Development of Youth Savings and Loaning Association [YSLA] Guidelines and Training of Trainers at Practical Action Kenya

• The project is targeting four (4) main value chains namely poultry, African leafy vegetables, tomatoes, and oil crops (groundnuts and soybeans). Over the next 5 years, we aim to increase income, and job opportunities for 100,000 (age 18-35) young people in the nine counties through effecting systems change within the agriculture sector to make this an attractive work sector that offers dignified work.

Additionally, the project will contribute towards poverty reduction within target counties as youth start earning or improve their income levels through skills development, and enhanced access to markets and finance.

The main approaches being used by the project include:

• A Mentorship model to increase youth engagement in the agriculture sector.
• Regenerative agriculture to improve productivity, increase income and restore natural capital.
• Market Systems Development to stimulate long-term sustainable change so that markets operate more effectively for young men and women.
• A key aim of the project is to enhance access to appropriate and affordable finance for youth farmers who are financially disadvantaged and don’t have collateral for debt financing. Key interventions include:
• Establishment of Youth Savings and Loan Associations (YSLAs) or strengthening existing ones and linking them to formal Financial Service Providers (FSPs). The YSLAs will be anchored on the mentorship model where the mentors will be trained and supported to manage the YSLAs, with a key focus on improving their management systems including utilization of key operational guidelines, tools and platforms such as Chama soft and Dream Save for record keeping. Engagement in this intervention will also include strengthening the management systems of existing Village Savings and Loaning Associations (VSLAS) that have youth membership.
• Engagements with Financial Services Providers (FSPs) to support the development of innovative and scalable models that enable the YSLAs to access more options for affordable and higher financial limits–. The project will work with Financial and Micro microfinance institutions as well as local cooperatives to improve their product offering and make it attractive to young people. The

Objective of assignment

• The Consultant will provide services including profiling existing VSLAS, conducting a needs analysis of the groups, training (organization development & financial inclusion), and mentoring and coaching the groups to registration. This will enhance access to financial facilities for young women and men to either expand or better their business operation efficiencies.

Specifically, the consultant will:

• Map and profile existing VSLAs with youth membership with a view of partnering with the project.
• Conduct a YSLA skills needs assessment to identify capacity gaps in the implementation of the YSLA methodology.
• Develop a detailed YSLA operational guide that suits both existing and new YSLAs.
• Capacity building the YSLA based on the needs identified. The broad objective is to guide these YSLA groups to be efficient, reliable and sustainable.
• Support a cost-effective training of YSLA methodology to the young men and women engaged in the RAY project.
• Support the YSLAs for six months through coaching sessions towards a certification.
• Support the registration of the newly formed YSLAs as legal entities.
• Gather feedback and refine YSLA systems as necessary.

Location and Project Team: Kisumu, Homabay, Siaya, Nyamira, Migori, Bungoma, Busia, Vihiga and Kakamega counties.The consultant will report to the Project Manager.

Duration Dates: The expected start and end dates are 15th March 2024 to 31 August 2024

Number of Working Days: The consultancy is a fixed term for six (6) months.

Methodology
Inception phase:

• The assignment will start with an inception phase. This phase will undertake the development of a YSLA training plan and work plan to develop the YSLA operation guide. A rapid review of project documents, market-related reports, relevant policies, training needs and available information on the intervention area will also be accessed.
• The inception phase will end with the submission of the inception report having incorporated Practical Action’s input.

Implementation Phase:

• Develop a detailed implementation plan for the assignment.
• Map and profile existing VSLAs with youth membership with a view of partnering with the project.
• Conduct YSLA skills needs assessment to identify capacity gaps in implementing the YSLA methodology and systems.
• Develop the YSLA operational guide.
• Training the YSLAs on the implementation of the operational guide, including linkages with existing management systems like Chama Soft and Dream Save.
• Develop a schedule for training delivery which can be used by key officials or selected representatives (as ToTs) to train other YSLA groups.
• Train YSLA group representatives (ToTs) on the YSLA guide and how to disseminate the training to the YSLA group members in their groups.
• Monitor implementation of the guidelines developed and report on the progress of the achievements.

Deliverables

• Inception report: an inception report incorporating desk review, details of the work plan, and time schedules, and the tentative outline of the YSLA guidelines document and the YSLAs’ training content.
• Interim reports: reports highlighting key progress; guidelines development, number of youths trained on YSLA methodologies, lessons learned and recommendations for potential linkages of at least 150 youths to Financial Institutions. To provide Practical with the necessary materials or manual as a point of reference for the training and for reproduction and distribution to participants.
• Final reports: Detailed report meeting the objectives and scope of the TOR. The final report will be the end project after incorporating all the comments from Practical Action

Skills Required:
Consultant profile/eligibility criteria
For this assessment, the Consultant should have at least a bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness /Agricultural economics/ Marketing/ Economics/ Commerce/Business Management or related field. A background and extensive experience engaging with YSLAS is desirable. Other key qualifications include:

• Over 5 years’ experience Engaging with YSLAs
• Demonstrated experience in community economic development and working with community-based organizations.
• Good understanding and proven track record in the principle of safeguarding/do no harm.
• Experience working in the Western and Nyanza Regions is highly recommended.
• Extensive experience in delivering YSLA training on methodology.
• Good knowledge and understanding of gender equality issues, particularly in the context of the agricultural value chain.

Guidelines for submission of expression of interest

• Proposal highlighting his/her understanding of the assignment and proposed methodology, work plan with a clear timeframe.
• Technical proposals should indicate at least two similar projects undertaken in the past 2 years and contacts of the relevant people who can be contacted for reference, as well as names and qualifications of the lead consultant(s)
• Detailed financial proposal in Kenyan Shillings for coaching 150 business enterprises. The consultant is expected to provide their daily fee rate as part of their expression of interest.
• Annexed to the proposal should be a CV of the lead consultant for the assignment.

Project Objectives

• To Improve knowledge and skills for 100,000 young men and women that will lead to change in practice through the adoption of RA technologies and improved business management practices.
• To improve resource flows by facilitating 85% of the target young men and women access to appropriate and affordable financial products and services from YSLAs and FSPs to enable them to establish/grow Agri enterprises.
• To improve access to land and equipment for young men and women by strengthening land lease processes and facilitating business linkages between young people and equipment suppliers
• To increase access to markets for young men and women through strengthening relationships and connections and developing commercial offtake/aggregation models to enable youth-led agri-enterprises to thrive.
• To alter negative perceptions of young women in agriculture to enable community and market actors to actively encourage and endorse young women's participation in agribusiness.

Project Outcomes

• Increased productivity for young men and women
• Increased income for young men and women
• Increased entrepreneurship opportunities (e.g., aggregators, transporters) by young men and women.

Intermediate result areas

• Young men and women adopt regenerative agriculture and good business management practices.
• Young men and women access and utilize appropriate and affordable financial products and services.
• Enhanced access and control of agriculture resources (land and equipment) by young men and women
• Market actors (end buyers) actively engage and source from young women and young men.
• Improved perceptions by community and market actors on youth (especially women) engagement in agribusiness.