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UNESCO seeks the services of a consulting firm to manage the Connect and Learn Community of Practice Platform. UNESCO’s new strategy on Education for Health and Well-being, provides the overarching framework for concerted action by UNESCO and its partners at global, regional, and country levels during 2016-2021. While the strategy reflects UNESCO’s continued commitment to HIV, it also reflects the shift towards situating HIV within the framework of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE). Furthermore, UNESCO recognizes that the education sector cannot achieve better health and well-being alone and thus will also support collaboration with other sectors, particularly the health sector.

UNESCO is implementing the Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future (O3) and O3 Plus programmes at the basic and higher level of education in 33 countries to promote health and well-being among adolescents and young people in sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of the programme is to improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes through increased access to high quality, age-appropriate sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health and services. In this regard, UNESCO is implementing as well the O3 Plus programme which focuses on young people in higher education (tertiary colleges and universities), with the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

The O3 and O3 Plus programme supports young people to achieve positive health, education, and gender equality outcomes, by providing them with information to achieve sustained reductions in new HIV infections, unintended pregnancy and sexual and gender-based violence. Additionally, UNESCO’s interventions include development/review policy frameworks, advocacy, capacity development of teachers, curriculum development, innovative digital platforms, and evidence generation.

Against this background, 91�鶹������Ʒ���� established a Regional Community of Practice, originally titled ‘Connect & Learn’ A sub-Saharan Africa Regional Community of Practice to Support Young People to Build Strong Foundations for Life’, which was launched through a public regional webinar in November 2022. A Community of Practice (CoP) is defined as: “a group of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.”1 To that end, the purpose of the CoP is to create a structure that allows teachers and CSE practitioners to promote best practice and build common capability in CSE across sub-Saharan Africa. It should ultimately contribute to their enhanced preparedness and continuous professional development.

The objectives of the CoP will evolve over time, but include:
• (Re) connect teachers and other stakeholders and create a platform where they can; (i) share knowledge and experiences; (ii) learn and engage on current or emerging themes in CSE; and (iii) access useful and innovative resources for the delivery of CSE;

• To facilitate identification and documentation of promising / innovative practices and champions (teachers, MoE officials, etc) in the delivery of CSE.

Since the launch in November 2022, the CoP is gaining recognition as a useful platform for peer learning and networking on issues related to adolescent and youth health and well-being in sub-Saharan Africa. A total of 286 individuals from 31 countries have registered to become members. They have been engaged mainly through public webinars. Seven public webinars and two closed group virtual workshops have been organized, covering a range of topics such as ‘sexuality education for learners with disabilities’, ‘community engagement – part one with parents and part two with religious / faith leaders’, and ‘Regional insights from Profiles Enhancing Education Reviews (PEER)’. A sample webinar can be viewed at this link (passcode: G$&+zd1J).

Another component of the CoP is newsletters which summarize webinar highlights, showcase good practices and share useful resources. Additionally, a mobile application was developed to host a digital library and ‘Ask and Share’ discussion forum which aim to serve as platforms for follow-up discussions after webinars, meaning that contents and resources to be shared on these platforms will be linked to webinar discussions.

While much has been achieved, there are some challenges. Firstly, engagement of teachers in CoP activities is limited. While the priority target groups for the webinars are primary and secondary school teachers, webinars tend to be better attended by other stakeholders such as civil society organizations. This may be due to lack of awareness of the CoP, lack of access to devices, the Internet connectivity issues, and/or language barriers. The mobile application has challenges with sustainability and user-friendliness, and has not been fully utilized.

As a result, there has been limited interaction with members outside webinars. New and innovative approaches are needed to address these challenges. UNESCO is exploring alternative platforms for resource sharing as well as peer learning and exchange. WhatsApp groups are considered as a user-friendly way to engage members, particularly teachers. While several countries use WhatsApp groups to connect teachers as well as other stakeholders and share updates from the CoP, there haven’t been standardized approaches to use WhatsApp groups to connect teachers for the CoP. To support the further development of the CoP platform, UNESCO hereby seeks the services of a consulting firm under a consultancy contract for an initial period of one year from 1 November 2023.

Under the overall authority of the Regional Director, UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa in Harare and with the Regional Project Officer for Education, Health and Well-Being, the incumbent will support the further development and management of the CoP for East and Southern Africa.

About the Assignment
Building on lessons learned from the previous phase of the CoP, this assignment will contribute to further development of the CoP in the East and Southern Africa region, taking into consideration the needs of members. In particular, the contractor will be expected to bring creative and innovative ideas to enhance inclusivity and accessibility of the platform for primary and secondary school teachers, teacher trainers and supervisors, pedagogical inspectorates and teacher training schools/centres as the priority target groups, and diverse groups of stakeholders across East and Southern Africa. Webinars will remain the core activity of the CoP and address pressing issues affecting adolescents and youth in the region. Other CoP activities, namely newsletters, digital library, and discussion forum will serve as platforms for follow-up discussions after webinars, meaning that contents and resources to be shared on these platforms will be linked to webinar discussions.

Detailed Guidance on the Assignment

Targets:

By the end of the contract, the CoP will:

• Have 800 members in total from 16 O3 countries in East and Southern Africa (Recruitment of primary and secondary school teachers and government officials should be prioritized.)

• Host 12 webinars (one per month)

• Set up a fully functioning and active digital library and discussion forum on a user-friendly and sustainable platform

• Publish 8 editions of newsletter (2 per quarter)

Activities and Deliverables:

(1) Submit an inception report that includes the following: Workplan including suggestions for webinar topics; ideas to make webinars engaging including mentioning of digital tools to be used to facilitate webinars; strategy to expand the membership; incentivizing active participation of members; webinar promotion strategy; ideas to make webinars and other CoP activities more inclusive; design sample newsletter layout and contents; suggestions on platforms to share resources with members; and timeline. Have a meeting with UNESCO focal points to validate the report and recommendations. (Timeline: As soon as commencement of the contract).

(2) Organise, host, and advertise monthly (12 times during the duration of the contract) webinars, including identification of topics, development of presentation contents, selection of speakers, coordination with speakers and presenters, development of run of show, promotion, facilitation of webinars in English, and any other provision of logistical support as guided by UNESCO. Explore possibilities of using AI for translating webinars into French and Portuguese. Some webinars may be closed groups depending on topics. Selection of topics should be based on needs among CoP members, recommendations from UNESCO, and availability of new evidence base (Timeline: 3 weeks after commencement of the contract).

(3) Provide day-to-day support to UNESCO staff with management of CoP members (Generate membership cards and certificates of membership for active members, manage database of members as an online document such as Google Sheet, manage all CoP resources in a cloud storage that is accessible to both consulting firm and UNESCO) (Timeline: As soon as commencement of the contract).

(4) Promote the CSE Online Course for Teachers on various CoP platforms including but not limited to webinars, a digital platform, and newsletter (Timeline: As soon as commencement of the contract).

(5) Share useful resources with CoP members through digital platforms preferred by members. Upload and share weekly (at least once per week) CSE material (including but not limited to guidelines, policy briefs, curricula, lesson plans, M&E tools, research reports, digital CSE tools, advocacy tools) on relevant CSE platforms (Timeline: 2 weeks after commencement of the contract).

(6) Develop and manage an East and Southern Africa regional WhatsApp group that connect teachers who have been trained on CSE through UNESCO-supported initiatives as well as other stakeholders. Share useful tools and resources including webinar recordings. This group will enable posting by admins only as a default but will open group discussions at certain times such as ‘Wednesday Night Chats’ where CoP members can text live with a moderator. (Timeline: As soon as commencement of the contract).

(7) Support UNESCO country teams in East and Southern Africa to establish and manage country level WhatsApp groups with teachers who have been trained on CSE through UNESCO supported initiatives. Country teams will facilitate peer learning and exchange among group
members. Liaise with UNESCO country teams regularly to keep members of the regional and sub-regional WhatsApp groups up to date. (Timeline: 3 weeks after commencement of the contract).

(8) Prepare discussion questions for country-level WhatsApp groups and support country teams to facilitate discussions (at least 2 per month). Moderate the forum on a regular basis, engaging with members as well as ensuring safety within the forum. (Timeline: As soon as commencement of the contract).

(9) Share useful tools / resources with CoP members on relevant topics whenever relevant as a part of CoP activities webinars, newsletters, and WhatsApp groups. (Timeline: As soon as commencement of the contract).

(10) Produce and disseminate two versions of E-Newsletter: Online version with Mailchimp and brochure version in a pdf file using software such as Adobe Creative Cloud preferably InDesign (8 times during the duration of the contract) featuring best / innovative practices and latest resources and reports, ‘Celebrating teachers at the forefront of delivering sexuality education’. (Timeline: 3 weeks after commencement of the contract).

(11) Update UNESCO country teams on CoP activities via email regularly, facilitation of a meeting with UNESCO country teams to reflect on the CoP activities, covering the following topics: (1) what went well and what needs to be improved; (2) share good practices on linking in-country activities with CoP; (3) ideas to make the CoP more inclusive for teachers who lack access to the Internet / digital devices. (Timeline: at the end of the contract)

(12) Submission of a final report including activities implemented during the duration of the contract and recommendations on (1) sustainable ways to manage the CoP; (2) ideas to make the CoP more user-friendly and engaging; (3) ideas to incentivize active participation and commitment of members. Transfer ownership of all resources and database to UNESCO. (Timeline: at the end of the contract).

THE COP WILL BE MANAGED BY A TEAM. THE LEAD CONSULTANT PROFILE SHOULD INCLUDE:

EDUCATION
❑ A team leader with a master’s degree in a relevant social sciences field

WORK EXPERIENCE
❑ At least 3 years of relevant professional experience, acquired at national, regional or international level, in one or more of the following domains: sexual and reproductive health, education (including comprehensive sexuality education), gender and education, school health, school-related violence including gender-based violence.
❑ Experience in managing knowledge sharing platforms and/or communities of practice is highly desired.
❑ Previous experience in related work especially with the UN will be an added advantage.

Skills / Competencies
❑ Strong understanding of development work and of the health education sector.
❑ Ability to coordinate, multi-task, prioritize and deliver to deadline.
❑ Strong communication skills on issues related to sexual and reproductive health and comprehensive sexuality education; webinar facilitation skills; and skills to produce user-friendly E-newsletters and communication materials.

LANGUAGES
Fluency (oral and written) in English.
Working proficiency of French (oral and written) is an advantage.

TEAM MEMBERS’ PROFILE SHOULD INCLUDE:

EDUCATION
❑ It is mandatory for all team members to have a degree in a relevant social science field or a related discipline.

WORK EXPERIENCE
❑ It’s desirable for all members to have relevant professional experience, acquired at national, regional or international level, in one or more of the following domains: sexual and reproductive health, education (including comprehensive sexuality education), gender and education, school health, school-related violence including gender-based violence

Skills / Competencies
❑ It’s mandatory for all members to have good understanding of development work and of the health education sector, especially on issues related to sexual and reproductive health and comprehensive sexuality education.
❑ It’s mandatory for at least one team member to have strong digital and marketing skills particularly in the usage of office software packages and other digital tools such as Learning Management Systems, Design Software, and Video Conferencing Platforms; ability and experience organising and hosting interactive online events for large number of participants; ability and experience creating user-friendly communication materials such as E-newsletters and social media assets; ability to manage a digital library; ability and experience to foster interactions and engagement in online communities.

LANGUAGES
Fluency (oral and written) in English.
Working proficiency of French (oral and written) is an advantage.

Interested firms/entities are requested to submit a technical proposal specifying a detailed work plan and a standalone budget (in separate folder from the technical proposal) to vacancies.harare@unesco.org by 21 November 2023.  Email subject should read 'Application for O3 Programme Management of the Community of Practice Platform (Phase 2)'. Email attachment size should not exceed 20MB. 

The Technical proposal should be no more than 10 pages, and will be evaluated on the basis of responsiveness to the Terms of Reference (TOR) as follows:
• The bidding entity’s experience and expertise that responds to the proposed assignment
• Approach to task that demonstrates extent to which the bidding entity understands the requirements as set out in TOR
• Feasible and technically sound methodology, appropriate for fulfilling the overall objectives of the assignment
• Realistic work plan with specific treatment of key deliverables, and clear repartition of tasks amongst team members
• Qualifications and experience (CVs) of Team Leader and all consultancy team members, including the work tasks to be assigned to each team member
• At least two examples of relevant previous work, preferably on a topic related to sexual and reproductive health, comprehensive sexuality education, gender and education, school health, school-related violence including gender-based violence
• The name and contact details of at least two referees. Please provide company/organization name, contact person, email address, and a short description of the project carried out with the referee.

UNESCO will use these details to contact these referees.

The financial proposal should be no more than 2 pages and should detail the following: An appropriate Price Schedule which includes, as a minimum, the consultancy rate per day, number of workdays per main activity in order to assist the Contracting Unit to determine, which items may be negotiated, if applicable, or which items can be modified as per the budget. *All prices shall be quoted in US dollars. 

UNESCO is committed to gender equality in its programming and to gender parity within the Secretariat. Therefore, women candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.