Consultant specialized in entrepreneurship in Bukavu At War Child Canada

Introducing War Child Canada

War Child Canada (WCC) is an international humanitarian organization, based in Canada, with over twenty years of experience working globally with conflict-affected communities, much of it in sub-Saharan Africa. In these contexts, WCC takes a conflict-sensitive, community-based approach, recognizing the complexities of conflict and its impact on children.

WCC has worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2005, implementing quality programs and achieving results through long-standing relationships with communities, local organizations, government and other education and training stakeholders. protection. Over the past few years, WCC in the DRC has implemented interactive radio teaching (EIR), an innovative modality of non-formal education, peer-to-peer video assessment, information and awareness around children’s rights and worked to establish a network of Regional Education Learning Initiative (RELI) in the provinces of Kinshasa and South Kivu.

Context and rationale

Back to Learning 2 (B2L II) is an education and protection program aimed at integrating hundreds of young girls and boys who have dropped out of school into the non-formal education system (School Remedial Centers) so that they then join the formal education system. .

The project will be implemented for 3 years (2024-2026) in the cities of Bukavu and Uvira (South Kivu). It primarily targets out-of-school children aged 9 to 16, and was designed based on the successes, results and lessons learned from the Making Waves (2019-2022) and Back To Learning (2023) projects.

The objective of the B2L II project is to improve the learning outcomes of children, particularly girls, by increasing access to education for out-of-school children, by supporting the implementation of innovative pedagogy ( Interactive Education through Radio) within the three School Remedial Centers (CRS) partners of the project. The project strengthens the sustainability of the CRS by supporting them in the development and management of an Income Generating Activity (AGR). The management committee of the two partner CRS of Bukavu received, as part of the B2L project, initial training on the choice and implementation of an AGR, as well as the funds necessary to launch this AG. The results of the end-of-project evaluation showed the need to strengthen the capacities of the management committees so that they are sufficiently equipped to correctly manage this AGR, which has been in place since January 2024.

In order to ensure the sustainability and success of the IGAs developed by the partner CRS, WCC is recruiting a consultant specialized in entrepreneurship (micro, small and medium enterprises – MSMEs) in order to strengthen the capacities of management committees in management of IGAs.

Description of the consultancy

The mission of the Consultant will consist of

1. write a training manual on entrepreneurship,
2. train the management committees of CRS partners on the basics of entrepreneurial management,
3. ensure regular coaching of the CRS in the implementation of apprenticeships.

1. The training manual

As part of the B2L II project, the Consultant will write a manual on the fundamentals of entrepreneurship which will provide learners with an in-depth understanding of the subject, as well as concrete tools and advice for managing their small business successfully.

It must notably contain the following themes (non-exhaustive list):

• Financial management : budgeting, financial forecasting; tracking income and expenses; cash flow management, investment evaluation, etc.
• Operational management : supplier and purchasing management, inventory and logistics management, quality control, etc.
• Marketing and sales : marketing and communication strategy, sales and customer service management; development of partnerships…
• Risk management : identification and assessment of risks, prevention and mitigation measures, regulatory and legal compliance, insurance and claims management, etc.
• Legislation : law on commercial companies, labor law, taxation, dispute resolution, etc.

The manual will be mainly intended for members of the Management Committee of WCC partner CRS who have managed an income-generating activity since January 2024.

The manual should combine both theoretical and practical aspects . It must be written in French in clear and accessible language. It must be adapted to the context and give relevant examples with regard to the situation in the DRC.

The layout of the manual will be carried out by War Child Canada.

2. Entrepreneurship training

As part of the B2L II project, the Consultant will lead 2 training courses in Bukavu lasting 5 days , each bringing together 10 participants .

The objective of this training is to strengthen the capacities of participants in the management of a small business and give them the tools necessary for healthy and sustainable management.

To measure participants’ level of knowledge about entrepreneurship:

• A pre-test will be organized at the start of the workshop to measure the participants’ level of knowledge on managing a small business;
• A post-test will be organized at the end of the workshop to measure the impact of the workshop in the development of participants’ knowledge.

As part of the training, the various deliverables expected from the Consultant are:

• Pre- and post-test training questionnaires;
• The training report;
• Around ten photos and videos of the training.

War Child Canada will be responsible for the logistical, financial and administrative preparation of the 3 training courses.

3. Le coaching

As part of the B2L II project, the Consultant will support the 3 Management Committees to help them apply the good practices and knowledge acquired during the training and overcome the challenges encountered in the management of their business.

Among the tasks that the Consultant could accomplish:

• Organize weekly meetings with each management committee to discuss their progress, challenges and objectives.
• Help identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks of each IGA.
• Provide personalized advice and solutions to specific problems encountered by Management Committees.
• Evaluate the use of financial and budgetary management tools and make the necessary adjustments.

This list is not exhaustive and must be completed by the Consultant.

As part of coaching, the various deliverables expected from the Consultant are:

• Scheduling visits and telephone contacts;
• A coaching report, including in particular the evolution of the company, the challenges encountered and the solutions provided, the successes achieved;
• Management tools developed/adapted within the framework of coaching.

Duration of the consultancy

We anticipate that the work of the Consultant will be distributed according to this schedule:

• Development of the manual: 3 weeks from April 15, 2024;
• Training of 2 CRS in Bukavu: 2 weeks of work, one week per CRS between mid and end of May;
• Coaching in Bukavu: to be spread over 6 months after the entrepreneurship training, at the rate of one working day per week per CRS.

Experience and skills:

• Have at least 5 years of previous experience in manual design and entrepreneurship facilitation/coaching in the DRC.
• Have proven and solid expertise in supporting associative structures/groups in the implementation of AGR
• Have a degree in economics, entrepreneurship or another relevant field
• Demonstrate an excellent level of French (written and spoken)
• Be based in South Kivu.