UNICEF ESARO
TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT
Title of Consultancy
Education Report Writing Consultancy
Section
Basic Education and Gender Equality
Location
Duration
Home based and Nairobi, Kenya
30 working days over a two month period
Background and Justification
UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) Basic Education and Gender Equality
(BEGE) section is looking for an education report writer to support the section to prepare inputs for
various donor reports, namely: Schools for Africa, United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI),
and Education Thematic Funds.
Donor reporting is a critical aspect of the resource and partnerships management. ESARO BEGE is
responsible for preparing regional inputs for Schools for Africa for its annual report that is managed
by the Private Fundraising and and UNGEI’s annual report, based on inputs from COs.
Schools for Africa (SFA) is a UNICEF’s international fundraising campaign which initiated in
partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Hamburg Society, newly renamed to Peter
Krämer Stiftung, for the promotion of Democracy and International Law. The campaign started its
third phase in 2014 with the aim of raising a further US$80 million for children in 13 countries by
2017. The campaign is to help the most education for the disadvantaged children in 13 countries in
Africa, including 8 countries in the Eastern and Southern Africa, namely: Angola, Ethiopia,
Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa and Zimbabwe. UNICEF ESARO BEGE works
closely with UNICEF’s Division of Private Fundraising and Partnerships (PFP) which manages the
overall campaign and partnerships with private donors and UNICEF National Committees. UNICEF
ESARO’s specific responsibility for the SFA annual report is to prepare ESA regional inputs, based on
the country inputs as well as the regional updates and achievements. Country inputs are found in the
UNICEF Country Office Annual Reports for 2014, as well as Country Offices’ Education Donor Toolkit
updates. These inputs will be all ready by mid-February.
UNGEI is a partnership of organizations committed to narrowing the gender gap in primary and
secondary education. UNGEI was launched in April 2000 at the World Education Forum in Dakar,
Senegal, by then United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. UNGEI’s work is driven by Millennium
Development Goals (MDG) 2: Achieve universal primary education with the target to ensure that by
2015 all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling, and by MDG 3: Promote gender
equality and empower women with the target to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary
education and at all levels by 2015. UNGEI became the EFA flagship for girls’ education. UNICEF
ESARO serves as the UNGEI’s regional focal point and prepares inputs for the UNGEI’s annual reports
and quarterly updates. ESARO BEGE is therefore responsible for preparing regional inputs, based on
inputs from countries in the region and also updates on the regional partnership.
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Thematic funds are one of the most efficient and effective contributions to the organization.
Thematic funding is allocated on a needs basis, and allows for longer-term planning and sustainability
of programmes. For the Medium Term Strategic Plan (MTSP) 2006-2013, basic education and gender
equality was one of the five areas and the total of USD131million was received. A funding pool has
been established for each of the Strategic Plan 2014-17 outcome areas, one of which is education.
UNICEF ESARO received thematic funding under the MTSP and the Strategic Plan 2014-2017. ESARO
BEGE needs to prepare an annual report to present the results and progresses achieved with the
Regional Office’s support.
This assignment requires a combination of different skills: report writing for different audiences that
are important partners to UNICEF; ability to review various sources and identify key data and
information for reporting rapidly but thoroughly; good writing skill; and knowledge on the Schools
for Africa campaign, UNGEI and UNICEF ESARO’s work on education. A dedicated consultant is being
sought, as the tasks need to be completed in a short period of time and the BEGE section does not
have the capacity to do so at this stage.
Scope of Work
1) Goal and Objective:
With the direct supervision of the Education Specialist, Gender and Equity, and under the overall
guidance of the Regional Education Adviser, the consultant will be responsible for preparing regional
inputs for the Schools for Africa campaign 2014 annual report and UNGEI 2014 annual report, as well
as draft education thematic donor report for 2014.
2) Provide details/reference to AWP areas covered:
This assignment is in the BEGE’s rolling work plan 2015-2016, linked to the deliverable under
Development Effectiveness: Technical Assistance - 19 COs supported in the management of existing
partnerships for education equity and quality in coordination with RO PSE/PPP section. It is also in
the ESARO’s consultancy plan and a budget has been attributed to these deliverables.
3) Activities and Tasks:
There are three deliverables:
1. Draft ESAR inputs for the Schools for Africa 2014 Annual Report, and inputs entered in the existing
reporting spreadsheet
2. Draft regional inputs for the UNGEI 2014 Annual Report
3. Draft Education Thematic 2014 Donor Report
Deliverable 1. Draft ESAR inputs for the Schools for Africa 2014 Annual Report, and
 Review the eight Country Offices’ 2014 Annual Reports and Donor Toolkit Updates
 Prepare first draft ESAR inputs for the overall Annual Report, as per the PFP guidelines and
building upon the 2012 and 2013 Annual Reports, for ESARO BEGE’s review.
 Revise the first draft inputs based on the ESARO BEGE’s comments and submit the final draft
to BEGE.
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Enter the 2014 proposed ESAR results in the results reported into the BEGE’s existing
reporting spreadsheet to update it (currently 2012 and 2013 data and information have been
entered)
Deliverable 2. ESARO BEGE’s draft Education Thematic 2013 Donor Report
 As per the PD-Education guidelines, prepare the first draft Education Thematic donor report
for two Grants, with technical inputs from the BEGE Specialists and under the overall guidance
of the Regional Education Adviser.
 Revise the first draft inputs based on the ESARO BEGE’s comments and submit the final draft
to BEGE.
Deliverable 3. Draft regional inputs for the UNGEI 2014 Annual Report
 Review the Country Office Annual Reports for 2014, identify and extract progresses and
achievement related to partnership work for girls’ education and gender equality in
education,
 Prepare first draft regional inputs for the UNGEI 2014 Annaul Report for the ESAR BEGE’s
review.
 Revise the first draft inputs based on the ESARO BEGE’s comments and submit the final draft
to BEGE.
4) Work relationships:
The ESARO BEGE’s Education Specialist, Equity and Gender, will be the direct supervisor, under the
overall guidance of the Regional Education Adviser. The consultant will also work with other team
members of the ESARO BEGE section for the preparation of the draft education thematic donor
report.
5) Outputs/Deliverables:
Duration
(Estimated #
of days)
15 days
Deliverables
Draft ESAR inputs for the Schools for Africa
2014 Annual Report, and inputs entered in the
existing reporting spreadsheet
- First draft
- Final draft (payment #1)
ESARO BEGE’s draft Education Thematic 2013
Donor Report
- First draft
- Final draft (payment #2)
Timeline
(at the end of)
Schedule of
payment
End of 3rd week
End of 4th week
Payment #1
End of 5th week
End of 6th week
Payment #2
End of 7th week
End of 8th week
Payment #3
7 days
Draft regional inputs for the UNGEI 2014
Annual Report
- First draft
- Final draft (payment 3#)
8 days
Total number of days/weeks
30 days
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Payment Schedule
Payment of consultancy fees will be made upon the submission of the deliverable. There will be
three payments, at the end of the 4th week, the 6th week, and the 8th week.
Desired competencies, technical background and experience
Qualification
 Advanced university degree in Education, Sociology, Development Studies or any other related
field.
 Five years of work experience in education and development at international organization(s).
 A minimum of three years of work experience at the national and international levels in donor
report writing on education, or substantive report writing: submission of a writing sample (donor
report, meeting minutes, etc.,) will be requested.
 Ability to identify key education data and technical information from various reports and other
sources, and present it in a manner that is less technical.
 Experience or at least knowledge on Schools for Africa, UNGEI, and UNICEF work on education in
the region.
 Knowledge on education situation in Eastern and Southern Africa
 Experience in Eastern and Southern Africa is desirable.
 Demonstrated experience in working with UN agencies and governments would be an asset.
 Fluency in English (ability to write reports in clear and readable language); French would be an
asset.
Competencies and experience
 Communicates effectively in writing.
 Works independently and also effectively within a team environment.
 Consistently achieves high-level results, managing and delivering tasks on-time.
 Analyzes and integrates diverse and complex quantitative and qualitative data from a wide
range of sources and is able to apply analysis to the design of programme and sector responses.
 Quickly builds rapport with individuals and groups across all organizational levels and
boundaries, not least with government leaders and stakeholders.
 Takes initiatives and works independently to carry out tasks and achieve results
Administrative issues
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Depending on the selected consultant’s knowledge and experiences in the required areas which will
be assessed by the BEGE section, the BEGE section, together with the selected candidate, will decide
on how long the consultant needs to be in Nairobi within the range from 1 week to 1 month. The rest
will be at home based. During the stay in Nairobi, the consultant will receive specific guidance on the
expected tasks and deliverables from the supervisor, under the overall guidance from the Regional
Education Adviser.
The consultant is expected to use his/her own computer.
Conditions
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The consultant will be provided office space, access to printer for official work, when s/he is in
Nairobi.
If the consultant comes from outside Nairobi, allowance to stay in Nairobi will be provided. The
amount of allowance will be determined, based on the duration of the stay in Nairobi, in
coordination with the HR section.
If the consultant comes from outside Nairobi, travel is by most economical fare and
reimbursement as per UNICEF policy.
As per UNICEF DFAM policy, payment is made against approved deliverables. No advance
payment is allowed unless in exceptional circumstances against bank guarantee, subject to a
maximum of 30 per cent of the total contract value in cases where advance purchases, for
example for supplies or travel, may be necessary.
The candidate selected will be governed by and subject to UNICEF’s General Terms and
Conditions for individual contracts.
The evaluation of the performance will be carried out, using the standard form, focusing on the
quality and timeliness of the work as per the TORs.
Risks
Information in the Country Office Annual Reports and donor toolkit updates might be insufficient to
prepare quality inputs and draft report. To manage the risk, the ESARO BEGE section will contact
the respective Country Offices to request additional information and clarification.
How to Apply
Interested and suitable candidates should ensure that they forward their applications (a cover
letter, CV, and signed P11 form, which can be downloaded at
http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc), quoting the indicative fee range with subject
line “Education Report Writing Consultancy” by cob 17 February 2015, to:
esarohrvacancies@unicef.org
Applications submitted without a fee/ rate will not be considered. Please note that only shortlisted
candidates will be contacted.
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified
female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons
living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.
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