption of chicken meat and eggs and can also promote other health behaviours. It is also well documented that behaviours related to women’s empowerment influence both maternal and child nutrition and boost family wellbeing. A targeted SBCC strategy can also create an environment that is conducive to women’s work in the poultry sector, thus increasing household incomes and further contributing to improved nutrition. 

The following steps are envisioned for the successful development and rollout of a SBCC strategy:

SBCC strategy development and roll out

Formative assessment report review: This will entail the review of the formative assessment report available to understand the barriers and motivators to improved diets at household level, recommendations on key messaging and most effective channels of communication.

Develop Key Messages: This will entail the development of content for behaviour change communication using findings from the formative assessment The consultant will work very closely with client in co-creating key messages.

Field Test Key Messages: This process will inform whether the messages (either language and/or content) will be well received by target beneficiaries.

Design and Development of Communication Material: These materials will be a combination of audio, audio-visual, visual material (both print and digital). Communication material can be established for either mass communication or interpersonal, depending on the findings of the formative research; a mix of both approaches is ideal.

Co-deliver training for Field officers and marketing agents with Tanager: The Field officers and marketing agents are the link between our client and the community through the mother unit entrepreneurs. They play a critical role in building the capacity of the mother unit entrepreneurs as well as identifying market linkages. In collaboration with the mother unit entrepreneurs, they deliver trainings to the communities. As necessary, for all interpersonal messaging activities, FSRs should be trained on communication skills and the appropriate use of other messaging materials for interpersonal communications.

Note: The selection of campaign locations will be determined by the client’s program manager.

Deliverables

Review of the formative assessment report
Draft list of key behaviours and associated messages from the formative assessment report
Participate in the validation of the formative assessment report

Develop key messages
Field test plan for messages 
Final list of key behaviours and associated messages 
Draft communication plan, showing which messages will be disseminated via which platforms/methods 
Draft communications materials (graphics, audio video, etc)

Final communication materials (graphics, audio, video, etc) 
Co-deliver a 4-day training plan for client’s frontline workers 
Final social behaviour communication strategy (2-year plan)

All deliverables will be approved by Tanager.

Qualifications

The consultancy shall be carried out by a team that should have the following combined skills and competencies:  

Master’s degree or equivalent in gender and development, Nutrition, Public Health Communications, Marketing, or any other related field relevant to public health communications.
Strong inter-personal, teamwork and organizational skills, including strong professional communication ability.
Previous experience supporting the development of behaviour change strategies, materials and campaigns that delivered quality results.

Solid understanding of and documented work experience in individual and social behaviour  
Experience in advocacy and networking skills with a broad range of stakeholders including government and private Sectors, media companies, civil society, NGOs, and international cooperation.
Openness to working collaboratively with a diverse team.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and presentation skills in English.

Additional Qualifications 

Experience in working with multi-stakeholder platforms and processes, across nutrition, gender and agriculture sectors.
Excellent knowledge of Zimbabwean food security and nutrition landscape and programs as well as local language in Blantyre region

Note: All inquiries and requests for information regarding this RFP must be submitted by email to the following email kenyaprocurement@tanagerintl.org no later than the question/inquiry submission deadline on the cover page of this RFP.

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