Consultancy: Consultancy to design and develop girls’ education innovation challenge Africa (GEICA) Req.# 560637

UNICEF seeks the services of a professional expert to design and develop an innovative challenge to support the roll out of the Girls Initiative to Revitalize Learning and Success (GIRLS), a new initiative as part of strategies to provide Africa’s most disadvantaged girls with an equal opportunity to learn and thrive. The initiative will invite contributions from girls that pioneer new solutions in complex situations of deprivation or need. Collectively, the innovative solutions will help UNICEF leverage additional capital to advance gender-equitable education systems in Africa that meaningfully empower girls within their various contexts.

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Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

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Consultancy Title: Consultancy to design and develop girls’ education innovation challenge Africa (GEICA)

Section/Division/Duty Station: Education/ ADAP Section, Programme Division – NY HQ

Duration: 10 April 2023 to 31 January 2025 - Remote

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/Assignment: 

UNICEF seeks the services of a professional expert to design and develop an innovative challenge to support the roll out of the Girls Initiative to Revitalize Learning and Success (GIRLS), a new initiative as part of strategies to provide Africa’s most disadvantaged girls with an equal opportunity to learn and thrive.  The initiative will invite contributions from girls that pioneer new solutions in complex situations of deprivation or need.  Collectively, the innovative solutions will help UNICEF leverage additional capital to advance gender-equitable education systems in Africa that meaningfully empower girls within their various contexts.

Scope of Work:

GIRLS initiative will be implemented in collaboration with selected country offices.  The broad objectives of this challenge are to:

• Give girls in Africa the primary leadership in designing innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges facing their education and wellbeing
• Encourage an innovative, research oriented and learner directed / centred learning especially in rural and most deprived communities in Africa
• Bridge the digital gender divide by exposing girls to tech enabled learning opportunities in Africa
• Encourage peer-to-peer and group learning and support while at the same time fostering a spirit of leadership and positive competition among girls
• Develop a model that ensures sustainability and viability of any solutions that are deployed to support Girls in Africa
• Incorporate the efforts of UNICEF country offices to provide localization, point of presence and sustainable contact channels
• Create a girls innovation network to establish a community of practice for girls’ innovation

The consultancy entails designing the challenge including the operational blueprint, taking stock of the existing available solutions and overseeing the implementation and delivery of the challenge.   Given limited funding availability, the consultant will come up with novel ideas for cost-efficient approaches, including options that will create cumulative value while also building a community of practice.

Specifically, the consultant will:

• Review existing local level initiatives in a select number of countries in Africa that respond to the most challenging and immediate needs of access, quality, skills and empowerment of girls
• Present an inception report that presents the interpretation of the assignment and proposed methodology and implementation to design and roll-out the initiative
• Design a “GIRLS’ Education Innovation Challenge Africa” (GEICA) involving at least five countries in West and Central Africa Region (WCAR) and East and Southern Africa Region (ESAR).
• Develop criteria for the classification and scoring of solutions based on potential, innovation, scale, sustainability, and related parameters for consideration and inclusion
• Submit a report and a PowerPoint presentation on the initiative
• Support the launch of the challenge based on the design and approved by UNICEF. 
• Leverage existing solutions that have been funded by UNICEF and other partners to ensure there is no reinvention of the wheel 

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

Part 1: Design and Development of the Challenge    

• Response to TOR

Inception report that includes a proposed work plan       

• Review of existing country level solutions

3a. Existing solutions mapping   

• Virtual and on-site (TBA with consultant, where possible) discussion with girls in selected country office for curation of ideas 

3b. Report on focus group discussions with girls in at least 3 county offices           

• Design actual challenge / competition

Draft Challenge presentation to UNICEF

• Create the Girl’s Education Innovation Challenge Africa (‘GEICA’) Network

George Macready GEICA CoP     

• Revise challenge and incorporate input from UNICEF

Draft Report on challenge            

• Pilot challenge with a select group of girls

Report on pilot, and an updated version of challenge      

Subtotal Part 1                             

Part 2: Implementation of the Challenge  ((TBD)            

• Design GEICA competition among promising solutions

Report on the design, structure and implementation of GEICA competition           

• Mount actual challenge, over a period of 1 year, beginning July 1, 2024,             

Mid-year progress report and end-of-challenge final report.        

• Present at annual awards ceremony (may be virtual or hybrid)

Summary report and PPT; physical presence at award ceremony

• Incorporate changes and adjustments to the three top challenge winners

Adjusted Summary Report          

• Work with the top two winning challenges on further curation, technical support and networking

“GEICA Winners and Next Steps” report

Qualifications 

1) Education

Advanced university degree in education, social sciences, international development, social policy/development, or a related field.

2) Work experience

• Minimum 10 years professional experience in the field of equity and inclusion in education.
• High level understanding on tech-for-development within education sector
• Solid experience in developing applications for young people’s engagement in education using human centre / design thinking
• Demonstrated experience working with Governments, donors, implementing partners and civil society at country level
• Prior experience with the design of tech and non-tech solutions that accelerate outcomes in social development through efficient and cost-effective approaches, leading to scale and sustainability.

3) Competencies

• Demonstrated track record of innovation and impact especially with and for young people.
• Demonstrated track record in building and working with teams and capacity to engage young girls in the process of designing solutions, competitions and challenges
• Demonstrated understanding of UNICEF core values, policies and principles in working with children and young people 
• Prior engagement with government and UNICEF in a multi-partnership programme in education and innovation for children and young people.

Requirements:

• Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and provide Personal History Form (P11) Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include:
• your daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Consultants are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their contracts.