Terms of Reference for the Assessment of Income Generating Activities (IGAs)

Lhaissa Project, Gaza Province

ASSIGNMENT DETAILS

1. Project Background and Context

Lhaissa (We Care) is a four-year, gender-transformative project implemented by Save the Children in partnership with Fórum Mulher across 25 communities in Limpopo, Manjacaze and Chonguene Districts, Gaza Province. The project aims to strengthen community preschools (escolinhas) and promote the recognition and remuneration of Early Childhood Development (ECD) Facilitators.

The project works with 25 ECD centres employing 102 Facilitators, , who are currently receiving a monthly government stipend of MZN 2,500 financed by the World Bank. To address the risk of discontinued funding, the project established Income-Generating Activities (IGAs) to provide an alternative income source.

The project financed IGA training, equipment and infrastructure. Only active Facilitators can participate and benefit, with activities conducted outside preschool working hours. Currently, 11 IGAs are operational and 14 are under establishment.

Save the Children seeks an individual consultant to conduct a rapid assessment of IGA performance, sustainability, economic benefits and potential effects on ECD services, generating practical recommendations for programme improvement and advocacy.

2. Purpose of the Consultancy

The consultancy aims to conduct a rapid assessment of the Lhaissa project’s IGAs, focusing on financial performance, sustainability, economic benefits for ECD Facilitators and potential effects on preschool services.

The findings will inform programme improvements, future interventions and advocacy efforts to promote sustainable remuneration and recognition of childcare workers.

Specific Objectives

The consultancy will pursue the following objectives:

• Assess the financial and operational performance of IGAs, including revenue generation, operating costs, profitability, savings, reinvestment and profit distribution among Facilitators.

• Examine the sustainability and viability of IGAs, including their ability to cover recurrent costs, maintain assets, replace stock and continue operating without additional project financing.

• Assess the economic benefits for ECD Facilitators, particularly the extent to which IGAs generate meaningful supplementary income and their potential to compensate for the possible discontinuation of government stipends.

• Examine the implications of IGAs for ECD service delivery, including Facilitator retention, attendance, workload, motivation and the potential for unintended effects such as absenteeism or reduced engagement in preschool responsibilities.

• Identify key success factors, challenges and implementation lessons, including business management capacity, training quality, community support, market conditions, infrastructure and group dynamics.

• Assess the value for money of project investments, considering initial establishment costs, financial returns and income generated for participating Facilitators.

• Develop practical, evidence-based recommendations to improve IGA performance and sustainability and inform future programming and advocacy on sustainable remuneration of childcare workers.

• Recommend additional low-cost, climate-resilient income-generating activities (IGAs) tailored to the characteristics, needs and opportunities of the target communities.

1. Business Performance: Revenue, expenses, profitability, savings, reinvestment and financial management.

3. Scope of the Consultancy

The assessment will cover a representative sample of the active 11 IGAs across Limpopo, Manjacaze and Chonguene Districts, assessing at least one IGA from each of the five categories of IGA which the project has supported: Chicken farming, Egg production, Pig farming, Beauty salon services and Event decoration services.

The assessment will also examine Facilitators’ experiences and potential effects on ECD services.

Key Assessment Areas

The assessment will focus on five areas:

2. Sustainability: Business continuity, asset maintenance, cost recovery and independence from external funding.

3. Economic Benefits and ECD Outcomes: Assess facilitators’ income, potential stipend replacement, retention, attendance, workload, and the effects of IGAs on preschool operations and ECD facilitators’ professional aspirations. Explore potential unintended consequences, including whether participation in IGAs influences facilitators’ motivation, professional identity, commitment to ECD responsibilities, or aspirations to pursue alternative income-generating opportunities.

4. Success Factors and Challenges: Business type, training, market access, infrastructure, community support and management capacity.

5. Value for Money: Initial investments, profits generated, income per Facilitator and financial returns.

Proposed Assessment Indicators

The consultant will refine the indicators based on data availability and the operational status of each IGA.

4. Methodology and Approach

The consultant will adopt a rapid, practical mixed-methods approach, combining a review of existing project and financial records with targeted quantitative and qualitative data collection. The methodology should be proportionate to the assessment objectives and focus on generating actionable findings rather than conducting a comprehensive impact evaluation.

The assessment will include the following components:

• Desk Review: Review relevant project documents, IGA business plans, financial records, investment costs, monitoring reports and available preschool administrative data.

• Quantitative Assessment: Collect basic financial and operational information across the IGAs, focusing on revenue, expenses, profitability, savings, reinvestment and sustainability.

• Qualitative Assessment: Conduct selected Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with ECD Facilitators, project staff and other relevant stakeholders such as Community Coordination Committees that oversee the management of ECD centres to explore economic benefits, implementation challenges, sustainability prospects and potential unintended effects on preschool responsibilities.

• Direct Observation: Visit selected IGA sites to assess business functionality, infrastructure, equipment condition and operational practices.

• Data Analysis and Reporting: Analyse and triangulate quantitative and qualitative findings to identify key results, success factors, challenges and practical recommendations for programme improvement and advocacy.

The consultant will propose the final sampling approach, data collection tools and workplan in the inception report, ensuring adequate coverage of the three districts while maintaining a cost-effective and feasible assessment process.

5. Key Tasks and Responsibilities of the Individual Consultant

The selected consultant will be responsible for:

• Conducting an inception meeting with Save the Children and Fórum Mulher to clarify expectations, priority learning questions, available data and logistical arrangements.

• Reviewing relevant project documentation, financial records and monitoring information.

• Developing a concise inception report, including the assessment methodology, evaluation matrix, sampling approach, data collection tools and detailed workplan.

• Designing and piloting appropriate quantitative and qualitative data collection tools.

• Conducting field data collection across the three target districts, with logistical coordination from the project team.

• Reviewing and analysing business performance, sustainability, Facilitator economic benefits, ECD implications and value-for-money considerations.

• Identifying positive and negative unintended consequences associated with IGA implementation.

• Triangulating quantitative and qualitative evidence to identify key findings, implementation challenges and lessons learned.

• Preparing a concise draft assessment report with practical and prioritised recommendations.

• Presenting preliminary findings to Save the Children and Fórum Mulher for technical review and validation.

• Incorporating consolidated feedback and submitting the final assessment report, cleaned dataset and supporting analytical materials.

• Preparing a short learning and advocacy brief highlighting key findings and messages relevant to the economic recognition and sustainable remuneration of ECD Facilitators.

• Ensuring compliance with Save the Children’s safeguarding, research ethics, confidentiality and data protection requirements throughout the assignment.

6. Expected Deliverables

All deliverables must be submitted electronically in English, using editable formats where appropriate.

The final assessment report should be concise, analytical and clearly structured, with detailed tools and supporting tables included in annexes.

7. Duration and Location of the Assignment

The consultancy is expected to require approximately 20 working days, including inception, document review, tool development, field data collection, analysis, reporting and validation.

Fieldwork will take place in Limpopo, Manjacaze and Chonguene Districts in Gaza Province.

The consultant will be expected to coordinate closely with Save the Children and Fórum Mulher to ensure efficient planning and implementation.

The final workplan and schedule will be agreed upon during the inception phase.

8. Required Qualifications and Experience

Save the Children seeks a qualified individual consultant with demonstrated experience in business assessments, livelihoods programming, economic empowerment and applied research.

The consultant should meet the following requirements:

• An advanced university degree in Economics, Business Administration, Development Studies, Agricultural Economics, Social Sciences, Statistics or another relevant field.

• At least five years of relevant professional experience conducting assessments, evaluations or applied research related to livelihoods, income-generating activities, micro enterprises or economic empowerment.

• Demonstrated experience in assessing small-business performance, financial viability, profitability and sustainability.

• Strong understanding of community-based income-generating initiatives, particularly those involving women’s economic empowerment.

• Proven experience designing and implementing practical mixed-methods assessments, including quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.

• Ability to analyse financial records, business costs, revenue streams, profit distribution and basic value-for-money considerations.

• Experience conducting field-based assessments and facilitating consultations with community groups and local stakeholders.

• Strong analytical, report-writing and communication skills, with the ability to translate findings into clear and actionable recommendations.

• Good understanding of gender equality, women’s unpaid care responsibilities and economic empowerment.

• Previous experience working with NGOs, community-based organisations or development programmes in Mozambique.

• Fluency in Portuguese and strong written and spoken English.

• Knowledge of local languages spoken in the target districts will be an advantage ( the consultant will be responsible for arranging and budgeting for any translation or interpretation support required during data collection, including engagement with ECD facilitators and community stakeholders).

• Experience in Early Childhood Development, childcare workforce support or community based education programming will be considered an asset.

• Commitment to Save the Children’s safeguarding, ethical research and data protection standards.

9. Management and Coordination

The consultancy will be managed by Save the Children Mozambique, through the Lhaissa project team, with technical support from the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) team.

The consultant will work closely with Fórum Mulher and other relevant stakeholders to facilitate access to project information, IGA groups and community structures.

Save the Children will provide relevant project documentation, facilitate stakeholder engagement and review deliverables.

The consultant will retain responsibility for the independence, technical quality and accuracy of the assessment findings.

10. Ethical Considerations and Safeguarding

The consultant must comply with Save the Children’s safeguarding policies, Code of Conduct, research ethics and data protection requirements.

The assessment must ensure informed and voluntary participation, confidentiality and secure handling of information.

Special attention must be given to the sensitive nature of personal income information, business financial records, internal group dynamics and potential concerns regarding Facilitator performance.

Participants should be able to share their experiences freely without fear of retaliation or negative consequences for their involvement in the project.

The consultant must adopt a gender-sensitive approach and ensure that data collection activities do not unnecessarily interfere with Facilitators’ preschool duties or other responsibilities.

11. Application and Submission Requirements

Interested individual consultants should submit a complete application package comprising:

1. Cover Letter: Outlining the applicant’s understanding of the assignment, relevant experience and motivation.

2. Technical Proposal (maximum 7 pages): Presenting the proposed assessment methodology, data collection approach, sampling strategy, analytical methods, quality assurance measures and indicative workplan.

3. Financial Proposal: Providing a detailed budget covering professional fees, fieldwork expenses, transport, accommodation and any applicable taxes.

4. Updated Curriculum Vitae: Highlighting relevant qualifications and previous consultancy assignments.

5. Examples of Previous Work: At least two relevant assessment or evaluation reports, preferably related to livelihoods, business performance, women’s economic empowerment or income-generating activities.

6. Professional References: Contact details for at least two referees familiar with the applicant’s previous work.

The technical and financial proposals will be evaluated based on relevant experience, methodological quality, feasibility, understanding of the assignment and financial value.

Sustainability Criterion – Use of Digital Data Collection Platforms

The consulting firm or individual consultant proposes the use of a digital platform for data collection during the assessment.

To avoid disqualification, interested candidates are strongly encouraged to send an email expressing their interest in the consultancy and requesting any additional relevant documents before submitting their applications.

How to Apply

For further information or clarification, please contact: scimoz@savethechildren.org

Submission email: procurementmoz@savethechildren.org

Application deadline: 9 November 2026, at 4:00 PM

ToR prepared by: josé Samuel Júnior

ToR approved by: Ivan Mutombene

Date of sign off: 02/11/202