Communications and Visibility Consultancy At Danish Refugee Council

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  • Who is the Danish Refugee Council?

Founded in 1956, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading international non-governmental organization with specific expertise in forced displacement. Active in 40 countries, DRC protects, advocates for, and builds sustainable futures for refugees and other displacement-affected populations.

In Yemen, DRC serves as the lead agency for the Cash Consortium of Yemen (CCY), a strategic partnership established in 2020. The consortium’s members include Acted, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Mercy Corps (MC), Solidarités International (SI) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and non-funded UN partner. The core mission of the CCY is to improve the living conditions of vulnerable, conflict-affected people in Yemen by maximizing the effectiveness of humanitarian cash assistance while simultaneously building pathways toward long-term resilience and sustainable solutions.

  • Purpose of the Consultancy

The CCY seeks to engage a highly qualified and experienced communications consultant to develop and execute a strategic communications and visibility plan. The purpose of this engagement extends beyond the production of standard visibility materials; it is to craft and disseminate a compelling, evidence-based narrative that articulates the significant impact of CCY’s integrated programming in Yemen.

The consultant will be responsible for developing a suite of strategic communication products that effectively target key audiences, including the public, policymakers, and institutional stakeholders within Yemen, the Middle East, the European Union and beyond. The core task is to illuminate the strategic linkage between CCY’s immediate humanitarian relief efforts and its long-term development initiatives, which are cohesively funded by the European Union through the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) and the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA). This narrative must be grounded in human stories, driven by programmatic data, and fully compliant with all donor communication and visibility requirements.

  • Background

To develop effective communication outputs, the consultant must possess a nuanced understanding of CCY’s strategic, dual-track programming model, which operationalizes the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. This approach is designed to provide a coherent response to the multifaceted crisis in Yemen, addressing both immediate suffering and the underlying drivers of vulnerability. The communication strategy must skillfully connect these two programmatic pillars, telling a holistic story of a beneficiary’s journey from crisis to recovery and demonstrating the strategic and impactful use of EU funding across the different pillars.

Pillar 1: Multipurpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) Interventions

The first pillar of CCY’s strategy is the provision of life-saving Multipurpose Cash Assistance (MPCA), funded by DG ECHO. This intervention is a critical first-line response for socio-economically vulnerable and conflict-affected households across Yemen. The primary objective of the MPCA program is to provide timely, predictable, and dignified cash transfers that empower households to meet their self-prioritized basic needs, such as food, medicine, clean water, and shelter.

The strategic significance of MPCA is foundational to the nexus approach. By providing households with the purchasing power to meet essential needs, the program reduces their reliance on negative coping strategies, such as child labour, selling off productive assets, or reducing meal consumption. Evidence from CCY’s monitoring shows that MPCA significantly improves food consumption scores and helps stabilize precarious household economies. This stabilization provides the necessary precondition for the supported families to look beyond daily survival and engage meaningfully in longer-term recovery and resilience-building activities.

Pillar 2: Longer-Term Recovery and Resilience-Building Interventions

Building upon the stability established by the MPCA program, the second pillar of CCY’s strategy is the DG INTPA-funded “Achieving Meaningful And Lasting Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons (AMAL)” project. The AMAL project represents the next step on the resilience pathway, designed to transition households from aid dependency towards sustainable self-reliance. Its objective is to improve food security and build climate-adapted livelihood capacities for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

The AMAL project provides a comprehensive package of support tailored to local market needs, including training in climate-smart agriculture, natural resource management, animal husbandry, vocational skills development, and business management. Participants also receive financial support, such as conditional cash grants, to start or expand small businesses. The project is strategically designed to operate in geographic areas where CCY also implements MPCA, creating direct referral pathways and ensuring programmatic synergy. The AMAL project is the mechanism through which CCY helps individuals and households build the skills, assets, and confidence needed for long-term economic independence.

  • Objective of the Consultancy

The overarching goal of this consultancy is to translate CCY’s programmatic impact into a powerful and coherent communications strategy.

The specific objectives are:

  • To develop and disseminate high-quality communication products that build a compelling narrative around CCY’s nexus model, effectively demonstrating the beneficiary journey from humanitarian relief to sustainable development and resilience.
  • To produce content that strategically highlights the age, gender, and inclusion empowering elements of all CCY activities, focusing on the agency, dignity, and enhanced economic and social participation of women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups.
  • To raise awareness and foster support among European and international audiences for the humanitarian response in Yemen by showcasing the effectiveness, accountability, and life-changing impact of EU-funded interventions.
  • To ensure all communication outputs provide clear, compliant, and high-impact visibility for the European Union as a key partner, adhering strictly to all relevant communication and visibility guidelines and contractual obligations.
  • Scope of Work and Methodology

The consultant will be required to develop and disseminate a suite of integrated communication products. The methodology for each output must be strategically grounded, evidence-based, centered on human dignity, and participatory. All outputs must strategically highlight the age, gender, and inclusion empowering elements of CCY’s activities, the nexus between the CCY program pillars and adhere to the specified donor guidelines.

1 Media Engagement: High-Impact Press Releases

  • Task: Produce and secure publication of at least two high-impact press releases via major international and regional media outlets.
  • Strategic Element: The press releases must transcend simple activity announcements to function as data-driven pieces. The methodology will involve synthesizing quantitative data from CCY’s monitoring systems with interviews from the field. This will position CCY and the EU as effective and accountable leaders in humanitarian response and resilience-building. The press releases will be built around compelling quotes and case studies from the field.
  • DG ECHO Guideline Reference: All press releases must be developed in coordination with the DG ECHO communications team for review and approval prior to dissemination. They must use the correct funding statement – Funded by the European Union – and include the official disclaimer where appropriate, ensuring full compliance with media outreach protocols.

2 Audiovisual Storytelling: Emotionally Resonant Videos

  • Task: Produce and disseminate six videos: five short, emotionally resonant human-interest videos (maximum 120 seconds each) optimized for social media, and one longer-form documentary (5 – 7 minutes) for donor events, high-level meetings, and advocacy purposes. The videos will be in Arabic with subtitles translated into English.
  • Strategic Element: The videos will employ powerful, character-driven storytelling to build an emotional connection between European audiences and the human impact of EU funding. The methodology will prioritize authentic, dignified portrayals that inspire empathy and support, consciously avoiding narratives of victimhood. The short videos will spotlight diverse individuals showcasing their agency and empowerment. The documentary will trace the complete journey of one or two families, vividly illustrating their transition from receiving emergency MPCA to achieving sustainable livelihoods through the AMAL project, thereby demonstrating the nexus in action.
  • DG ECHO Guideline Reference: Videos must display the EU emblem with the accompanying text “Funded by the European Union” at the end. The consultant must secure written, informed consent from all subjects, with special protocols for minors, and ensure that no AI-generated imagery is used to create a “fake reality.” The consultant must produce a draft video script for review before filming the final video. In addition to the final video, the consultant will produce versions for Facebook, X, and Instagram, and short flash video excerpts. Music used in the video should be royalty free. The EU retains a royalty-free, non-exclusive, and irrevocable license to use all produced material.

3 Human Interest Stories: Resilience in Action

  • Task: Develop and publish at least 10 high-quality, long-form human-interest stories, accompanied by professional captioned photographs.
  • Strategic Element: These stories will serve as in-depth, qualitative evidence of program impact, moving beyond statistics to explore the nuances of resilience, dignity, and hope. They will form a foundational content repository, providing rich material for press releases, social media, and donor reporting. Stories will feature a diverse range of voices – beneficiaries, CCY staff, community leaders, local authorities – and will be structured to highlight the age, gender and inclusion empowering aspects of program design.
  • DG ECHO Guideline Reference: Stories must clearly acknowledge the EU’s role in the narrative. They must be accompanied by high-quality photographs with proper credit and consent documentation. Published formats must include the official EU disclaimer where applicable.

4 Multi-Platform Social Media Campaigns: Targeted Digital Engagement

  • Task: Design and launch a targeted, multi-platform social media campaign using paid promotion and organic content on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube. The multi-platform social media campaign will be bilingual, with versions in Arabic and English for different audiences.
  • Strategic Element: The campaign will be strategically designed to reach specific, segmented audiences within Yemen, the Middle East the EU, including the general public and policy-focused communities. The methodology will be data-driven, employing visuals and tailored messaging to optimize engagement, reach, and message retention, ensuring the narrative of EU-funded impact is effectively communicated and understood. Content will be custom-tailored for each platform, utilizing infographics, short video clips, and quote cards derived from the human-interest stories to tell the MPCA-to-AMAL story in a visually compelling and easily shareable format. Additionally, the campaign will produce news articles for publication in The New Humanitarian and Devex. These articles will draw on CCY’s research to illustrate its direct relevance to humanitarian responses on the ground.
  • DG ECHO Guideline Reference: All posts must tag the relevant EU and DG ECHO social media accounts and use official hashtags (e.g., #EUHumanitarianAid, #EUCivilProtection). The EU funding statement must be clearly visible in visual assets or included in the post text.

5 Infographics and Visual Branding: Data-Driven Visuals

  • Task: Design and distribute at least three branded digital communication materials, including a factsheet, and/or program brief, and/or a brochure – all containing infographics. The branded digital communication materials will be bilingual, with separate final versions in Arabic and English for different audiences.
  • Strategic Element: These materials will translate complex program data and processes into clear, compelling, and shareable visual formats suitable for policymakers, partners, and the public. They will serve as key tools for advocacy, reporting, and public outreach, demonstrating the scale, efficiency, and impact of the interventions in an accessible manner. The branded materials will visually represent the program’s age, gender and inclusion through disaggregated data. A central infographic will be designed to map the entire beneficiary journey across the humanitarian-development nexus, visually representing the pathway from DG ECHO-funded MPCA receipt to DG INTPA-funded AMAL project outcomes.
  • DG ECHO Guideline Reference: All materials must strictly adhere to EU visual identity standards, prominently featuring the EU emblem and the correct funding statement without modification. The branding must be consistent, professional, and receive prior approval.

6 Digital Photo-Story Compendium: A Legacy of Impact

  • Task: Produce five high-quality digital photo-story compendiums documenting program activities and their impact through powerful imagery and beneficiary narratives. The captioned photos used in these photo-stories will be distinct from those featured in human interest stories.
  • Strategic Element: This will be a legacy publication that serves as a comprehensive visual record of the project’s achievements. It is a key strategic asset for final donor reporting, high-level advocacy meetings, and public awareness campaigns, providing a powerful and evergreen testament to the tangible impact of EU support in Yemen. The curation of photos and narratives will be meticulously managed to ensure a powerful, dignified, and diverse representation of empowerment, showcasing the full range of activities and its impact on beneficiaries.
  • DG ECHO Guideline Reference: The compendium must be produced to the highest professional standard, with full compliance on photo credits, captions, consent documentation, and EU branding. It will be delivered to CCY with the understanding that the EU has a royalty-free, irrevocable license to use the content for its own communication purposes.
  • Deliverables

The consultant will be responsible for the timely submission of the following deliverables, in formats including Word, PDF, PowerPoint, and high-resolution media files as required.

Phase

Expected Deliverables

Indicative Description of Tasks

Maximum Expected Timeframe

Phase 1

Planning & Framework

Inception Report: A detailed report outlining the consultant’s understanding of the TOR, proposed methodology, risk assessment, and ethical protocols.

Detailed Workplan: A comprehensive timeline for all activities and deliverables. Strategic Communications Framework: A foundational document outlining the core narrative, key messages, audience segmentation, and channel strategy for the consultancy.

14 working days from contract start

Phase 2

Production & Review

Draft Communication Outputs: Rolling submission of high-quality drafts for all six strategic communication outputs (press releases, videos, stories, social media content plans, infographics, photo-compendium layout) for review and feedback from CCY and relevant stakeholders.

On a rolling basis per the agreed workplan

Phase 3

Final Submission

Final Communication Deliverables: Submission of all final, approved communication products, including raw files (video, design), published links for online content, and media monitoring reports demonstrating reach and engagement.

Before 15 March 2026

Phase 4

Reporting

Final Consultancy Report: A comprehensive report detailing activities undertaken, outputs achieved, analytics on reach and impact, challenges encountered, and strategic lessons learned to inform future CCY communications.

Before 31 March 2026

  • Duration, Timeline, and Payment

The total expected duration to complete the assignment will be no more than six months from the start date of the consultancy. The consultant shall be prepared to complete the assignment no later than 31 March 2026.

Payment Schedule

  • 20% of the total contract value upon successful completion and approval of all Phase 1 deliverables.
  • 40% of the total contract value upon successful submission of all draft communication outputs as outlined in Phase 2 and approval of at least 50% of the final deliverables from Phase 3.
  • 40% of the total contract value upon successful completion and approval of all remaining
  • Eligibility, Qualification, and Experience Required

Eligibility

  • The consultant (individual or firm) can be situated either within Yemen or outside of Yemen.
  • If a consultant is located outside of Yemen, having an established partnership with a local entity or individuals within Yemen for logistical and field support would be a distinct advantage.
  • The consultant or their designated local partner must possess the necessary legal authorization to work in Yemen.

Qualification

  • The proposed team must include at least one lead member with a Master’s degree (or a Bachelor’s degree with equivalent extensive experience) in Communications, Journalism, International Relations, Marketing, or a related field.

Experience

  • A minimum of 5 years of professional experience for the lead consultant/firm in handling strategic communications, public relations, and visibility, preferably for international non-governmental organizations or UN agencies.
  • Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing communication strategies for complex, multi-donor, nexus-based programming in fragile or conflict-affected settings is essential.
  • Proven track record of producing high-quality multimedia content (videos, photography, written stories, graphic design) for international audiences.
  • Experience developing communication and visibility products for EU directorates (DG ECHO, DG INTPA) is a significant advantage and highly desirable.

Skills and Knowledge

  • A sophisticated understanding of Yemen’s cultural, political, and socio-economic context.
  • Exceptional strategic thinking and the ability to develop creative and impactful communication campaigns aligned with complex programmatic goals.
  • Outstanding storytelling skills with a proven ability to craft compelling narratives that are sensitive, dignified, and empowering.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English are mandatory.
  • Working knowledge of Arabic is a strong advantage.
  • Proficiency with professional media production software (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite).
  • Technical Supervision

The selected consultant will work under the direct technical supervision of:

  • CCY Chief of Party,
  • Grants Management Specialist

The consultant will also be expected to coordinate closely with the CCY Communications focal points from partner agencies.

  • Location and Support, and Travel

The consultancy will cover the governorates in Yemen where the Cash Consortium of Yemen operates. The consultant can work remotely but must be available for regular virtual meetings with the CCY team. If travel to Yemen is deemed necessary and feasible, all arrangements, including visas, flights, accommodation, and insurance, will be the sole responsibility of the consultant. This also includes obtaining any necessary travel permits. The consultant is solely responsible for obtaining all permits and authorizations required to carry out this assignment in CCY project locations.

The consultancy firm is expected to utilize its own computers, software, and other necessary equipment.

  • Submission Process

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Addendum 1: Quick Reference Guide to Key EU Communication & Visibility Requirements

This table provides a summary of essential EU guidelines to ensure compliance across all communication outputs. It is not exhaustive, and the consultant is responsible for adhering to the full contractual requirements and latest guidance from DG ECHO and DG INTPA.

Output Category

Key Requirement

Guideline Summary & Reference

All Written/Visual Content

EU Emblem & Funding Statement

Must use the EU flag with the text “Funded by the European Union”. The emblem must remain distinct, separate, and unmodified. It should be given equal prominence to other logos.

Publications (Stories, Reports, Briefs)

Disclaimer

Must include the standard disclaimer box where space permits: “Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or [name of the granting authority]. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them”.

Press Releases / Media Outreach

Pre-clearance & Acknowledgment

Must be coordinated with DG ECHO’s Regional Information Officer. The role of the EU as a donor must be clearly and prominently mentioned in the text.

Videos / Audiovisual

End-Card, Consent, & No AI

Must display the EU emblem and funding statement at the end of the video. Written, informed consent from all subjects is mandatory. AI-generated imagery that creates a “fake reality” is not permitted.

Social Media

Tagging & Hashtags

Must tag official EU/DG ECHO social media accounts and use relevant official hashtags (e.g., #EUHumanitarianAid, #EUCivilProtection) to maximize reach and ensure attribution.

Photography

Consent, Credit, & Quality

Written, informed consent is mandatory for all identifiable individuals, especially minors. The copyright holder must be clearly credited. High-resolution images are required for all publications.

Field Visibility Items

Specific Logo for Humanitarian Aid

Items for direct humanitarian response (e.g., staff vests, vehicles, distribution banners) must use the specific “Funded by European Union Humanitarian Aid” logo.

Copyright & Usage

EU License to Use

The EU is granted a royalty-free, non-exclusive, and irrevocable license to use, reproduce, and distribute all communication materials produced under the funded action.

How to apply

Click Here to download full package

Bids can be submitted by email to the following dedicated, controlled, & secure email address:

tender.yem@drc.ngo

Contact Person

DRC Yemen

Supply Chain Department

Supply Chain

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