Communications and Knowledge Products Consultancy

Communications and Knowledge Products Consultancy

Terms of Reference

Background

In Jordan, the Near East Foundation’s (NEF’s) microenterprise creation and resilience-building program includes training in life and business skills, cash grants to finance microenterprises, and additional support for these enterprises. The program, which serves vulnerable Jordanians and refugees, is funded by a Development Impact Bond (DIB) and implemented through five Siraj centers across the country that are embedded within existing CBOs. Siraj centers are critical to the overall objectives of the program, as these hubs are the primary location where capacity building activities take place and where a host of other services are offered to project beneficiaries (and to the wider community). The program includes three cohorts that began training in February 2022, January 2023, and April 2024, respectively. Training participants develop a business plan and apply for the program’s grants to fund the startup or expansion of the businesses, which are awarded to successful applicants about five months after their cohort starts training.

In northern Syria, NEF’s Revolving Credit Fund (RCF) program launched in November 2020 to support credit-ready entrepreneurs in Syria who have little or no access to appropriate loan products to gain access to safe, structured and affordable financing to support their existing or startup businesses. The RCF aims to improve household economies through the provision of financial and non-financial services. Tailored, demand-driven financial and non-financial services help families graduate from poverty, as borrowers gain access to opportunities to start or expand businesses and build skills and competencies that facilitate the success of their businesses. As a key component of the RCF, a robust set of non-financial services (including life skills training, business development training, agricultural extension support, marketing/market access coaching) are offered through NEF’s successful Siraj model, which has evolved over the past 8 years in the region and is driven by four key elements that have developed through learning and adaptation: (1) livelihoods-focused selection of borrowers; (2) structured livelihoods services monitored using shared performance standards; (3) Master Trainers who teach and mentor entrepreneurs; and (4) standardized curricula in relevant topics (e.g. entrepreneurship, financial literacy, agribusinesses and agricultural production, etc.). NEF offers several types of loan product based on the size and needs of the entrepreneur and to this point has provided more than 3,500 loans totaling more than $4,000,000 across northwest and northeast Syria. NEF has operated in the governorates of Ar-Raqqa, Al Hasaka and Deir Ez-zur in northeast Syria and in Aleppo in northwest Syria.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will:

1.Develop New Beneficiary Profiles:

The purpose is to develop profiles for participant beneficiaries in ongoing programs focused on micro and small enterprise development in Jordan and northern Syria using innovative financing mechanisms. The profiles will capture both internal and external dynamics affecting enterprises as well as benefits deriving from the intervention.

• Develop new participant profiles.
• Ensure profiles effectively convey success stories, beneficiaries’ circumstances, levels, and types of participation, business overviews, and overall results.
• Capture market and sectoral dynamics as well as business value proposition and internal conditions relevant to beneficiaries’ enterprises.
• Capture contextual barriers and challenges faced due to entrepreneurship in conflict, migration, and climate change-affected contexts.
• Tailor profiles for strategic audiences such as institutional donors and impact investors.

2. Review and Refine Existing Profiles:

• Review and refine business beneficiary profiles for programming in Jordan and Syria for external stakeholders and broader publication.
• Ensure that profiles accurately and effectively distill human interest with financial and impact data at the individual, household, business, and community level.

3.Produce Several 1-Pager or 2-Pager Technical Briefs:

Given the sophistication and scalability/multiplication potential of evolving methods and approaches employed by applicable programs, we aim to capture those methods to support scalability and transfer of knowledge. The audience is technical but not necessarily subject experts. Therefore, the resulting technical briefs are accessible to wide range audience and required to remain more high level, strategic, and informative for thought leaders (e.g., key features and characteristics, high-level impact and benefits/evidence to-date, comparative analysis with global best practices, wider applicability, etc.).

• Develop concise, 1- or 2-page technical briefs for both Jordan and Syria, summarizing technical approach, differentiators and value additions, key findings, program impacts, and strategic recommendations for practitioners.

4.Develop Online Profile for Siraj Financial Services (SFS):

SFS has developed a draft and basic website that includes essential information such as SFS intro, SFS services, and partnership options.

• Review SFS’s draft website and propose recommendations to improve it by creating an engaging online presence for the SFS, highlighting its objectives, achievements, and impact.

5.Develop a learning paper on Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) supported through NEF’s Refugee Impact Bond

Given the outsized importance of Siraj centers to the Jordan DIB program, NEF aims to improve the overall sustainability of each CBO by providing targeted assistance and developing a multi-year strategy to invest in the sustainability of each community organization and ensure services offered to beneficiaries are high quality and are meeting the needs of the community. Through this learning paper, NEF will assess the overall impact of project activities on the sustainability, service delivery, and inclusivity of CBO services. NEF has already collected data related to the learning questions. The approach employed was qualitative and quantitative.

• Develop a learning paper by building on available data and information.

Methodology

1. New Beneficiary Profiles:
   • Review and improve template for data collection.
   • Review list of proposed beneficiaries.
   • Interview relevant staff to gauge additional insights.
   • Use data collected to develop profiles.
   • Collect feedback and integrate in final profiles.
2. Refined Existing Profiles:
   • Interview relevant staff to gauge additional insights.
   • Use data collected to develop profiles.
   • Collect feedback and integrate in final profiles.
3. 1- or 2-Pager Technical Briefs:
   • Propose and implement lean methodology for information and data gathering.
   • Interview relevant staff to gauge additional insights.
   • Use information and data collected to develop brief.
   • Collect feedback and integrate in final document.
4. Online Profile for SFS:
   • Review SFS’s draft website and propose recommendations.
   • Update content as needed.
   • Collect feedback and integrate.
5. Develop a learning paper on Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) supported through NEF’s Refugee Impact Bond

• Review available data and written information and propose structure to the learning paper.
• Draft the paper by building on available data and information.
• Collect feedback and integrate

Deliverables

1. New Beneficiary Profiles:
   • Profiles for beneficiaries in Jordan.
   • Profiles for beneficiaries in Northern Syria.
2. Refined Existing Profiles:
   • Updated and refined profiles for existing beneficiaries.
3. 1- or 2-Pager Technical Briefs:
   • Several 1- or 2-page technical briefs from both Jordan and Syria programs.
4. Online Profile for SFS:
   • Update to the online presence for SFS.
5. Learning paper on CBOs
   • A learning paper.

Level of Effort (LoE)

The Level of Effort (LoE) for this assignment is up to 60 working days. The LoE provided is indicative; NEF will agree on the LoE and/or pricing of each deliverable in advance. Please provide breakdown of proposed LoE and associated pricing.

Competencies

• Strong knowledge of development and humanitarian issues, preferably with relevant technical expertise.
• Ability to articulate messages clearly.
• Ability to produce exceptional-quality written materials for publication.
• Ability to work in a high-pressure work environment and meet urgent deadlines.
• Ability to respond positively to critical feedback and differing points of view.

Experience

• At least 5 years of relevant work experience in humanitarian/development programming communications and/or external representation for INGOs/International Organizations.
• Demonstrable experience in publishing articles and reports.
• Experience in the usage of media technology and social media for public information/advocacy.
• Experience engaging with humanitarian/development institutional donors (such as the European Union and United States Government), corporate stakeholders, and private foundations.

Language Skills

• Fluency in written and spoken English. Arabic language is an advantage.

For more than 100 years, the Near East Foundation has pioneered innovative solutions to social and economic development challenges impacting communities throughout the Middle East and Africa. Near East Foundation is funded by a range of institutional and private donors, including USAID, DoS, Government of Netherlands, and UN agencies. For more information, please visit www.neareast.org.