This is simply a sample of the types of proposals worked on at Friends Consult Ltd. Proposals and prequalification are worked on via collaborative efforts with senior managers, project managers, and other project officers.
Note: This is simply a sample.
1.0 INTRODUCTION AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE ASSIGNMENT
This proposal from FRIENDS Consult Ltd is in response to the terms of reference from UNHCR to conduct the Education Response Plan for refugees and host communities (ERP) End line evaluation survey. It details our understanding, methodology, skills and expertise that demonstrate our capacity to undertake the assignment.
In the low- and middle-income countries that host millions of refugees, more than 60%[1] of the refugees are under 18 years (school going age). When children flee across borders and find themselves in a new country as refugees, their right to education is threatened. Every child has a right to education, a principle enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Convention, 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child and affirmed most recently by multilateral commitments such as Comprehensive Refugee Response Frameworks and the SDG 4 which calls for universal access to quality educational opportunities[2].
Education provides stability, security, a sense of normalcy and facilitates integration; it engenders hope and economic opportunities while preparing refugees to meet future challenges. It farther protects refugee children and youth from forced recruitment into armed groups, child labour, sexual exploitation, teenage pregnancy and child marriage both in the host country and when they return to their countries.
Uganda currently hosts 1.42 million refugees, 59% of whom are children and over 2.5 million host community members and boasts of some of the most progressive refugee policies in the world that includes refugees in its National Development Plans. Education of refugees and host community contributes to Human Capital Development[3], one of the 18 development programmes of the Third National Development Plan (2020/21-2024/25).
In order to streamline and coordinate refugee response, Government of Uganda with UNHCR and other sector players have developed the Revised Uganda Refugee Response Plan (2020-2021) that highlights interventions in 8 areas among which is Education[4] that focuses on promoting refugee children and youth access to quality education. Available data indicates that 57% of the refugee children and 34% of the local children in the refugee hosting districts of Uganda do not have access to education.
This is because providing quality, accessible education for displaced children is an immense and multifaceted challenge since education systems in such places are likely to be weak or overburdened – lack of or adequate physical infrastructure, too few teachers and educational staff, differences in language, curricula and education systems between countries of origin and host countries, limited psychosocial support, overflowing classrooms among others. These challenges have been worsened by the adverse impact of Covid-19 restriction measures on the education sector which saw schools closed countrywide for over a year.
The Revised Uganda Refugee Response Plan (2020-2021) aligns humanitarian response to government sectoral priorities and policies and as such Comprehensive Refugee Response plans have been developed under respective line ministries. Most notably is the 3.5-year Education Response Plan for refugees and host communities-ERP (Jan.2018 -June 2021)[5] developed by MoES, UNHCR and other partners. The aim of ERP was to provide refugees and host community girls and boys with equitable and inclusive access to a quality education at all levels while strengthening systems at the national, district and community levels.
The ERP which aligns with Uganda’s Education and Sports Sector Strategic Plan is the first of its kind worldwide and represents a huge policy step forward for refugee education globally. The plan aimed to achieve 3 vital outcomes (1) Improved equitable access and inclusive relevant learning opportunities (2) Improved delivery of quality education and training for refugees and host community and (3) Strengthened systems for effective delivery. ERP was implemented in the 13 refugee hosting districts of Uganda. Evidently, Covid-19 pandemic and the response measures have grossly affected close to half of the ERP project period.
It is against this background that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), representation in Kampala, Uganda now seeks the services of a registered, reputable and qualified consultancy firm to conduct an end line survey for the Education Response Plan for refugees and host communities of UNHCR operations in Uganda.
The rationale is to provide information to support learning among key stakeholders from the implementation of ERP with a view to informing ERP II as well as assess and validate the results partners have achieved during the period to ensure and support accountability for ERP.
[1] https://jrs.net/en/programme/education/?gclid=CjwKCAjwh5qLBhALEiwAioods0Ys-Mhq4rRLSKkN_vMJu3UJyKZ9AfPNVQrei_GPN248X-VFHWZuvRoCuyMQAvD_BwE [2]United Nations, Agenda 2030 [3] The third National Development Plan (NDP III) 2020/21- 2024/25 [4] The Revised Uganda Refugee Response Plan (2020 -2021) [5] The Education Response Plan for Refugees and Host Communities (ERP)
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