ToR - VSLA training and learning in Adjumani and Buyende districts

Terms of Reference for VSLA training and learning in Adjumani and Buyende districts. SHARE Project August 2025 Introduction Right To Play protects, educates and empowers children to rise above adversity through the power of play. We are a global leader in delivering play-based programmes that promote children and young people’s learning and well-being. With programming in 13 countries, Right To Play transforms the lives of millions of children each year through programmes focused on early childhood care and education, primary education, psychosocial support and gender equality and social inclusion. In addition to our work with children, we engage parents, local communities, and governments to advance the fundamental rights of all children. The SHARE Project Overview The Sexual Health and Reproductive Education (SHARE) project is a five-year initiative aimed at improving sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) among young people in Ghana, Mozambique, and Uganda. Funded by Global Affairs Canada, SHARE is led by Right To Play (RTP) in collaboration with WaterAid (WA) and the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), with FHI 360 serving as a key technical partner. RTP has been implementing community group activities for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and adolescent boys and young men (ABYM). These activities focus on mentoring adolescents with knowledge and skills in SRHR, financial literacy, social skills, positive gender norms, and the prevention of gender-based violence. Over the past two years, 208 community groups in Buyende and Adjumani districts have been mentored. Many of these groups have adopted a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) model, enabling members to make weekly savings. However, some members have faced challenges in meeting their weekly contributions due to financial constraints. Several groups requested support in the form of a “cash booster” to increase the pool of funds available for members to borrow and invest in income-generating activities. This request led to a donor-approved adjustment in the project design to integrate a cash booster approach for selected groups. As a result, 60 out of the 208 community groups have been identified to benefit from this initiative, aimed at strengthening their financial capacity and supporting sustainable livelihoods. There is also an assumption that involving adolescents in VSLAs will contribute to SHARE SRHR outcomes through, for example, behavioral changes linked to increased financial autonomy, improved healthcare access and greater decision-making power in households. The purpose of the consultancy is to: Deliver Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) training to 180 leaders: 3 leaders shall be selected from each of the 60 groups i.e. Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary, 52 mentors will also participate in the training as well as 12 project staff from Adjumani and Buyende districts. The training will be conducted separately in Adjumani and Buyende. The trained mentors supported by project staff and group leaders will cascade the VSLA training to the AGYW groups and ABYM groups reaching out to over 1800 youths. The successful consultant should demonstrate knowledge in delivering the 7 basic modules in VSLA methodology evidenced by way of reference to previous work with similar populations. Additionally, the consultant is expected to develop a clear roadmap for training of project participants using the approach outlined below, provide ongoing support to RTP through monitoring of VSLA groups, and conduct lessons learned exercise to capture insights and best practices. General Objective: To enhance the capacity of VSLA members, mentors and project staff through effective training and mentorship. To monitor and consolidate lessons learned of the VSLAs over 6 months from November 2025 to April 2026 and conduct final assessment in April 2026 Specific Objectives: Support with review of selection criteria for VSLA groups. To develop comprehensive and user-friendly training materials (manuals, handouts, presentations) tailored to the target needs of AGYW and ABYM and their literacy levels. To deliver engaging and participatory training sessions on key VSLA topics, including savings, lending, record-keeping, conflict resolution and group governance. To train a cadre of VSLA trainers including group leaders, mentors and project staff who can then cascade the training to other groups and monitor group progress. To support with the development and implementation of simple mobile-based data collection tools for monitoring and mentoring the financial performance, group functionality and SHARE project outcome alignment of VSLA groups by Right To Play and partner staff. To undertake monthly supportive supervision and learning visits to selected VSLAs (5 months) To create a culture of learning around RTP’s VSLA work and promote reflection and adaptation amongst the team to ensure an effective VSLA model can be designed for future projects based on learning about what has worked in this pilot Scope of Work: Needs Assessment: Conduct a needs assessment to identify specific training gaps and tailor the training content accordingly. This could be done by reviewing group activity reports, visiting selected youth groups and interviewing project staff to understand existing group dynamics including challenges and gaps related to economic empowerment and VSLA. Curriculum Development : Develop training materials, including session plans, presentations, handouts and practical exercises, based on the needs assessment. Training Delivery: Conduct VSLA training sessions for VSLA leaders, mentors and project staff, using experiential learning approaches, participatory, playful and interactive methodologies. Training community groups. Provide clear guidelines such as training manuals, training program, handouts, and well stipulated and clear instructions for VSLA Leaders, mentors and project staff to cascade VSLA training to community groups. Monitoring and Mentorship of VSLA groups Develop, train and implement monitoring tools for VSLA groups, then apply these tools to track fund distribution, monitor implementation, and identify challenges while providing recommendations for improvement. Provide quarterly supportive supervision and learning visits to selected VSLA groups (approximately 15 groups), focusing on group functionality, financial performance and any potential contribution to SHARE project outcomes. Collect and consolidate lessons learned and best practices with the support of qualitative methods to provide recommendations to strengthen future VSLA implementation and ensure sustainability of groups Reporting: Prepare and submit a comprehensive training report summarizing the consultancy activities, findings, and recommendations. Prepare and submit monthly monitoring reports including: Summaries from monitoring data received and collected of each VSLA group Red-flag alerts for immediate action by RTP team Clear next-step recommendations for issues raised Facilitate quarterly learning reviews with RTP, producing short quarterly learning briefs based on monitoring data, supervisions and visits, that: Reflect on what is working in VSLA groups Identify challenges and agree actions to course correct Identify best practices and lessons learned Prepare final VSLA lessons learned report that: Consolidates lessons learned and best practices from the VSLA pilots Includes case studies from the VSLA groups Provides recommendations for sustainability and for integration of VSLAs in future projects by RTP. Deliverables: Needs assessment report. Developed training materials (manuals, handouts, presentations). Training reports/final consultancy report. Monitoring and learning framework (including tools and data collection schedule) Mobile data collection tools (simple forms for use by consultant and group mentors. Monthly Monitoring and learning reports, integrating qualitative and quantitative data and actionable recommendations Quarterly Review Briefs and Meetings on reflections and lessons with RTP team. Final lessons learned report and a user friendly learning brief including participant case studies and recommendations focused on sustainability of VSLA groups and VSLA integration in future projects. Timeline: Please refer to our ToR posting for full details: https://apppack-app-righttoplay-publics3bucket-veclfraq9ykl.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Terms_of_Reference_-_VSLA_training_and_Monitoring_-_SHARE_Project_Final__Revised.pdf Consultant Qualifications: Proven experience in delivering VSLA training and developing training materials. Strong understanding of VSLA methodologies and principles. Experience with participatory monitoring approaches Familiarity with mobile data collection tools (KoBo, ODK, etc.) Proven track record in adaptive programming/course correction Excellent facilitation and communication skills. Excellent report writing skills and ability to consolidate insights into briefs/summaries Experience and knowledge in MEL especially for VLSA groups Ability to work effectively with diverse groups of people. Good knowledge of social cultural issues that may affect VSLA operations in Adjumani and Buyende district. Relevant academic qualifications (e.g., degree in economics, social sciences, or related field).

Application Requirements Interested individuals or firms must submit the following (Not Exceeding 5 MBs): - Cover Letter - Technical Proposal - Financial Proposal - Evidence of Relevant Experience Applications should be sent to [email protected] not later than 26th September 2025.