TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANTS AND CONTRACTORS

Title: Development of a multi-sectoral child rights club manual

Project number 61567

1.     Background information

The Zambia Civic Education Association (ZCEA) is a registered human right, non-governmental, and not-for-profit organisation established in 1993 and registered under the Registrar of Societies Act of Zambia. ZCEA has demonstrable experience in the promotion and protection of children’s rights in Zambia and has been implementing child rights–focused programmes since 2002.

ZCEA’s interventions are guided by international and regional child rights frameworks, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC). Core areas of work include civic education, rights awareness, advocacy, participatory monitoring and structured reporting to national, regional and international Charter and Treaty Human Rights Bodies.

ZCEA’s overarching objective is to contribute to improved child well-being through strengthened accountability of primary and immediate duty bearers for the respect, protection, and fulfilment of children’s rights. The organisation implements its mandate through rights-based, participatory and accountability-focused approaches, in line with the principles of transparency, inclusion and results orientation.

2. Purpose and Scope of the Manual

The project’s monitoring processes have demonstrated that Child Rights Clubs are an effective and sustainable platform for promoting child participation and decision-making within schools.

Building on the success of the existing Child Rights Manual, which has been instrumental in establishing Child Rights Clubs and raising awareness among children, the project intends to develop aSecond Volume (Volume II) of the Child Rights Manual. Feedback from children, facilitators and project monitoring discussions highlighted the need for an updated, more inclusive and practical content that reflects the evolving realities faced by children, particularly vulnerable girls and boys and out-of-school children.

Volume II will expand and deepen existing content to include Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), gender-specific rights for both girls and boys, human and political rights, child protection and safeguarding and tailored modules for out-of-school children. The manual willincorporate interactive tools and recreational activitiesto promote inclusive, engaging and child-friendly learning, thereby strengthening the project’s relevance, effectiveness and sustainability.

ZCEA is seeking the services of a Child Rights Consultant for an estimated 25–30 working days to lead thedevelopment of Volume II. The consultant will be supported by project staff through the provision of relevant documentation, monitoring data, case studies and stakeholder feedback.

To ensure meaningful child participation and technical quality, two consultative workshops involving children, facilitators and Trainers of Trainers (ToTs) will be conducted to inform content development, review drafts and approve the final version for publication.

A. Scope of Work for the Child Rights Consultant

Under the overall supervision of the Zambia Civic Education Association (ZCEA)’ Programme Manager and in close collaboration with project staff, the Consultant will be responsible for the development of Volume II of the Child Rights Manual. The assignment shall be conducted using a participatory, child-centred, rights-based and safeguarding-compliant approach, aligned with national, regional and international child rights standards.

The Consultant will be expected to undertake the following tasks:

1.     Desk Review and Inception

·        Review the existing Child Rights Manual (Volume I), relevant project documentation, monitoring reports and stakeholder feedback.

·        Review applicable child rights frameworks, including the UNCRC, ACRWC and relevant national laws and policies.

·        Prepare and submit an inception report outlining the proposed methodology, manual structure, content framework and workplan.

2.     Content Development

·        Develop draft content for Volume II that aligns with the purpose of strengthening child participation, protection and advocacy, including the following thematic areas:

§ Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)

§ Gender-specific rights for girls and boys

§ Human and political rights

§ Child protection and child safeguarding

§ Tailored modules for out-of-school children

·        Ensure all content is age-appropriate, child-friendly, inclusive, gender-responsive and compliant with child safeguarding standards.

·        Integrate practical examples, case studies, interactive learning tools and recreational activities to enhance engagement and usability.

3.     Participatory Consultation, Validation and Pre-testing

• Conduct Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and consultative engagements with children, teachers, facilitators, duty bearers and relevant stakeholders.
• Facilitate a co-creation workshop to jointly agree on priority themes, learning approaches and core content.
• Facilitate a validation workshop to assess relevance, clarity, safeguarding and alignment with policy and standards.
• Pre-test the draft manual with selected Child Rights Clubs and incorporate feedback.

4.     Finalisation and Handover

·        Finalise the Manual by incorporating feedback from consultations, validation and pre-testing.

·        Submit the final manual in editable format, ready for child-friendly editing, design, translation and printing.

·        Provide technical support during final review and approval as required.

B. Purpose and Objectives of the Manual

The purpose of Volume II of the Child Rights Manual is to provide a practical, inclusive and child-friendly guide that strengthens the capacity of Child Rights Club members to understand, prevent and respond to key issues affecting children and adolescents, while promoting safe and meaningful participation in school and community decision-making processes. Thespecific objectivesof the manual are to:

1.     Enhance knowledge and awareness among Child Rights Club members on emerging child and adolescent issues affecting schools and communities.

2.     Build practical life skills to prevent, identify and respond to challenges such as bullying, teenage pregnancy, child marriage, child abuse, drug and substance abuse, SRHR concerns and mental health challenges.

3.     Promote safe, inclusive and meaningful child participation at community, district, provincial and national levels.

4.     Equip children with simple and effective advocacy skills to engage respectfully with duty bearers.

5.     Strengthening understanding and use of referral pathways and support services.

6.     Encourage collaboration among schools, families, government institutions, civil society and traditional leadership in promoting and protecting children’s rights.

C. Target Audience

The manual is intended for:

Primary users:Child Rights Club members (upper primary, secondary school levels and the out-of-school children).

Secondary users

·        Teachers and patrons coordinating Child Rights Clubs

·        Guidance and Counselling Teachers, community facilitators and peer educators

The manual will also serve as a reference resource for social welfare officers, health workers, community volunteers and traditional leaders supporting child-focused initiatives.

D. Methodological Approach

The Consultant shall apply a participatory, child-centred and multi-sectoral methodology, ensuring meaningful child participation, ethical engagement and safeguarding throughout the process. The methodology shall integrate qualitative data collection, stakeholder consultations, co-creation, validation and pre-testing to ensure relevance, ownership and sustainability.

E. Key Tasks and Indicative Timelines

Task

Indicative Timeline

Inception report (desk review, methodology, outline, workplan)

5 days

FGDs and KIIs with children and stakeholders

8 days

Co-creation workshop

2 days

Validation workshop and revisions

2 days

Pre-testing with selected clubs and councils

4 days

Finalisation of manual

9 days

Total Duration

25-30 days

F. Key Deliverables

1.     Approved inception report with literature review and manual outline

2.     FGD, KII and consultation reports

3.     Draft Volume II of the Child Rights Manual

4.     Validation workshop report and revised draft

5.     Pre-testing report with findings and recommendations

6.     Finalised Child Rights Manual (editable format)

10. Child Safeguarding and Ethical Considerations

All activities involving children must adhere to child safeguarding principles, including:

• Informed consent and voluntary participation
• Confidentiality and protection of personal information
• Clear referral mechanisms for protection concerns
• Safe, inclusive and respectful engagement of children, considering age, gender, ability and vulnerability.

All methods, materials and facilitation approaches must prioritize child safety and well-being.

11. Minimum Qualifications and Experience

The Consultant must demonstrate:

• At least five (5) years of relevant professional experience in developing learning/training materials, manuals, or curricula.
• At least three (3) years of experience working with children, adolescents, or community-based programs.

12. Technical Competence

The Consultant should have:

• Proven expertise in module design, curriculum development, and structured learning materials, with the ability to translate complex concepts into child-friendly content
• Experience in designing participatory, learner-centered materials for schools or community settings
• Ability to integrate practical exercises, case studies and discussion guides into training manuals
• Demonstrated knowledge of child rights, adolescent development and related social issues.
• Practical understanding of adolescent pregnancies and child marriage, including drivers, impacts and prevention strategies (strong asset).

13. Contextual Understanding

The Consultant should demonstrate:

• Knowledge of the socioeconomic and cultural context in Zambia, particularly regarding children, adolescents and community dynamics
• Prior work experience in Zambia or similar Southern African contexts is an added advantage.

14. Analytical and Communication Skills

The Consultant must have:

• Strong analytical skills to synthesize research and consultation findings into clear learning materials.
• Excellent written communication skills in English, producing age-appropriate, culturally sensitive and child-friendly content.
• Experience facilitating participatory workshops, FGDs and stakeholder consultations
• Ability to engage effectively with children, educators, government officials, CSOs and community/traditional leaders
• Knowledge of local Zambian languages.
• Minimum five (5) years of applied qualitative research experience.
• Experience in secondary data analysis is an added advantage.

15. Proposal Submission Requirements

Interested bidders must submit two separate documents:

1. Technical Proposal – including:

• Demonstration of understanding of the assignment
• Proposed methodology and approach
• Detailed work plan and timeline
• Relevant experience and capacity to deliver
• Two (2) examples of similar completed work

1. Financial Proposal – including:

• Detailed budget
• Clear cost breakdown for all proposed activities

Important Notes:

• Only bidders who submit both technical and financial proposals will be considered
• Evaluation will be based on a combined assessment of technical merit and cost-effectiveness.

Application procedure:

The Individual Consultant or Firm should submit the completed soft copies of the technical and financial proposals to the following address:info@zamcivic.com.zmand Cc:nzila.siabalima@zambiacivic.onmicrosoft.comby20February 2026 00:00 C