Terms of reference (TOR) for the Production of a video Documentary

Aug 19, 2024

Introduction 

The Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections (CECOE) is a non-profit and non-governmental civil society organization with more than 175 member organizations. CECOE was licensed by the F.D.R.E. Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO) in 2019 with registration number 4748 under the Civil Society Organizations Proclamation 1113/2019. 

CECOE was established with the aim of enhancing and coordinating the role of Ethiopian CSOs in election observation, voter education, preventing electoral conflicts, and providing capacity building and support for its member organizations. 

CECOE is a committed member of the East and Horn of Africa Election Observers Network (E-HORN), African Election Observers Network (AfEONet), a pan-African coordinating platform, and a founding member of the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM), which connects regional networks and individual monitoring organizations across more than 88 countries worldwide. 

CECOE is currently implementing a project titled ‘Enhancing the Participation of Women in Ethiopian Politics Balancing the Scales’, with financial support from the European Union and in partnership with the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD), The project aims to produce TV documentaries showcasing best practices that encourage and inspire women’s political participation.

The overall Objective 

The project aims to produce and broadcast thematic documentaries that spotlight exemplary social practices, institutions, and personalities contributing to the creation of an enabling environment for women’s active participation in critical political and social decision-making processes. These documentaries aim to showcase best practices, inspire replication across various sectors, and motivate women to engage meaningfully in professional environments and political affairs. Furthermore, the documentaries will highlight historical figures such as queens, empresses, and women political activists to illustrate the enduring and impactful roles Ethiopian women have played beyond traditional domestic spheres. 

Scope of Work 

  1. The scope of work involves conducting research and interviews with influential figures and institutions advancing women’s participation in decision-making processes. This includes developing detailed scripts and storyboards for each documentary obtaining filming permissions and location access and recruiting a professional film crew.
  2. The production must ensure high-quality audio and video recording, editing footage with visual enhancements, and coordinating broadcasting with television stations.  The production company will manage project budget and expenses, establish timelines and milestones, prepare progress reports, document the production process, and engage stakeholders to ensure alignment with project objectives for enhancing women’s involvement in Ethiopian politics.
  3. The production company should prepare the narration script and get approval from CECOE- communication and project team to use it for the film production. The company should use the feedback given by CECOE to further improve the quality of the work. Following the comments, the film company shall polish and prepare the final work accommodating the feedback. Shall deliver the final production in soft copy. 

Methodology 

CECOE intends to produce and broadcast two thematic documentaries to showcase best practices, and encourage their replication across various sectors. 

  • The first documentary will focus on showcasing organizations that have become role-models in creating a work environment in which women can thrive professionally. 
  • The second documentary will profile exemplary women role models who managed to overcome barriers and have meaningfully engaged in political affairs. It will also explore how they managed to overcome the barriers and create impact, in order to motivate more women to engage in politics. 
  • The documentaries should embrace a diverse range of storytelling techniques, including personal anecdotes, historical narratives, and expert insights to create a multifaceted portrayal of women’s empowerment.
  • Ensure visuals authentically represent the cultural context and diversity of women’s experiences in Ethiopia.
  • Develop targeted distribution strategies to reach diverse audiences, including marginalized communities and youth, to maximize the documentaries’ impact.

Role and responsibilities 

The Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations Will

  1. oversee the project timeline, milestones, and budget, ensuring production stays on track. 
  2. coordinate with the documentary production company to ensure deliverables meet the coalition’s expectations, and review and approve documentary concepts, scripts, and storyboards to align with the coalition’s stance on election integrity. 
  3. ensure the content aligns with messaging and advocacy goals, it will assist connections with stakeholders, experts, and community members for input into the documentaries.
  4. utilize the documentaries as advocacy tools to raise awareness about civic participation and free elections. 
  5. develop distribution strategies to reach target audiences, and establish metrics for impact assessment on public perception, awareness, and engagement with electoral processes. 
  6. ensure ethical standards in the documentaries, monitor production for integrity, and provide regular updates and reports on project progress to coalition members, stakeholders, and funders.

The production company will

  1. Research, identify and conduct interviews with exemplary social practices, institutions, and personalities fostering women’s involvement in key decision-making processes, per the documentary themes.
  2. Develop detailed scripts and storyboards for each of the documentaries, outlining key themes and narratives.
  3. Secure necessary permissions and access to filming locations.
  4. Recruit a professional film crew and talent for interviews. Arrange logistics for filming, including equipment rental and transportation.
  5. Ensure high-quality audio and video recording during filming.
  6. Edit and assemble footage to create compelling narratives for each documentary.
  7. Incorporate graphics, animations, and other visual elements to enhance storytelling.
  8. Fine-tune audio, color grading, and overall production quality.
  9. Coordinate with selected television stations for scheduling and broadcasting of the documentaries.
  10. Maintain detailed records of expenses related to production, post-production, and broadcasting.
  11. Ensure efficient use of resources to stay within the allocated budget for the project.
  12. Establish a clear timeline for each phase of the project, including pre-production, production, post-production, and broadcasting.
  13. Define key milestones and deadlines to track progress and ensure timely delivery of the documentaries.
  14. Prepare regular progress reports detailing accomplishments, challenges faced, and next steps.
  15. Document the production process, including behind-the-scenes footage and interviews for promotional purposes.
  16. Engage with relevant stakeholders, including CECOE leadership, film crew, television stations, and target audiences, to ensure alignment with project goals.

Qualifications 

  • Demonstrated background of producing thematic documentaries focusing on social issues, women’s empowerment, or political engagement.
  • Proficient in scriptwriting, filming, editing, and post-production tasks for documentaries.
  • Impressive portfolio displaying previous documentary works.
  • Strong dedication to promoting women’s empowerment.
  • Upholds ethical standards in documentary production, ensuring accuracy, fairness, and sensitivity in portraying individuals and communities, especially concerning women’s engagement in politics.
  • Efficient budget management skills.
  • Experience in devising distribution strategies to amplify impact and engagement.
  • Effective communication abilities to interact with stakeholders, project leaders, and film crews.
  • Capable of introducing innovative storytelling methods, visual enhancements, and creative elements.

Deliverables 

  1. Final Production of two 20-minute-long documentaries in Amharic with English subtitles, showcasing exemplary practices, institutions, and personalities fostering women’s involvement in decision-making processes. 
  2. Ensure visibility on the final products including logos of CECOE, NIMD, and EU with their logos.
  3. Pre-production deck 
  4. facilitate PPM- for approval 
  5. Post-production deck 
  6. The raw footage used to produce the documentary
  7. The narration text or/and the full script used for the production with photos extracted from the footage.

Budget and financial service 

An itemized estimated budget including VAT should be submitted by the interested parties along with the execution plan in separate documents so that all detailed costs of the consultancy must be presented in the financial proposal. The Payment will be made in favor of the client company after making necessary deduction of tax and VAT according to prevailing laws of the Ethiopian Government.

Intellectual Property 

All outputs produced in this action shall remain the property of CECOE who shall have exclusive rights over its use. 

Submission Procedure  

Interested parties including television stations capable of both producing and airing content, as well as production companies with expertise in documentary filmmaking, are invited to submit their detailed technical and financial proposals, including:

  1. A cover letter expressing interest.
  2. A brief concept of production in no more than five pages including the names of key persons with a short profile (within one page in addition)
  3. A brief proposal outlining the approach and methodology to be used for the assignment.
  4. Renewed business license, including VAT registration and Tin Number certificate 
  5. A detailed budget including production and airing fees and any other expenses.

Communication Consultant

Aug 9, 2024

The Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections (CECOE) is a non-profit and non-governmental civil society organization with more than 175 member organizations. CECOE was licensed by the F.D.R.E. Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO) in 2019 with registration number 4748 under the Civil Society Organizations Proclamation 1113/2019. CECOE was established with the aim of enhancing and coordinating the role of Ethiopian CSOs in election observation, voter education, preventing electoral conflicts, and providing capacity building and support for its member organizations. CECOE is a committed member of the East and Horn of Africa Election Observers Network (E-HORN), African Election Observers Network (AfEONet), a pan-African coordinating platform, and a founding member of the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM),  which connects regional networks and individual monitoring organizations across more than 88 countries worldwide.

CECOE has been carrying out several projects aimed at bolstering the political participation of these marginalized groups. Currently, with financial support from the European Union and in partnership with the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD), CECOE is implementing a project on enhancing the Participation of Women in Ethiopian Politics.

Summary of the Position

Working collaboratively with other teams across the organization, the communications consultant will play a key role in undertaking high-quality communications works on women’s political participation and elections;  assisting in developing & implementing advocacy strategies; and ultimately, preparing policy briefs. This will be done in the context of developing and promoting CECOE as a strong voice for improved participation of women in Ethiopian politics. 

Responsibilities:

  • Oversee the execution of all of CECOE’s Communication priorities. 
  • Collaborate with management to develop and implement an effective communications strategy based on CECOE’s target audience.
  • Write, edit, and distribute content, including publications, press releases, website content, annual reports, speeches, and other outreach material that communicates the organization’s activities.
  • Establish and maintain effective relationships with journalists, and maintain a media database
  • Responsible for one or more aspects of the communications and/or public relations plan, e.g., media relations, membership communications, online/web page activities, and/or association profile.
  • Maintain records of media coverage and collate analytics and metrics.
  • Work collaboratively with staff to execute additional organizational priorities as they arise.

Term of employment One Year with possible extension based on availability of budget and performance

Job Requirement

Qualifications:
The ideal candidate should:

  • Knowledge and experience in Ethiopian electoral system
  • Be future-focused, data-driven, and strategy-minded, and thrive in fast-paced CSO working environments;
  • Be methodical and detail-oriented, with excellent writing, planning, and time management skills, and able to advance multiple projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines;
  • Be comfortable working with Microsoft Office Suite and Google Apps and have an aptitude for working with online and mobile applications; 
  • Ability to establish and maintain effective collaborative working relations with clients, stakeholders, and senior management in a multicultural context;
  • Have proficiency in design and publishing software.
  • Have a wide cross-sector network.
  • Fluency in English and Amharic languages; additional local language is a plus

Educational Qualifications

  • BA Degree or Master’s in Communication, Journalism, or a related field
  • At least Four (4) years’ work experience for MA and (6) years’ work experience for BA implementing research and advocacy initiatives of which at least 2 years in elections-related project

CECOE strongly encourages female candidates to apply!

Consultant to Develop Sub-granting Guidelines  

Aug 1, 2024

1. Background

The Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections (CECOE) is a non-profit and non-governmental civil society organization with more than 175 member organizations. CECOE was licensed by the F.D.R.E. Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO) in 2019 with registration number 4748 under the Civil Society Organizations Proclamation 1113/2019. CECOE was established with the aim of enhancing and coordinating the role of Ethiopian CSOs in election observation, voter education, preventing electoral conflicts, and providing capacity building and support for its member organizations. CECOE is a committed member of the East and Horn of Africa Election Observers Network (E-HORN), African Election Observers Network (AfEONet), a pan-African coordinating platform, and a founding member of the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM),  which connects regional networks and individual monitoring organizations across more than 88 countries worldwide.

CECOE is currently implementing a project titled “Strengthening and Promoting Democratic Processes and Peaceful Elections through Enhanced Engagement, Capacity, and Awareness of Electoral Stakeholders.” This project is funded by the Embassy of Ireland in Ethiopia.

In line with its strategic goals, CECOE recognizes the importance of providing financial support to its member organizations to enhance their operational capacities and programmatic impact. To this end, CECOE aims to develop a comprehensive sub-granting guideline that will streamline the process of awarding grants, ensuring transparency, accountability, and efficiency. These guidelines will serve as a vital tool for CECOE to manage sub-grants effectively, fostering a more sustainable and impactful engagement of its member organizations in various democratic and governance initiatives.

The development of these sub-granting guidelines is a critical step towards institutionalizing the grant management process within CECOE, thereby enabling the coalition to better support its members and achieve its overarching mission of promoting democratic values and practices in Ethiopia.

2. Objective

The primary objective of this consultancy service is to develop comprehensive sub-granting guidelines that will enable CECOE to award funds on a competitive basis to its member organizations, to engage in relevant programmatic areas.

3. Scope of Work

The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

  1. Review of Existing Documents and Practices: Analyze CECOE’s existing documents, practices, and strategies.
  2. Benchmarking: Study sub-granting guidelines of similar organizations/consortiums to identify best practices and benchmarks.
  3. Stakeholder Consultation: Conduct consultations with key stakeholders, including Donors, CECOE Boards, secretariat, and CECOE member organizations, to gather insights and recommendations.
  4. Drafting Sub-granting Guidelines: Develop a draft sub-granting guideline, ensuring it is comprehensive, practical, and aligned with CECOE’s strategic objectives.
  5. Validation Workshop: Facilitate a validation workshop with the Donors, CECOE Board, and secretariat to review and refine the draft guidelines.
  6. Finalization: Incorporate feedback from the validation workshop and finalize the sub-granting guidelines.
  7. Capacity Building: Provide a brief training session for CECOE staff on the implementation of the new sub-granting guidelines.

4. Deliverables

The consultant is expected to deliver the following:

  1. Inception Report: A report outlining the methodology, work plan, and timeline.
  2. Draft Sub-granting Guidelines: A comprehensive draft of the sub-granting guidelines.
  3. Validation Workshop Report: A report summarizing the outcomes of the validation workshop.
  4. Final Sub-granting Guidelines: A finalized version of the sub-granting guidelines, incorporating feedback from the validation workshop.
  5. Training Session: Conduct a training session for CECOE staff on the new guidelines.

5. Duration

The consultancy will be carried out for 15 working days.

6. Reporting

The consultant will report to the CECOE Project Manager and will provide regular updates on the progress of the assignment. The final deliverables will be reviewed and approved by the CECOE Project Manager.

7. Qualifications

The consultant should have:

  • MA in Academic qualification in Project Management, Economics, Accounting, and Finance, or a related field.
  • Minimum of 5 years experience in grants management, sub-granting, or related areas, preferably within civil society organizations, with a track record of producing high-quality materials.
  • Strong knowledge of the Ethiopian electoral context and civil society landscape.
  • Familiarity with the political and civic context of Ethiopia and experience working with civil society organizations.
  • Ability to work collaboratively with a diverse group of stakeholders.
  • Experience in conducting training and workshops.
  • Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and manage multiple tasks effectively.

8. Submission of Proposals

Interested consultants are invited to submit their detailed technical and financial proposals, including:

  1. A cover letter expressing interest in the consultancy.
  2. Detailed curriculum vitae highlighting relevant experience.
  3. A brief proposal outlining the approach and methodology to be used for the assignment.
  4. Renewed business license, including VAT registration and Tin Number certificate 
  5. A detailed budget including consultancy fees and any other expenses.

9. Submission

Applications should be submitted by August 1, 2024 to  August 10, 2024

Development of Civic Education Manual Consultant

Jul 3, 2024

1. Background

Ethiopia has been undergoing significant political, social, and economic transformations in recent years. Amidst these changes, the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) has become increasingly vital in fostering democratic values, promoting civic engagement, and ensuring that citizens are informed and active participants in the democratic process.

The Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections (CECOE) is a coalition of over 175 local civil society organizations dedicated to enhancing democracy and electoral processes in Ethiopia. CECOE’s mission is to build a more democratic society through education, advocacy, and active participation in electoral and political processes. CECOE has been at the forefront of efforts to empower citizens, monitor elections, and advocate for transparent and accountable governance.

CECOE is currently implementing a project titled “Civic Education for Better Civic Engagement and Political Participation in Ethiopia.” This project is funded by the German Government and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH under the “Support to Good Governance (S2GG) in Ethiopia” 

Civic education is essential for empowering citizens with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to participate effectively in democratic processes. It helps citizens understand their rights and responsibilities, the workings of government, and the importance of their involvement in public life. Given the diverse and multilingual nature of Ethiopia, it is crucial to develop civic education materials that are accessible and culturally relevant to all segments of the population.

CECOE recognizes the need for a comprehensive Civic Education Manual to support its member organizations in delivering effective civic education programs. This manual will serve as a key resource for trainers and educators, providing them with the tools and knowledge to educate citizens about democracy, governance, and civic participation. The development of the manual will draw on the National Election Board of Ethiopia’s Civic and Voter Education Manual, and the Malawi Guide to Civic Education: The NICE Experience, as well as findings from the needs assessment to be conducted. Additionally, the manual will be accompanied by a validation workshop and a Training of Trainers (ToT) program to ensure that CECOE member organizations are well-equipped to utilize the manual in their respective regions and communities. Following the finalization of the manual, CECOE will engage in the production of infographics and educational videos which will be used to run civic education social media campaigns. 

2. Objective

The main objective of this assignment is to develop a comprehensive Civic Education Manual, conduct a validation workshop, and provide training for CECOE member organizations. These efforts aim to improve the quality of civic education materials and campaigns and enhance the capacity of citizens to actively participate in public and political life.

3. Scope of Work

The Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

A. Development of Civic Education Manual

  1. Conduct a needs assessment to gather relevant information for the manual.
  2. Develop a two-part Civic Education Manual:
    1. Part One: A step-by-step training guide for civic educators.
    2. Part Two: Training materials for civic education campaigns.
  3. Collaborate with a graphics designer consultant to develop infographics based on the Civic Education Material.

B. Validation Workshop

  1. Plan and organize a one-day validation workshop in Addis Ababa.
  2. Collect feedback from the workshop participants and incorporate it into the final manual.

C. Training of CECOE Member Organizations

  1. Develop a 3-day Training of Trainers (ToT) program based on the manual.
  2. Conduct the ToT program for trainers nominated from 40 CECOE member organizations.

4. Deliverables

The Consultant is expected to deliver the following:

  1. Civic Education Manual:
    • Draft version for validation.
    • A final version incorporating feedback from the validation workshop.
  2. Validation Workshop:
    • Workshop agenda and materials.
    • Workshop report including feedback collected.
  3. Training of Trainers (ToT):
    • Training agenda and materials.
    • ToT program implementation report.

5. Duration

The consultancy is expected to complete the assignment within three months from the date of signing the contract.

6. Reporting

The Consultant will report to the CECOE project manager and provide regular updates on the progress of the assignment.

7. Qualifications

The ideal Consultant should possess the following qualifications:

  • Academic qualification in human rights, political science, civic education, or a related field.
  • Proven experience in developing educational materials, with a track record of producing high-quality materials.
  • Knowledge of adult learning principles and instructional design.
  • Familiarity with the political and civic context of Ethiopia and experience working with civil society organizations.
  • Ability to work collaboratively with a diverse group of stakeholders.
  • Experience in conducting training and workshops.
  • Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and manage multiple tasks effectively.

8. Submission of Proposals

Interested consultants are invited to submit their detailed technical and financial proposals, including:

  • A cover letter
  • CV
  • Proposed methodology

Communication Consultant

Jun 10, 2024

Overview of the Organization

Established in 2019, the Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections (CECOE)  is a coalition of over 175 Ethiopian CSOs working in the area of elections, human rights, and democracy. The Coalition is registered and licensed under the Civil Society Organizations Proclamation No. 1113/2019. Since its establishment, CECOE has observed the 6th general Ethiopian elections, the Sidama and South West Ethiopia Peoples’ Region referendums. Furthermore, the Coalition has been engaged in various advocacy and civic education activities. The I Vote digital voter education campaign which reached several million Ethiopians and an advocacy campaign to reform the electoral legal regime come at the forefront in this regard.

CECOE has been carrying out several projects aimed at bolstering the political participation of these marginalized groups. Currently, with financial support from the European Union and in partnership with Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD), CECOE is implementing  a project on enhancing the Participation of Women in Ethiopian Politics.

Summary of the Position

Working collaboratively with other teams across the organization, the communications consultant will play a key role in undertaking high-quality communications works on women’s political participation and elections;  assisting in developing & implementing advocacy strategies; and ultimately, preparing policy briefs. This will be done in the context of developing and promoting CECOE as a strong voice for improved participation of women in Ethiopian politics. 

Responsibilities:

  • Oversee the execution of all of CECOE’s Communication priorities. 
  • Collaborate with management to develop and implement an effective communications strategy based on CECOE’s target audience.
  • Write, edit, and distribute content, including publications, press releases, website content, annual reports, speeches, and other outreach material that communicates the organization’s activities.
  • Establish and maintain effective relationships with journalists, and maintain a media database
  • Responsible for one or more aspects of the communications and/or public relations plan, e.g., media relations, membership communications, online/web page activities, and/or association profile.
  • Maintain records of media coverage and collate analytics and metrics.
  • Work collaboratively with staff to execute additional organizational priorities as they arise.

Term of employment One Year with possible extension based on availability of budget and performance

Job Requirement

Qualifications:
The ideal candidate should:

  • Knowledge and experience in Ethiopian electoral system
  • Be future-focused, data-driven, and strategy-minded, and thrive in fast-paced CSO working environments;
  • Be methodical and detail-oriented, with excellent writing, planning, and time management skills, and able to advance multiple projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines;
  • Be comfortable working with Microsoft Office Suite and Google Apps and have an aptitude for working with online and mobile applications; 
  • Ability to establish and maintain effective collaborative working relations with clients, stakeholders, and senior management in a multicultural context;
  • Have proficiency in design and publishing software.
  • Have a wide cross-sector network.
  • Fluency in English and Amharic languages; additional local language is a plus

Educational Qualifications

  • BA Degree or Master’s in Communication, Journalism, or a related field
  • At least Four (4) years’ work experience for MA and (6) years’ work experience for BA implementing research and advocacy initiatives of which at least 2 years in elections-related project

CECOE strongly encourages female candidates to apply!